Lower School Archives

April 25, 2024

Tanner Sunderman, coach of the Mounds Park Academy speech team, may have gotten a peek behind the curtain at what the competition thinks of the school’s ability.

“I had a Mounds Park competitor in my round… those kids are machines,” Tanner overheard.

The comment did not come without warrant as the machine marched on with the Panthers claiming another speech team title, defending its championship from 2023 during the Class A state competition this weekend in Shakopee. The championship was the third in the team’s last four years. With 53 team points in the event to edge out Melrose Area, MPA now owns the top three spots for the highest team total in Class A history. MPA also now sits third all-time in Minnesota history with 49 total state individual champions, behind Apple Valley and Eagan, and fifth overall with 203 state medalists. Of every team in the state, MPA qualified more students than anyone else, with 21. Nine of those students advanced to the final round, and six others finished in ninth place or were tie-broken from the final round.

The state champions from MPA were Paul Fertig (Extemporaneous Speaking) and Pahwa Yang (Prose). Pahwa successfully defended her individual title and scored straight 1s (perfect scores) in the final round. Runner-ups include Akshay Somayajula (second, Great Speeches), Zainab Lodhi (second, Informative), and Annika Binstadt (second, Poetry). Nico Bergh (Humorous), Rowan Mulrooney (Informative), Zoya Nayak (Oratory), Nabila Artan (Oratory), Lucy Mayer (Poetry), and Maggie Banks (Storytelling) all finished in ninth place or were tie-broken from the final round. Finalists include Ash Klann (sixth, Oratory), Mina Kim (sixth, Great Speeches), Greta Hanson (fifth, Prose), Amal Sastry (third, Extemporaneous Speaking). Pahwa and Akshay earned their third medal overall, Greta and Amal earned their second, and Ash, Mina, Zainab, and Annika earned their first.

The MPA machine now moves on to their final two tournaments of the year: The NIETOC National Tournament in Bellevue, Nebraska, in May and the NSDA National Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, in June.

Congratulations, Alyssa Andretta!

April 25, 2024

Alyssa Andretta will be shifting from her role as a learning specialist to third-grade homeroom for the 2024-25 school year and beyond. Take a little time to get to know Alyssa!

Tell us a little bit about your education and past experience.
This is my 13th year of teaching! I completed my undergraduate degree in elementary education with minors in special education and graphic design at Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) in Marshall, Minnesota. In 2018, I received my master’s degree in elementary education and PreK-6 literacy from Walden University. I believe that educators should be life-long learners; I love learning! Because of this, I am constantly looking for new ways to build on my knowledge and skills to be the most effective educator for all students.

What did you find appealing about moving to third grade as a homeroom teacher?
I am so excited to get back into a classroom setting! When I used to teach second grade, one of my favorite parts was getting to know my students and families on a deeper level. We built a strong community within our classroom and grade level to make a positive, lasting impact on the students’ experience in school and education. I have always loved third grade, and I can’t wait for the opportunity to work with third-grade students and families at MPA next year.

What’s your big dream?
My big dream is one where I continue to work hard for an equitable and just world through my own education and learning and the environment created in my classroom.

What are you and your family passionate about?
I have many passions! A few of them are traveling, plants, books, art, softball, learning, and so many more. As a family, we always try to seek out new experiences and adventures whenever we have the opportunity. From exploring new parks to trying new foods, we love taking in the world around us.

What’s a fun fact about you that our community would love to know?
I really love house plants, and I have over 100 of them that I take care of in our house right now.

Congratulations, Annie Stewart!

April 25, 2024

Annie Stewart will be shifting from third to fourth grade for the 2024-25 school year and beyond. Take a little time to get to know Annie!

Tell us about your education and past experience.
I graduated from St. Olaf College with a degree in theater in 2015. After working as a full-time stage manager in Minneapolis, I came back to MPA as a building substitute teacher and PreK teaching assistant. In 2019, I completed my Master’s Degree in elementary education from the University of St. Thomas and started working as a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher in the Edina Public Schools.

What did you find appealing about moving to fourth grade as a homeroom teacher?
Fourth grade is a pivotal year for student growth and development. As the last year in our Lower School program, it is a bridge into fifth grade and the rigor of Middle School. As a former fourth- and fifth-grade teacher, I’m looking forward to helping MPA students successfully make this transition. An added bonus is that I will be able to “loop” with some of my current third graders, meaning I will be able to make greater and deeper connections and continue to build upon our strong relationships.

