My MPA Experience Archives

February 28, 2022

How are you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
By receiving an immense amount of support from the people around me. Whether it’s teachers, staff, coaches, or friends, I’ve just felt a lot of structure since coming to MPA, and that has allowed me to do better socially and academically.

What do you love about MPA?
I love that even though I’ve only spent a short amount of time at MPA so far, I’m able to express myself so openly and freely. The community here is so welcoming and everyone wants to hear what everyone else has to contribute, which is such a nice thing to be able to say. Everyone’s thoughts matter and it’s really hard to feel left behind at a school like MPA.

Why do you believe your teachers teach the way they do?
I think the teachers here teach the way they do because they genuinely enjoy finding new ways to get their students to think critically about issues in and outside of the classroom– it’s not a chore for them. It’s a breath of fresh air to have teachers who feel it’s important for their students to succeed in their classrooms, but also in everyday life, and who want to help in that effort.

If you have attended another school, how has your experience here been different?
I have felt much more supported and welcomed at MPA than I did at my previous school. From all the interviews I had during the admissions process to adjusting to the environment here, there was always someone there to check in with me at every step. I can tell that my presence here is valued as an individual and as someone who is now a part of the MPA community. Read More

A Peek Into The MPA Robotics World

February 22, 2022

from Marc Shapiro, Upper School science teacher and robotics coach

If you’ve been in the Lansing Sports Center recently, you’ve surely seen the large wooden structure on Court 4. Maybe you even saw Michael Wilke ’16 working on it. The curiosity some people had about the structure made me overcome my reluctance at sending all employee emails, in order to compose this description of what the MPA Robotics team is about.

FIRST Robotics is an international organization headquartered in New Hampshire. It has four levels, starting with FIRST LEGO League (FLL) for elementary schoolers, all the way up to FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) for high schoolers. At MPA we have only an FRC team. Per capita, Minnesota has one of the highest participation rates in the U.S. There are more FRC teams in Minnesota than varsity hockey teams!

Each year, we are given a new “game” and a limited amount of time to create a robot to play the game. The robot must be designed, built, programmed, wired, and tested under strict constraints. A new robot is built every year; the game changes so much that there’s nothing from the previous year that is useful, other than possibly a drive chassis. With their batteries and bumpers, robots can weight up to 150 pounds. Teams are aided by adult mentors who are volunteers from the community, but the students have ultimate responsibility for designing, building, and operating the robot. Students can go the technical route and learn about building, coding, electronics and controls, computer-aided design, or using a CNC router, or several of these. They can also choose the non-technical path and work on such things as fundraising, marketing, outreach, and social media. Our team has Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and a still-under-renovation website. We are like a small business, and have to raise all our operating funds; our budget for this season is $24,000. Read More

Meet Alex Bixby ’25

February 17, 2022

How many years have you been a student at MPA?
This is my third year.

What do you love about MPA?
I love the opportunities MPA gives me and the amazing community.

How are you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
I’m encouraged everyday by being given opportunities to try new things, get out of my comfort zone, and even challenge myself. My teachers and peers have guided me into things I now love to do.

Why do you believe your teachers teach the way they do?
I believe in my teachers teaching the way they do because it works. I have found myself engaged in all my classes and learning quickly. Sometimes I have even gone to do more work on my own because of things they have taught that have interested me.

If you have attended another school, how has your experience here been different?
My experience at MPA has been the best thing for me. It has given me a community where I can feel safe and be myself. At my old school, teachers would just teach and go through lessons. At MPA, I have been able to connect with everyone and try new things. I’m able to reach out at any time and ask a question or share something and feel heard. Having small classes is nice because everyone can be a part of the class instead of sitting in a room of 30+ people and being overlooked. Read More

Meet Director of Guidance Randy Comfort

February 7, 2022

How many years have you been at MPA?
I am in year 19 at MPA.

What do you love about MPA?
The thing that I love most about MPA is that it is first and foremost a community of engaged and caring people. Families, students, and staff are all part of the fabric that makes this place special and I believe that people feel valued for being themselves.

