Head’s Message

Look for me

March 13, 2013

“…and we retire to our screens to Google you, to FaceBook friend you, to ichat you, to i-this you and i-that you, LOL, XXOO, let the SKYPES begin.” – remarks to the class of 2012 at graduation.

Look for me on Facebook, friends. Google me, good people of MPA. Connect with me on Linked-In. Let’s be virtual friends and ours will be an electron hug.

But the spirit of our time together will live most profoundly in memory. Sometime in the future, I’ll see a face that reminds me of you and you will, suddenly, be there with me. The bright light of recognition gives way to the sharp stab of loss. “Yes, it’s you!” then “yes, that wonderful time has passed.” Later that evening, I’ll search for you in the virtual ocean, find you, and know for sure that yes, that time has passed.

That time when the eagle floated right over our canoes on the seventh grade trip down the Cannon river; when you, at age four, ran into my arms after the tornado sirens stopped wailing; when the yellow ribbon was cut and you all ran yelling for joy across the brand new green space; when you gave more than your all on the soccer field on a cold night in St. Cloud and thanked us when it was all over; when you conquered your fear of judges in robes and argued your case with passion and confidence; when the last chord of that serene piece of music you performed hung in the air over the assembled crowd; when the largest crowd in school history watched strapping uniformed basketballers lift a kindergartner on their shoulders to sink a first ceremonial basket in a sparkling new space; when the unmistakable look of discovery spread across your face, and your face, and your face – a thousand times a year for eleven years….

Those times when one more student in need was one too many, yet you nurtured five more with the same grace and compassion, making each feel like the most important one; when you wondered what you must have been thinking when you shouldered the heavy mantle of leadership, but to us you made your burden appear light; when the white dove of yet another of your brilliant ideas flew out among us, circled, and took off; when we watched together as those blue-robed soon-to-be graduates filed in for the rite of passage, then out for the launch of their lives without us; when, exhausted, you knew that the hundreds of hours of work and thought had paid off and they got it….!

The worry that spread across your face as your little one walked from your arms and into PreK for the first time – will she be OK? – and the relief that took its place when you saw that, yes, she will be OK; when you showed up, bright and cheery, to volunteer the day after you said you wouldn’t anymore because you had already put in 60 hours and it was time for someone else to step up; when you trusted your son’s seventh grade teacher when she said that his behavior was normal and everything would be alright; and when you stood with her five years later in the presence of this very grown up and remarkably coherent young man – who knew?; and when you realized what this MPA thing was all about after your daughter’s first triumphant year at college….

You may find me in the virtual ocean, but look for me first in the faces of those I have touched. It is a legacy more lasting and true than any program, structure, or idea. And, passing a store front window in a distant land, I will glimpse your face in mine, and remember.  

Mike Downs

Favorite Messages

March 7, 2013

A second entry in our series of “Head’s Messages from the Past” is this one from July of 2006 – a favorite of mine. It appeared at a time when I suspect few were still reading China Blog, which is what ultimately led to the launch of Head’s Message in August of 2006. More about China Blog and the origins of Head’s Message next week when the final original message wil be posted. This July ’06 entry mentions our newly hired Mandarin teacher, Wang Tian, who went by the anglicized name of Tina when we first met in Shanghai. 

July  2, 2006

Fourth of July

“Perhaps you know of the American Fourth of July holiday?” I find myself writing to Tina. “It is our Independence Day, celebrating the day we declared our independence from the British in the year 1776. Our revolutionary war followed.”

I am explaining why something will not be available to me at school until this Wednesday, the 5th. I have no idea whether or not this is something educated Chinese like Wang Tian know as a matter of course. And if they do, how they view this particular period in our relatively short history.

If her sense of early American history is as limited as mine is of early Chinese history, it is quite possible that this holiday is unknown to her. One of the added benefits of having this visitor in our midst will be the opportunity to learn more about how we and our history are viewed and understood from the outside.

