Faculty And Staff Experience Archives

Meet Assistant Director of Admission for Middle and Upper School Alli Capasso

January 5, 2021

How long have you been at MPA?
I have been at MPA for just under one year.

What do you love about MPA?
I love everything about MPA. I love that we are a community that looks out for each other and takes care of one another. I love that I hear conversations every day about how to best teach children. I love that our definition of success includes being a kind and decent human being who thinks critically about their role in the world.

How does MPA inspire students who dream big and do right?
MPA inspires students to dream big and do right by teaching them problem solving and allowing them to encounter failure. We give them the skills to look critically at the world around them and have the confidence to know that they can change it. I think one of the most impressive examples I have seen of our mission in practice was within our Social Conscience Club and Racial Justice and Equity Club this past spring and summer. After the murder of George Floyd, these two clubs came together hosting meetings and organizing guest speakers for the community. They then moved beyond talk into action by helping register voters within the community surrounding MPA. I was incredibly moved and inspired by their passion, tenacity and, frankly, their guts. Read More

Meet Assistant Director of Admission for Lower School Robyn Hare

January 5, 2021

How long have you been at MPA?
I have been at MPA for 10 months.

What do you love about MPA?
I love seeing how my son Charlie’s perspective on school has changed. To say it has been transformational would not be an exaggeration. He loves coming to MPA every single day!

How does MPA inspire students who dream big and do right?
I think there are so many ways that we do this. My son comes home and wants to research interesting topics he learned in school. He’s so curious and interested in everything, whether it is learning new ball handling skills in PE, humming new songs he’s learning in music, or researching more about science topics he has been introduced to. It’s so fun to see his eyes opened to all the possibilities ahead of him! Read More

Meet Director of Admission and Communication Natalie Waters Seum

January 5, 2021

Favorite teacher to strike up a conversation with walking down the hallway?
Ms. Peterson, kindergarten teacher, because she always has a creative project underway, often with a social justice or service focus. And her energy is contagious!

How long have you been at MPA?
I have been an MPA parent in the Class of 2023 for 11 years and on staff for almost five. My history here extends even further back as my mother-in-law was a faculty member and Upper School administrator for many years prior. I’ve known and loved MPA for nearly 25 years.

If you have worked at another school, how has your experience at MPA been different?
During and after college, I worked at an educational cooperative that served both students who were struggling and students who were excelling. The faculty there were particularly adept at hands-on, experiential learning, especially service-learning, similar to MPA. It was there where my passion for serving children and families was born. I could see that even from the administrative office, my work could have a direct impact on students, families, and teachers. If I couldn’t be a teacher (we were already putting my husband through graduate school), this was the next best thing. From there, I went on to the consulting world serving education-related nonprofits, so that I could be home more with my son. I had my eye on the director of communications position at MPA and when the call came from Dr. Hudson, the timing was perfect. In the fall of 2019, I added admission to my scope. There’s nowhere else I’d rather spend my life, both as an administrator and as a parent.

Favorite space on campus?
It is hard to choose just one, but I’d have to say the Benz Courtyard because I love seeing Upper School students enjoying recess. Read More

Meet Boys Basketball Coaches Rich Harris, Nate Bander, and Matt Bander

November 24, 2020

Meet Boys Varsity Basketball Coach Rich Harris

What was your playing career like?
I played four years in high school in Oklahoma and was the starting point guard my senior year. I then played point guard at Southwestern College, an NAIA school in Winfield, Kansas, graduating in 1996.

What coaching experience do you bring to MPA?
After finishing my college career, I stayed on for one year as a student assistant. Since, I have coached a variety of different levels of basketball and many schools. Some highlights include coaching the freshman boys team at Southeast High School in Wichita, coaching JV boys and then Varsity boys at the American School of Doha in Qatar (we went undefeated in 2011), assistant coaching girls Varsity and then boys Varsity at American School in London, coaching Middle School and High School boys at the International Schools Groups in Saudi Arabia (we went 21-4 record and won the conference championship during the 2018-19 season), and coaching girls JV here at MPA. The girls at MPA taught me compassion and commitment and I will never forget that.

What is it about MPA that makes it a great place to coach?
The kids! MPA has such wonderful students who want to succeed. Also, the faculty and staff has been very supportive. Read More

Meet Spanish Teacher Mariajose Johnson

August 18, 2020

How many years have you been at MPA?
The 2020-2021 school year is my third year at MPA.

What do you love about MPA?
I love the environment of student focused, high energy teachers all over the building! I love the fact that students have the opportunity to learn a second language starting in Kindergarten, as well as having physical education, arts, music, technology, library, drama and the Makerspace! I love being a teacher at MPA and bringing the love of teaching/love of students kind of energy every day. It is energizing and motivating!

How does MPA inspire students who dream big and do right?
I believe that MPA inspires students who dream big and do right by promoting flexibility and creativity in the curriculum, and really encouraging extracurricular activities with the no-cut policy. Read More

Meet Nate Bander ’09

February 11, 2020

Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Nate Bander ’09!