How does MPA inspire students who dream big and do right?
As the person that builds the master schedule for the Upper School, I feel like the intentionality of choices is an integral part of the MPA system. Students can take a lot of different things in their career and the experiences that they have are part of what makes them who they are. I see opportunities to get involved way beyond the classroom by participating in athletics, productions, clubs, or service. When students can engage, then those choices inform the development of the whole person and not just focus on some specialization in one area to the detriment of other interests. Read More

Meet Fawzan Aslam ’24

February 4, 2022

How many years have you been a student at MPA?
This is my second year here at MPA!

What do you love about MPA?
I appreciate the aspect of community at MPA. In school, you’ll find a diversity of people that share common interests and ideas, while also standing for their own beliefs. This community is supportive and bolstering for a student’s success and overall experience, because of the apparent cohesiveness of a well-educated and friendly student body.

How are you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
MPA encourages me to ‘dream big and do right’ with opportunities and the ability to bring about change. At MPA, I am able to pursue new opportunities and challenges apart from the regular school curriculum. Either this being leading Social Consciousness Club presentations or engaging in helpful Speech and Debate practices, there will always be opportunities for students. Moreover, students who create and engage in these clubs and groups are able to create change not only within the MPA community, but outside as well. By ‘dreaming big and doing right’, the actions of MPA students have a big and long-lasting impact. Read More

Meet Elise DeBruzzi ’24

February 2, 2022

What do you love about MPA?
I love the environment and the people, staff and students both. When you walk into MPA, especially the classrooms, it feels so warm and inviting all the time! I tend to stay after school frequently and I’m constantly surprised how everywhere I go has a safe feeling to it.

How are you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
For me, the encouragement comes from all of the opputunities. Part of what I love and appreciate so much about MPA is that they help you find opportunities to expand knowledge and/or experiences in certain fields. (college counseling, history day, writing competitions, math competitions, etc.) So the encouragement comes from all of the opportunities that are presented to me and knowing that there are teachers and other adults that want to help me succeed.

Why do you believe your teachers teach the way they do?
I’ll be honest, I’ve never really thought about this! All of the teachers I’ve had (and have) are very thoughtful and understanding, and not to mention, they are all extremely good at what they do. Maybe they are like that because they’re trying to create and maintain a good teacher-student relationship. It’s very easy for students to take teachers for granted, but I also feel the same is true about teachers to students. It takes more effort to create a lasting friendship with a teacher, but I think that is why the MPA teachers teach the way they do–because they care and want to be a part of the students’ lives. Read More

MPA Parents Association Events & Updates

January 27, 2022

Parents Connect

Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week
The school year is flying by and the second round of conferences is coming up for Lower School and Middle School. This coincides with the second Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week, January 31-February 4 for all of MPA. Please consider donating a beverage or snack. Teachers have reported increased thirst and cravings during conference week and we can help! Contact Tara Lafferty with questions, TMattRN@aol.com or 201-563-4622. Thank you from Tara, Shari and the Parents Association!

Donations can be dropped off at PA Carts located inside the Lower School, Middle School or Upper School Entrances. Please adhere to MPA Peanut/Tree Nut Awareness for Beverages and Snacks. No peanuts or tree nuts please. Refer to the MPA Food Allergy Guidelines for more information.

For snack ideas, please click here
To sign up, please click here

January Walks with Dogs
Due to doggie health—or lack thereof—we will be meeting in the Lower School parking lot at Michelle Mick’s black suburban. We’ll start right after drop off for a little brisk walk around the MPA grounds to get a little exercise, Friday, January 28 around 8 AM. We look forward to seeing everyone and trying to spot the sounds of spring, optimistic as that may be!

SnoDaze All-School Nature Walk, Dodge Nature Center, February 22, 3:45-5:45 PM,
Let’s kick off the week of SnoDaze, and celebrate the joy of winter in Minnesota! Bundle up the family and meet at Dodge Nature Center after school on February 22. Their naturalist will take MPA Families on a winter exploration of the grounds. We will end with some free time to gather around the bonfire to chat, as well as kick-sled across the frozen ponds. This is an all-school event, so if your students are busy with other activities, parents are welcome to come and enjoy winter’s splendor without kids in tow. RSVP to Staci Banks, sbhehe42@icloud.com.

Attention Middle School Panthers and Parents
The annual Middle School Café is going tubular this year! Stay tuned and get excited. While we can’t unveil all the details just yet (sorry!), we can say, SAVE THE DATE, Friday, February 25 from 2:30-5:30 PM.