What lasting impact do you plan to have on MPA?
As an alumna, it is an incredible experience to be back working at the school that helped me flourish as a student. I hope that as a Lower School teacher, I am able able to spark the same joy of learning in my future students.
Read More

Support MPA From Home This Weekend

April 18, 2024

While we wish everyone could join us for the MPA Spring Auction: Together We Can Move Mountains event this year, we’re happy that every supporter can join in from afar!

Thanks to the generosity of our community, we have nearly 200 auction packages for you to bid on and win, even if you can’t join us in person. The silent auction opened earlier this week and will remain open until Saturday, April 20, at noon. Check out our “buy it now” option on some of our most popular packages.

Visit the Silent Auction Page.
Click Login/Register. Create a new account if you have yet to be a part of our auction in the past or log in if you have!
Save, bid, and win amazing items, all while supporting MPA students and teachers.

Learn more about this year’s auction, including purchasing one of our Golden Tickets, which will be drawn on Friday night. You could be the winner of the live auction package of your choice. You don’t need to be present to win!

For questions, contact Jennifer Rogers-Petitt, director of development and community engagement, at jrogers@moundsparkacademy.org.

Lower School Division News April 18, 2024

April 18, 2024

from Jennifer Le Varge, Lower School director

Mark Your Calendars

Friday, April 19: Pairing Assembly, 2:20-3 PM
Friday, April 19: Spring Auction, 6:30-11 PM, Dellwood Golf Club, bid from home >
Wednesday, April 24: HeadSpace “Inspiring Global Responsibility,” 3:15-4:15 PM, Library
Thursday, April 25: LS/US Haiti Cultural Celebration, 1-3 PM, Family Commons, Gallery
Tuesday, April 30: LS Parent Quarterly Coffee, 8-9 AM, Library
Thursday, May 2: Grades 4-8 Family Dinner, 5:15-6 PM, Family Commons
Thursday, May 2: Grades 4-8 Transition Meetings, 6-6:45 PM
Friday, May 3: New Family Panther Party, 4-5:30 PM, volunteer >
Wednesday, May 15: CHAMP Assembly, 8:15-9 AM, Family Commons
Wednesday, May 15-Friday, May 24: FastBridge Testing (K-4)
Friday, May 24: Senior Walk, 1 PM, MPA Campus
Monday, May 27: No Classes, Memorial Day
Tuesday, May 28: Field Day, 8:30-11 AM, Soccer Fields, South Lawn
Tuesday, June 4: Last Day of School, All School Yearbook Assembly and Signing, 8-10:30 AM
Tuesday, June 4: Early Release, 10:30 AM

We’re feeling spring fever in Lower School! Thank you to all parents who participated in the recent Parents Association Cultural Celebration and to those who continue to contribute to the Lower School duty-free lunches. We so appreciate your support! As we gear up to end the year strong, please review the updates below:

CHAMP News
At our CHAMP assembly on April 17, we focused on the CHAMP attribute of friendly. We enjoyed learning a rap and dance to the song “The Good Friends” by artist Mr. B. Our next CHAMP assembly is May 15, and we will be learning about having self-control. Please send your child(ren) to school on May 15 wearing their CHAMP colors!

Caution: Prime Drink
We have noticed that some students are bringing Prime drinks to school for snack and lunch. Please note that Prime has ingredients that contain tree nuts and is manufactured in a facility where additional nuts are present and processed. Therefore, the Prime drink does not meet our Lower School allergy-aware policy. Please refrain from sending the drink to school with your child.

LS Visiting Author: Yangsook Choi
We had such fun meeting and learning from our visiting author, Yangsook Choi! After flying all the way from Seoul, she led our PreK-grade 2 students in a workshop on writing and illustration, inspired by her book “A Letter to My Friend.” Then, the students in grades 3-4 learned about the artistic process of storytelling inspired by “The Name Jar.” Lastly, 20 budding authors and illustrators from the Lower School got feedback on their work from Yangsook and gave feedback to their peers. The author shared that she was so impressed by our students and teachers at MPA! See all the photos here!

May Sprit Days: Wear Your MPA Gear
On Fridays in May (May 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31) Lower School students are invited to wear their MPA gear (sweatshirt or t-shirt) as their top, with uniform bottoms. Let’s show our Panther pride throughout the month of May!

A Note About What to Wear on CHAMP + Spirit Days
We have received some questions about this, so please note that students are invited to wear their CHAMP shirts (on CHAMP days) and MPA spirit wear (on spirit days) along with uniform bottoms.