MPA Class of 2009 alum Nate Bander is MPA’s admission outreach coordinator and Upper School admission coordinator at Mounds Park Academy. He also coaches boys basketball and the varsity track and field and cross country teams at MPA. After attending MPA K-12 and the University of Minnesota, where he majored in Communications Studies with a Spanish Studies minor, Nate moved to Baza, Spain and worked in an adult language academy as an English teacher.

“The single biggest impact that my MPA experience had on me was inspiring me to learn about the world. MPA is a wonderful, diverse community of parents, students and educators who place a high value on education. I feel prepared to speak about the greater world, travel to faraway places, digest complex theories and thrive as a global citizen. MPA connected me to the broader world.”

But Nate’s MPA moments did not stop as a student and alumni. In fact, he didn’t make one of his fondest memories until coaching in 2019.

Nate recalls, “I first met Yahya Madar (Class of 2019) when he came out for my ninth grade basketball team. That season, I benched him in a game and he almost quit the team.” But, Yahya persevered and in 10th grade, he came back out for the basketball team. He also tried high jumping in track and field for the first time, and something clicked. Read More

Meet MPA Physical Education Teacher Rich Harris

November 19, 2019

How many years have you been at MPA?
This is my first year.

What do you love about MPA?
The community, small classes, the work ethic of the students, and the lunch!

How does MPA inspire students who dream big and do right?
MPA consistently promotes this motto. It encourages its students to always look at the big picture and to always think their dream is achievable. MPA models doing the right thing and this rubs off on the students and community as a whole.

If you have worked at another school, how has your experience at MPA been different?
These students genuinely care for and support one another.

What would you tell a parent considering MPA?
That if you want your child to be encouraged to try new things and always feel supported, then MPA is for them. If they want more individual attention from teachers, then MPA is for them. If they want the child to be in an environment that is kind and loving, then MPA is for them. MPA also has the technology and the classes to prepare their child for adulthood in today’s world. Read More

Meet Ms. McFarland

September 30, 2019

International Student Program coordinator
MPA parent

How many years have you been at MPA?
This is my fifth year.

What do you love about MPA?
I love the joy the students experience in simply being at school: in classes, in the cafeteria, on the playground, in the hallways. They work extremely hard, support one another, and strive to learn all they can. And through it all, there is a smile, a song, a hug, a laugh … JOY!

How does MPA nurture students who forever dream big and do right?
MPA teachers and staff don’t shy away from tough issues, instead posing them as discussion topics and guiding students in thinking through them critically and empathetically to arrive at conscientious, thoughtful opinions.

If you have worked at another school, how has your experience at MPA been different?
Again, I’d have to say the sheer amount of JOY in the building. When I came for my initial interview, the feeling was palpable—evident in every classroom and around every corner—and it continues to amaze me five years later, every time I walk through the doors.
Read More

Meet Nate Bander ’09

September 30, 2019

Upper School Admission coordinator
Coach
Class of 2009

How many years have you been at MPA?
I’ve been here four years as a member of the admission team and coach. Between 1996 and 2009 I was a student!

What do you love about MPA?
I love athletics at MPA. Our culture has found a way to balance success and participation, skill building and teamwork, competition and collaboration. Athletics were my favorite part of being a student at MPA and have continued to be an integral part of my relationship to the MPA community.

How does MPA nurture students who forever dream big and do right?
MPA is a community of families brought together not by common geography, but by common values. MPA students are surrounded by families who exemplify what it means to be successful high achievers but also global citizens of the world. The abundance of role models in this community makes for well rounded students hungry to emulate the high achievers they surround themselves with.

What would you tell a parent considering MPA?
Mounds Park Academy is an investment in your children. There are families who chose to invest in travel, cabins, and boats, but an MPA family knows prioritizing funds to ensure a strong future for their children is the most important investment. Read More

Welcome To The Family, Ms. Drake!

June 14, 2019

Meet Lauren Drake, who is joining MPA’s faculty as an Upper School English teacher! A veteran English teacher, she has taught in both Northern California and in Colorado and recently relocated back to Minnesota. After graduating from Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., Ms. Drake matriculated to Carlton College where she received a Bachelor of Arts in English (magna cum laude) and then received a Master of Arts in British and American literature from Mills College. Learn more about her below!

What did you love about MPA right away?
I loved how MPA felt like a close-knit community that was warm and inviting. Everyone I met, from teachers, to administrators, to students, was incredibly friendly and I felt at home immediately. I also really enjoyed the portion of my interview with students. They were thoughtful, engaging, mature, and funny–I feel so grateful that I’ll get to work with students like that every day at MPA.

What’s your big dream?
My big dream is to start an experiential learning school on a farm. Through farming, students would learn about sustainability and biology. They then would learn about math, economics, and marketing by selling the produce. Of course, we’d read a lot of nature literature as well!

What are you (and your family, if you so choose) passionate about?
I am passionate about connecting with the land–through gardening, hiking, and environmental stewardship. I love spending time outside and now I get to show the beauty of the outdoors to my two young sons.

What’s your secret talent?
I am really good at making up songs on the spot!

We can’t wait for our entire community to meet you, Ms. Drake! Stay tuned for more extended Q&A profiles of the amazing faculty and staff joining our community in the 2019-20 school year!