Keep the Spring Break Vibes Alive, March 25th, 1:15-2:15 PM, Yogafresh
Save the date for some self-care and community connection! In March, Yogafresh, will offer a tailored class experience for MPA parents that weaves gentle movement, breathing and meditation into the practice with some additional tools and resources to tap into when things feel stressful at home (or work). There will be more details on this event as we get closer to March, as things are COVID-situation dependent.

Meet Retired Faculty Member Nansee Greeley

January 27, 2022

Position while at MPA
Math Teacher, asst. Middle school director, Lower School Director, Interim Head, Summer Program Director, Tennis Coach, Math Team Coach

How many years did you work at MPA?
35

What do you miss most about MPA?
The intellectual stimulation, the close friends I made over the years and of course the enthusiasm of the students.

What have you been up to since leaving MPA?
When I first left MPA I became the executive director for MAIS (Minnesota Association of Independent Schools.) I retired from that job 3 years ago. I now watch two of my grandchildren 2 days a week, play golf and pickleball and travel. We spend our winters in Palm Springs near our LA grandchildren.

Meet Cory Becker-Kim, International Student Program Coordinator

January 27, 2022

Cory Becker-Kim is the International Student Program Coordinator and Advanced Language & Culture Teacher at MPA.

How many years have you been at MPA?
1 1/2

What do you love about MPA?
The genuine people and the MPA community wanting to teach, learn from and inspire students and people alike.

How does MPA inspire students who dream big and do right?
By teaching everyone the importance of listening, being respectful and contributing to the world as a global citizen.

If you have worked at another school, how has your experience at MPA been different?
I would say the biggest difference here at MPA is the actual practice and actual living of school values. Read More

Building A Brighter Future

January 25, 2022

A huge congratulations to our eighth grade Future City participants! MPA, in its third year of participation, had our best showing yet!

This year’s competition entailed the same elements: a 1500-word essay in collaboration with their English class, a physical model of their city, and a presentation. However, the problem that students must solve changes every year. The challenge that students faced this year was to build a waste-free city. This theme was heavily inspired by nature and its circular processes, in which one organism’s waste is another organism’s food. The modern human world, however, operates in a linear fashion that follows a path of taking natural resources, creating products to use, then discarding them–from water bottles to clothing. While recycled materials are becoming more popular, today’s approach does not have a productive way to capture most of the limited resources and materials that our trash is composed of. This unfortunately causes pollution and many other issues for humans, the animal kingdom, and the world’s natural processes. This challenge serves to cultivate young minds to build a progressive, healthier world.

Below are summaries of this year’s awards:

Zenaida: This Future City won third place overall in the state of Minnesota, Best Infrastructure/Commercial Layout, and Best Age-Friendly City! The team was composed of MPA eighth graders Izzy V., Andrea P., Abby M., Teagan O., Ansel S., and Rosie B. During questioning, Izzy commented on how Andrea and Abby are new students to MPA this year and how the process of bringing them into the MPA community was special.

La Citta Del’Acqua: This Future City was made by Liam K., Truman W., Coba D., Boyd M., Matt T., Amelia V., and Roman S. This group won Best Essay in Minnesota and Most Innovative City Setting!

Greenwaters: This group was composed of Mina K., Zara G., Samantha G. , Amy X., Liam M., and Nellie L. Their ‘Greenwaters’ City won Outstanding Future City Project Plan!

A special shout out goes out to the MPA teachers, staff, and mentors who assisted students with writing their essays, providing information on sustainable food, ecosystems and waste-free programs, and model-building. Project-based learning takes immeasurable amounts of time, planning, commitment, and collaboration. The world is in good hands with these kids in the future!

We thank the following professionals for being mentors and judges,

Mentors:
Chris McLaughlin–Retired 3M Executive
Aimee Pearce–Medical Doctor
Olivia E. LeDee, Ph.D.–Acting Federal Director, U.S. Geological Survey, Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
Doug Galler–Architect
Mike Darrow–City Planner, Maplewood

Judges:
Lisa Vale
Joseph Pugh
Kate Johnston
Paula Tuebo Munkelwitz
Carol Bagnoli
Raphael Coffey
Scott Burnett
Salley Doherty
Meghan Masters
Bridget Mayer
9th grade Future City veterans: Alex Milam, Liam O’Keeffe, Rowan Mulroney, Ali Zuhayb, Zainab Lodhi