Head’s Message

January 12, 2023

from Dr. Jenn Milam, Middle School director

Editor’s Note: Periodically, you will find a guest Head’s Message here from one of MPA’s administrators. We hope you enjoy reading their thoughts and reflections about life at MPA.

As a curricularist, someone formally trained in curriculum, teaching, and learning, I am consistently in awe of the advances we make in the fields of science, the learning sciences, psychology, and sociology. Each of these disciplines and others build a fuller picture of how our brains work and how we learn—each lending something new to how we can improve the daily learning lives of young people in schools.

Take, for example, the learnings about dyslexia in the last two decades. It used to be that we thought dyslexia was simply transposing numbers and letters, which made it hard for a person to read. We now know so much more about how dyslexia presents in different brains, how it impacts brain functions like automaticity and long-term memory storage, processing time, and yes, adeptness and proficiency in reading. With this knowledge, states across our country have enacted legislation to change the way teachers are prepared, funding has increased toward educational support of language learning and reading disabilities, and learning and reading specialists are having even greater success with helping young people impacted by dyslexia develop skills that carry them well on their way to personal and academic achievement. All of that is because we learned more about the actual function of the brain!

Our understanding of executive function skills has developed similarly and more recently to bring us to a more comprehensive view of skill development, effective teaching through scaffolding, and challenges that some young people face in building these essential blocks toward positive self-regulation and independence. McCloskey and Perkins (2013) share that executive functions are not a “unitary trait” but rather are a series of cueing strategies, mental processes, and practices that direct the use of other mental constructs like perceptions, cognition, emotion, and actions (p. 9). Most important for educators, parents, and caregivers is the knowledge and very clear understanding that executive function skills are just that: SKILLS! Like pitching a baseball, kicking a soccer ball, or playing an instrument, people are not born with skills—they are learned through teaching, positive reinforcement, practice, and attention to the explicit and implicit application. Read More

January 5, 2023

Dear MPA Community,

Author John Steinbeck said, “I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” I often think about the passion and dedication of MPA teachers as artists. Their creativity, zeal for teaching, and love of students are much the same as artists, and their impact is magnificent and long-lasting.

I’m always nervous when a long-serving teacher makes an appointment with me, fearing they will announce their retirement. Personally, I couldn’t be happier for them. Teaching is an exceptionally demanding profession, and teachers at MPA go above and beyond what is expected. They give so much of themselves, and retirement is certainly well deserved. Professionally, I’m always a little sad about losing a valuable and endearing colleague. MPA is a tight-knit community, and I am fortunate to work alongside some amazing human beings. While I do not doubt their legacy will continue under their successors’ care, I am a bit melancholy.

I want to share with you that three of MPA’s longest-serving faculty members have decided to retire at the end of this school year: visual art teacher Lisa Buck, music teacher Mari Espeland, and librarian Nancy Lage. Combined, they have served the MPA community for 105 years, and for that, we are exceedingly grateful.

Lisa Buck came to MPA in 1984 as a Middle School visual arts teacher. She co-created the MPA K-12 visual arts curriculum with founding teacher Karen Rossbach. Over time, they honed the program in depth and breadth, and Ms. Buck designed a multilevel ceramics program in the Upper School. She has taught drawing, painting, sculpture, fibers, design, printmaking, and ceramics.

From 1998-2000, Ms. Buck taught overseas at the American School in Casablanca, Morocco, and then returned to MPA. While teaching, she also built her career as a potter. Ms. Buck shares, “It has been a delicate balance of commitment, hard work, and passion. I have longed for a time when I could be full-time in my own studio, and now, that is exactly what I am going to do.”

She adds, “I have given my whole-hearted self to helping students see their beautiful potential as young artists and helped to build an outstanding program.” I am deeply grateful for the vision, creativity, and passion Lisa has brought to MPA over her long service to the school. Students have benefitted from having a gifted art educator and an accomplished working artist in the same person; she will be very missed.

Mari Espeland came to MPA in 1989 and built the Lower School music program upon the Orff Schulwerk approach. She established the Lower School Art and Music Show with Karen Rossbach and incorporated distinctly American music traditions, such as jazz, and world music through drumming.

Ms. Espeland shares, “This environment has allowed me to grow as a music educator and collaborate with colleagues to benefit students more than I could have ever dreamed possible when I began teaching at MPA in 1989. Music education has been much more than a job or even a career for me. Rather, it has been a calling.”

After 33 years of boundless passion for music and dedicated service to MPA, I have profound respect and deep appreciation for the program she built, the many, many children she has inspired, and the beauty she has brought to their lives and to MPA.