“The war of resistance against America and support for Korea,” is what author Peter Hessler tells us is the Chinese name for what we call the Korean War. In his book “Oracle Bones” he writes of visiting the Chinese town of Dandong on the border with North Korea.

At the bookstore in the Shanghai Museum, among the treasures I found for our teachers’ use this coming year was a fascinating book I ultimately decided not to buy. Now I regret it. But I had a good reason at the time.

It was a book of photographs essentially cataloging the dark side of China’s Cultural Revolution.  These were very strong black and white images with an underground feel to them, certainly not what the official government-approved accounting of that period would have included. I took it as an encouraging sign that this volume was published and available in such a public institution.

But I worried that interested consumers of this book among, perhaps, some of our older students might see it as an opening to confront our new visitor, armed as they would be with the particular view through the lens of this photographer. I thought about what it means to be a welcoming host and what it means to be alone in a foreign country. I imagined what it might feel like to have my hosts in a foreign land confront me with some of the more difficult truths of my country.

But I underestimate our remarkable students whose capacity for respect and understanding across cultures is quite developed. And I underestimate our MPA teachers’ ability to properly contextualize such a cross cultural discussion. And I suspect I underestimate our visitor and her readiness to experience the freedom of thought and opinion which are founding values of the country whose independence we celebrate on Tuesday.

10th Grade at Deep Portage

February 25, 2013

It has been one of those pivotal turning points in the MPA Upper School experience – the tenth grade winter trip to Deep Portage. Awaited eagerly by some and with trepidation by others, the three-day two-night adventure includes winter survival techniques, ice fishing, nordic skiing and lots of time to bond with each other. Located about 50 miles due north of Brainerd, the Deep Portage Learning Center has been the site of transformative winter learning opportunities for MPA sophomores annually for over two decades.  

Each year a hearty few camp outside in the snow with the open sky for a roof and temperatures in the…well, winter at night in northern Minnesota. Hear from these brave souls as well as others on this video, featuring still photographs from tenth grade Yearbook photographers.

Two Boys Reading

February 21, 2013

This week, we begin a series of “Head’s Messages Revisited” to run throughout the remained of the school year. And as we are just a little over a week away from Book Festival Week, enjoy this piece about two boys reading, from March of 2009.

Scenes from a “typical” Monday at MPA

February 13, 2013

Where else but MPA could you stop by the Upper School Monday Morning Meeting and get a chance to hear a Chamber Choir’s pitch-perfect performance…then end the day watching a nordic skiier skate through the freshly fallen snow wearing butterfly wings while a Santa suit-clad coach looks on? There are probably hundreds of ways to end the sentence “Where else but MPA….?” This week, I captured a some scenes from a “typical” MPA Monday on camera:

ISACS Service

January 29, 2013

MPA belongs to a state organization – the Minnesota Association of Independent Schools (MAIS), a regional one  – the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), and a national one – the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Each plays a different role, none more important than that of ISACS, which is our accrediting body. Recognized for accreditation by the state of Minnesota as well as twelve other midwestern states, ISACS has 230 member schools on its roster.

The ISACS accreditation process has been recognized nationally as one of the most thorough and effective processes and has been copied widely. One of the key features is the use of experienced independent school leaders and teachers on the accreditation teams and it is an expectation that ISACS schools will supply team members. It has been my honor to serve on a number of teams, including three as visiting team leader. This coming Sunday through Wednesday (February 3-6), I will serve ISACS once again in that capacity as I travel to lead a school visit in Kansas City. As was the case when MPA hosted a team last year, the host school bears the cost of all travel and accomodations for team members, who volunteer their time in support of this process.

While team members work essentially during all waking hours over the days of the visit, many who have served describe the experience as one of the best professional development opportunities. Days are filled visiting classes and interviewing staff, students, trustees, parents and alumni. Evenings are spent writing reports and collaborating on the final product. Typically, several MPA teachers and administrators each year are asked to serve on a team. 