Parent Engagement Strengthens Our School Community

April 17, 2024

from Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school

Spring is a season of renewal, a time when both nature and our school community come alive with energy and activity. At MPA, spring is particularly vibrant, filled with concerts, performances, games, meetings, celebrations, and cherished traditions like the Moving Up Ceremony, the Senior Walk, and the First Grade Poetry Picnic.

As we embark on this busy season, I want to ensure that all parents and guardians are fully informed and engaged. You can expect to receive invitations to a variety of special events and gatherings in the coming weeks. I encourage you to stay connected by regularly reading Panther Post and the division news linked from it and keeping an eye on your email for important updates and announcements. We are committed to communicating with you in a timely and effective manner and we hope that’s helpful—especially during seasons like this.

While I understand that everyone leads busy lives, we believe that parent engagement is vital to the success of our school community. Your participation in events and activities enriches the educational experience for your child and strengthens our overall community. I value your input and involvement and want to make it as easy as possible for you to participate in the ways that work best for you.

Here are a few upcoming events where I hope to see you …

Connect With MPA’s Incoming Middle School Director
I am excited to welcome Paul Errickson, our incoming Middle School director, to MPA May 2-3. Paul will be meeting with teachers, students, and administrators during his visit. Parents are invited to join Paul for coffee on Friday, May 3 at 8:15 AM in the Library. He will also be in attendance at the transition meetings, dinner, and concert the evening of May 2. Read More

Global Responsibility: A Pathway to a Connected Future

April 11, 2024

from Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school

Over spring break, I traveled to South Korea and China to meet with parents, students, teachers, and educators in both countries. The trip’s purpose was to further enhance our school’s commitment to global responsibility and awareness. I first traveled to South Korea with Cory Becker-Kim, MPA’s international student program coordinator, to establish a stronger presence in the Korean educational marketplace and introduce MPA to interested students and parents. Our goal there was to showcase the unique approach to education that defines MPA: a holistic, experiential, liberal arts education that nurtures the whole child.

In China, I had the privilege of visiting eight schools and one university and met with a number of school leaders and educational officials. Throughout my visit, I enjoyed engaging in profound discussions about the future of education and the importance of global citizenship. I was struck by the genuine interest in our educational approach, particularly our focus on fostering global responsibility and citizenship.

Global responsibility is a key anchor of our school’s mission statement. It is also part of the first priority of 2024ward, our strategic plan: “Empowering students to live, learn, and thrive in today’s complex, global society.” This commitment is rooted in our belief that we must prepare our students for the world that awaits them—a world that demands global thinking, effective communication, and responsible contributions.

MPA Artists Receive 26 MSAA Awards

April 11, 2024

The Art Department is thrilled to share the list of students honored in the 2024 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards:

Zephyr Bulera ’24, Painting, Honorable Mention, “Ziibi”
Clara Deneault ’25, Drawing, Honorable Mention, “Fragmented Still Life”
Arlo Dickson ’26, Drawing, Honorable Mention, “Kaleidoscope”
Leo Eakin ’24, Drawing, Honorable Mention, “Manhattan Bridge”
Paul Fertig ’25, Painting, Honorable Mention, “Poisoning Mother Nature”
Grace K. ’27, Painting, Gold Key, “Untitled”
Aixa Kellermann ’24, Digital Art, Honorable Mention, “Coyotes Are Invading New York!”
Aixa Kellermann ’24, Drawing, Honorable Mention, “Great Blue Heron”
Aixa Kellermann ’24, Mixed Media, Gold Key, “Watcher”
Nicole Kim ’26, Fashion, Gold Key, “Dress with Red, Blue, and Yellow”
Nicole Kim ’26, Fashion, Silver Key, “The Color of the Earth”
Ash Klann, ’26, Painting, Honorable Mention, “Actuality”
Ash Klann ’26, Painting, Honorable Mention, “Mechanized”
Ellie L. ’27, Drawing, Silver Key, “Shading Practice”
Ellie L. ’27, Drawing, Honorable Mention, “Autumn Feast”
Lilly Liao ’26, Drawing, Silver Key, “Charcoal Drapery”
Elena M-S. ’27, Drawing, Honorable Mention, “Still Life in Yellow”
Elena M-S. ’27, Painting, Silver Key, “Winter Scene”
Elena M-S. ’27, Photography, Gold Key, “Anni”
Lia Sonka ’24, Ceramics, Honorable Mention, “Lotus and Lily”
Lia Sonka ’24, Ceramics, Silver Key, “Cacti”
Lia Sonka ’24, Painting, Honorable Mention, “Wildflowers on Repeat”
Yuhan Zou ’25, Drawing, Silver Key, “Duomo di Milano”
Yuhan Zou ’25, Painting, Honorable Mention, “White Bird”
Yuhan Zou ’25, Painting, Honorable Mention, “Pieta”
Yuhan Zou ’25, Painting, Honorable Mention, “Breathe”