Nancy Lage became MPA’s librarian in 1986 and has served the school for 37 years. She developed the PreK-12 library program and managed an extensive 23,000-volume book collection, 30 academic databases, and a dynamic library website to support a diverse PreK-12 curriculum. She shares, “A joy-filled part of my job at MPA has been matching students and faculty with books and resources that inspire them to think, reflect and grow.” She is well-known for being able to find the perfect next book for readers of all ages.

Ms. Lage helped co-create the new Martin Lenz Harrison Library, ensuring that students have access to high-quality literature, the latest technology, and knowledgeable staff who are always willing to help. It opened in 2019 and has become a beloved place on campus. She shares, “The Martin Lenz Harrison Library has secured its position in the heart of the school as a place where everyone in the community feels welcome. My involvement in the co-creative design of this facility has been a labor of love. The creative process was a dream for me and a lovely legacy I leave behind as I retire.”

Ms. Lage has dedicated her life and career to fostering a joy and love of reading and creating an inviting, warm, and safe space for students to follow their interests and discover their passions. I have the utmost respect and gratitude for her work to ensure MPA students experience the joy and magic of reading.

Great schools depend on great teachers. MPA students have greatly benefitted from the longevity and experience of long-serving teachers. When teachers do leave MPA, it is most often because of life changes or retirement. In the case of Ms. Buck, Ms. Espeland, and Ms. Lage, all three began their MPA career within the first five years of our founding. When teachers leave MPA, it can sometimes feel jarring, but in reality, it is a part of life.

A recent study by the Rand Corporation reported that among all the factors that impact student achievement, the most important is a good teacher. (This is particularly true with math and science, where teachers have as much as two to three times the effect on student achievement.) “The best teacher in the world is someone who loves what he or she does, and just loves it in front of you,” said Fred Rogers. MPA teachers work hard at building personal relationships with students, helping them discover their true selves and their identities. Together, we have created and nurtured a school community grounded in multi-layered relationships and strong connections with one another.

Please join me in showing your appreciation for Ms. Buck, Ms. Espeland, and Ms. Lage by attending the annual Retirement Gathering on Thursday, May 25, at 4 PM in the Martin Lenz Harrison Library. A community invitation will follow in May, but please save the date.

Warm regards,
Dr. Bill Hudson
Head of School

PS: Their positions will be posted on our website soon—please help us find new faculty who will carry on their legacy at MPA.

December 15, 2022

from Bill Hudson, head of school

Nearly every day, I see a flurry of activity on the treetop outside my office window. It seems to be the place for several female cardinals to congregate. While less showy than the male cardinal, they have a beauty of their own. Somewhere along the line, I heard that cardinals are a sign of our loved ones that have died. I take solace in that idea and think of my dad. Whenever I spy a cardinal, I am reminded of my dad’s unconditional love for me and how he patiently accompanied me on my journey toward a better self.

The cardinals outside my window also remind me of the poetry of Mary Oliver. Her book, “Red Bird” begins and ends with poems about, what else, red birds. In the first poem, “Red Bird,” the poet is grateful that …

“Red bird came all winter
Firing up the landscape
As nothing else could.”

The fiery red of the cardinal against the snowy whiteness of winter can be startling. It can jolt me out of the day-to-day drudgery of the cold and wet weather to see anew the beauty of winter. In the final poem of her book, “Red Bird Explains Himself,” Oliver shares with us that the purpose of the red bird is “to be the music of the body” because our bodies need “a song, a spirit, a soul.” The red bird has been sent “to teach this to your heart.” Read More

November 3, 2022

from Bill Hudson, head of school

It is nearly impossible not to notice that pumpkin spice has overtaken the grocery aisles. According to NielsenIQ data, pumpkin spice products accounted for more than $231 million in sales over last year, 27% higher than the year before. Someone even noticed a sign at a service station offering pumpkin spice oil changes. While I am not a fan of anything pumpkin spice flavored, it does serve as a reminder of fall and the season of gratitude. It won’t be long before many families and friends gather for Thanksgiving and share with one another. In the midst of passing the gravy and turkey, we will share all the reasons we are grateful this year.

As we move into a season of gratitude, our annual fall fundraising drive launches this Monday, November 7, and continues through Friday, November 18. Give to the Max Day is Thursday, November 17, and includes our own special tradition of a faculty and staff lip sync competition and all-school assembly.

Our fall campaign theme, “Forward Together,” represents the momentum we are experiencing as we come together as a community, both metaphorically and literally. After two and one-half years of isolation, separation, and distancing, our building is full again with parents, grandparents, friends, and special guests, adding even more joy to an already joyful school community.