Every time I have served on one of these teams, I have returned with a deeper appreciation of the amazing experience available here at MPA. It is one of the hidden benefits of visiting another school – realizing how well served the MPA community is by our dedicated faculty and staff. Sometimes you have to travel a long way away to realize that what’s right here at home is quite special.

Passion for the Middle Years (video)

January 23, 2013

Ask just about any adult to share a memory from their middle school years, and it’s likely to be an unpleasant one. (Think seventh grade.) It can be a time of such turmoil and upheaval, with mood swings occurring at warp speed. So it takes a special kind of mindset to actually enjoy working with children of this age. MPA Middle School teachers are truly passionate about this age group and were happy to share that passion with me as I traveled among them recently.

A Look Inside First Grade at MPA (video)

January 17, 2013

This month on Head’s Message, we’ll be taking you inside classrooms and introducing you to a variety of Mounds Park Academy teachers. We start today with a visit to first grade. Come along and see what’s in store for students as they approach this critical time in the learning process.


Attend an information session at Mounds Park Academy or request information.

Blood Drive and the First Grade

January 8, 2013

In honor of next week’s blood drive, sponsored jointly by the Upper School Student Council and the first grade, we are reprising the video made at last year’s drive. First graders study about the circulatory system, create posters promoting the drive, and read to donors on the day of the drive. Watch and be inspired. Then sign up to donote by clicking here (Enter sponsor code: 0173345). The drive takes place in the Gallery from noon to 6:00 p.m.

Tears in School

December 19, 2012

There were tears in school this past week. At least two parents I spoke to were moved to tears over the tragedy in Connecticut. One as she dropped off her two young ones and watched as an MPA teacher threw her arms open for a hug; the other as he waited to pick up his young one and tried to make sense of it.

As much as I would like to reassure families that what happened at Sandy Hook couldn’t happen here, I can’t. At least as of this writing, there appears to be no connection between the shooter and the school he chose for his rampage. If one is later revealed, it is likely to be a tenuous one. In addition, he shot his way through a locked door. The adults in the vicinity sacrificed themselves trying to stop him before he could get to the children. How are we to make any sense of this in the context of school safety? Are we to convert our schools to high security facilities with blast walls and armed guards? 

We ran a routine lockdown drill last week, two days before the tragedy. I also recall a lockdown drill we ran on the morning of the Virginia Tech shooting in the spring of 2007. And so we prepare. We prepare and hope never to need to rely on this training.

My wife is never comforted by the statistic I quote her about the relative safety of air travel over the two mile drive to the grocery store in a car. But it is also true that the safest place for a child, statistically, is in school. Far more violence is done to children outside of school than in. Amidst the media flood of images of the cherubic faces of the five and six year-old children gunned down last Friday though, statistics may be cold comfort.

And yet…you dropped off your children at school this week. You entrusted them to us. And there is no responsibility we take more seriously than ensuring their safety. Schools all over the country this week are reviewing procedures. We talked about some possible adjustments to ours. We watch, and we learn.

Most importantly, we pay attention to the children. We listen to them and invite them to share with us. We know them. We know you. It’s what it means to have a close community.

A close community like ours has been shattered this past week, and no one could have predicted it. There is no escaping that tremendously unsettling fact. It could happen anywhere. But remember: millions of children had a routine day at school last Friday. And while many adults struggled with dropping off their precious ones this week, the children were fine.

More than likely, the tears that will be shed in the next few weeks will be over heartfelt goodbyes at the end of family visits. The light in the eyes of a child opening a gift, making a snow angel, or baking cookies with grandma will mean a little bit more this holiday season as we imagine the heartache of Sandy Hook families. We’ll stay by her side a little bit longer as she falls asleep. We’ll linger outside with him a few cold minutes more to add one more tower to the snowfort. 

Hold them close this season. Love them. And we’ll be ready with hugs when they return.