The Scholastic Art Awards is a highly competitive, nationally recognized competition for students ages 13-18. Gold Key awards will go on to competition at the national level.
The list of awards represents a variety of mediums, styles, and techniques, as well as countless hours of work over the course of years of skill development. We are so proud of the accomplishments of these artists! See an album of their award-winning work here.

Community Meets Experiential Learning

April 11, 2024

This message is from MPA’s Office of Admission from the April 11, 2024 issue of InsideMPA. Click here to get in touch with Admission and learn more!

Earlier this week, we celebrated the solar eclipse with a day of cross-divisional activities, STEM education, and a community-wide viewing. Upper School students transformed the Family Commons into a space laboratory and spent the morning leading Lower School students through experiential activities that explained the science behind the eclipse and why it was such a phenomenon. Students rotated from station to station where they were taught the physics of the eclipse, experimented with black lights and photons, demonstrated the movements of planets, and practiced safe viewing with their eclipse glasses. They were over the moon, pun intended, to learn from their older peers who engaged with them in a way that defines our PreK-12 school.

The sense of community here not only creates a safe, inclusive environment for our students and their families–it extends to supporting lifelong learners on their journey of a joyful education. The laughter echoing through the Family Commons was heard throughout the school, and the look of pure awe on our littlest Panthers’ faces was not just for the phenomenon in the sky; they were looking up at the leaders of the student body, and at their own future at MPA. One day, perhaps for the next eclipse years from now, they will be the Upper School students leading the way and providing new Lower Schoolers with these memorable moments at school.

Even though we couldn’t see the eclipse through cloudy skies, what we did see was a PreK-12 community, gathered in joyful excitement to learn and be together.

Speech Team Wins Section Title To Return To State

April 10, 2024

After winning the Minnesota State High School League’s Class A title last year, the Mounds Park Academy speech team put itself in a position to repeat by taking the Section 4A title on Saturday at St. Croix Lutheran Academy, sealing another berth to state for the Panthers. Eight students won their respective events, helping key the trip back to the state tournament, which will be held on Friday, April 19, at Shakopee High School. Congratulations to the following students for taking the top spots to punch their tickets to state:

Paul Fertig ’25 – Extemporaneous Speaking
Akshay Somayajula ’24 – Great Speeches
Guy Schwieger ‘26 – Humorous Interpretation
Zainab Lodhi ’25 – Informative Speaking
Ash Klann ‘26 – Original Oratory
Annika Binstadt ’25 – Poetry Reading
Andrea Pugh ’26 – Prose Reading
Maggie Banks ‘24 Storytelling

Sean Holland ‘25, Amila Avdic ‘27, Amal Sastry ‘25, Mari Minear ‘25, Mina Kim ‘26, Nico Bergh ‘27, Rowan Mulrooney ‘25, Oslo Norcross ‘27, Zoya Nayak ‘25, Nabila Artan ‘26, Lucy Mayer ‘27, Pahwa Yang ‘24, and Greta Hanson ’24 will join the eight, having all placed in the top three in their fields to represent MPA at the state competition. Just missing out on state berths had Jake Wyant ‘27, Warner Reid ’26, Sidd Sastry ‘27, Victoria Lin ‘27, and Soumya Raman ‘24, who all still earned placements during the section tournament.

Following the state tournament, some action still remains for the Panthers on deck. In May, the team will travel to Nebraska to compete at the NIETOC National Tournament. Those participants had to qualify throughout the season and include the following:

Maggie Banks, Nico Bergh, Kelvyn Boddipalli, Paul Fertig, Greta Hanson, Mina Kim, Ash Klann, Hannabella Li, Zainab Lodhi, Mari Minear, Rowan Mulrooney, Zoya Nayak, Oslo Norcross, Andrea Pugh, Amal Sastry, Sidd Sastry, Guy Schwieger, Akshay Somayajula and Pahwa Yang.