Last Friday was a good example. If you don’t know, MPA has had a longstanding tradition of Lower School students parading through the halls of the school in their Halloween costumes, much to the delight of Middle and Upper School students who take a break from their studies to join in the celebration. Students, faculty, staff, and parents line the hallways to smile, wave, and applaud the Lower School students. I can never decide what I appreciate more—the faces of the young students on parade or the older students cheering them on! Read More

October 27, 2022

from Bill Hudson, head of school

Like many of you, the first indication of a security issue was the generalized alert I received on my cell phone yesterday morning. MPA did not receive any advance notification or information. The school is fortunate to have a very constructive relationship with the Maplewood Police Department and I was caught off guard by the notification on my cell phone. Fortuitously, MPA has a very detailed and comprehensive emergency preparedness and crisis plan and we have drilled enough times that emergency response is instinctive. We are able to quickly implement a safety and security plan with the information we have available that is also flexible so that we can adapt to an evolving crisis.

Aside from the situation on Tuesday, we had an actual medical lockdown at the end of Grandparents and Special Friends Day on October 19 and a full lockdown drill on Monday, October 17. We are required by the State of Minnesota to hold five lockdown drills each school year. Research by our own current parent, James Densley, professor, author, co-founder of The Violence Project and a national authority on mass shootings, demonstrates that despite the high-profile nature of school shootings, schools remain one of the safest places. Knowing how to respond during a crisis helps everyone stay calm, understand their role, and act as safely and efficiently as possible. Again, balance is essential between being prepared and causing anxiety about something unlikely to occur. Read More

October 13, 2022

from Bill Hudson, head of school

As I walk about the building each day, I see powerful signs of how the mission of MPA is brought to life and animated by students, teachers, staff, and parents. For instance, the Lower School gathered yesterday in the Family Commons to celebrate CHAMP Day, parents met on Monday to launch the inaugural Parents Association Diversity and Equity Committee, and students from across all divisions celebrated Maker Monday in the Makerspace honing their skills in designing and creating.

You may be aware that last year we celebrated the 40th anniversary of Mounds Park Academy. During events throughout the 2021-22 school year, we took the opportunity to celebrate the founding ideals and mission of the school as they were lived out over the last 40 years. This summer, I was fortunate to be invited to lunch with several founders of MPA: Bob Kreischer, who, together with his then-wife Sandy Kreischer Smith founded the school; Harvey Kaplan, who deftly negotiated the lease and the eventual purchase of the school building; Karen Benz, who with her late husband George Benz, engaged and inspired other parents to philanthropically fund the school; and Jim Gardner, the founding member of the finance committee of the board whose fiscal stewardship established the school’s financial foundation.

It was inspirational to hear their stories about the successes and challenges they encountered and the joy, creativity, and passion that fueled their work. As I joined in the revelry with the founders, I shared ways in which the mission they established continues to live daily. I also became acutely aware that I, the board of trustees, and the entire MPA community, have the awesome and awe-filled obligation to advance the mission we’ve inherited for the next 40 years. The school’s mission is entrusted to us, and we have the existential responsibility to ensure the mission not only survives but thrives well into the future. Read More

September 29, 2022

from Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school

Is there a cliff involved? It’s a question I frequently ask myself or my husband Ross. It comes from MPA’s former school psychologist, Steve Kahn, and is one of the best pieces of parenting advice I have ever received. In fact, it came up over this past weekend when Ross had reached a point of frustration with our 16-year-old daughter. He was venting over her making time for soccer, friends, and her boyfriend but not for her behind-the-wheel driving experience. “At this rate, she’s never going to get her license!” he exclaimed. Calmly, I looked at him and said, “Is there a cliff involved?”

My article last week focused on forging a strong parent-school partnership and I wrote about parenting being demanding, lonely, and hard. It’s hard to find the balance between allowing our children to have agency and to make their own choices without overparenting, micromanaging them, or preventing them from failing. This is particularly difficult when it comes to school. Many of us have a hard time keeping school performance and homework in perspective.

You’ve heard me say a number of times that parental engagement plays an important role in academic success. Researchers Wendy Grolnick (Clark University) and Eva Pomerantz (University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign) analyzed decades of research on parent involvement and found that it is “an important and necessary ingredient in children’s academic adjustment” and can contribute to student motivation, engagement, and learning. Studies have found that this is especially true when parents’ role is affectively positive (showing joy, love, and satisfaction helping their children) and when it promotes children’s autonomy.

Many years ago, when I was conducting research for my dissertation and when learning management systems such as Schoology were first introduced, I interviewed a ninth grader who bemoaned the fact that his parents often knew before he got home for school that he didn’t turn in an assignment or was called to the principal’s office. “Geez,” he said, “I don’t even get a chance to take care of it myself before I get in trouble at home.” Sound familiar?! Read More