My MPA Experience Archives

Meet Alumni Board Member Adi Boeder Risner ’02

November 5, 2021

Adi Boeder Risner ’02

For what grades did you attend MPA?
K-6 and 10-12 (relocated to Belgium 7-9)

Why did you choose to pursue a position on the Alumni Association Board?
Over the last year, my interest in the Alumni Association peaked as I noticed more and more alumni choosing Mounds Park Academy for their children. As a member of the Parents Association at MPA, connecting with all parents is a delightful part of my role, but I especially enjoy relating to other alumni parents given our shared experiences and values. Last year, the Kindergarten class was composed of 20% children of alumni! I pursued a position on the Alumni Association Board to better serve as a bridge between alumni and current and/or prospective parents.

In what ways do you see yourself as a supporter of MPA and its mission?
Well, I send my kids to MPA!

What are you currently doing, professionally and/or personally?
My husband and I were married in 2014 in Estes Park, CO, and we now have two sons and a bulldog together. We moved back to the Twin Cities from Denver in 2018 to be closer to family and for the boys’ education. I’m currently a Statistician at 3M. I recently re-entered the corporate workforce after staying home with my youngest son for 3 years. Fun fact, I also make soap – lots and lots of soap!

How did you get to where you are in your career? Did you attend college and if so, where? Are there some career moves or other key experiences or relationships that have inspired you?
After graduating from MPA in ’02, I received my bachelor’s at St. Olaf College in both mathematics and economics. I worked at an actuarial firm for several years before relocating to Denver in 2011, for the mountain lifestyle. Here, I completed my master’s in business intelligence at the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business. In the years to follow, I worked at a major healthcare company, building statistical models and training data scientists on predictive modeling techniques. I find that I’m most inspired when I accept the challenge to change perspective. For example, the best move that I ever made (both personally and professionally) was taking some time off to stay home and focus on family. The change was scary and uncertain, and no-one thought it was a suitable role for me, but ultimately taking that leap was an extremely gratifying decision that continues to provide benefits. Finding fulfillment at home changed my perspective of who I was and what I can contribute to the world. Not only did I soak up the quality time with my kids but I was also able to recalibrate my goals for the future. I think that anytime you allow yourself to change perspective you’re given the opportunity to grow.

How did your MPA experience prepare you for your life today? How did MPA help you dream big and do right?
At MPA I felt regularly encouraged, challenged, and respected in my approaches to problems, without fear, judgement, or social pressure. Most importantly, I think that MPA provided me with a safe environment to pursue a wide-range of multiple disciplines and to make balanced choices about my interests. The emphasis that I felt on exposure and balance over perfection prepared me for an evolving future full of choices that I didn’t yet know existed.

What’s next? Any aspirations—personal or professional—that you’d like to share?
I’m really excited to wear multiple hats this year – Alumni Board Member, Parent’s Association Grade Rep, MPA parent, and full-time working mom. Fun times!

Please share your favorite MPA story.
I vividly recall, as a high schooler, spending most of my free time in Ms. Buck’s classroom, working on my ceramics projects. There was always some detail that needed fine-tuning or some creative process to map out, or maybe I just loved the smell of the clay. Either way, her classroom was always open and I knew that I could expect her cheerful smile. This was my favorite part of the day.

Meet Alumni Board Member Abigail Duffine ’98

October 29, 2021

Abigail Duffine ’98

Full Name and Graduation Year
Abigail Duffine, 1998

For what grades did you attend MPA?
7-12

Why did you choose to pursue a position on the Alumni Association Board?
I have always felt a connection to, and appreciation for, MPA. Now that I’m an active volunteer at my children’s’ independent school, I wanted to also give back to MPA.

In what ways do you see yourself as a supporter of MPA and its mission?
I believe in MPA’s inclusive and well rounded education.

What are you currently doing, professionally and/or personally 50-100 word bio?
After working in Independent school education (including at MPA!) and recruiting teachers for nyc, I am now dedicated to volunteer work at my sons’ school.

How did you get to where you are in your career? Did you attend college and if so, where? Are there some career moves or other key experiences or relationships that have inspired you?
After attending MPA I attended The George Washington University. I found my passion in doing marketing and recruiting. I always loved sales and found “selling” an education to be extremely rewarding.

How did your MPA experience prepare you for your life today? How did MPA help you dream big and do right?
MPA was a place where I could grow and be involved in a safe and inclusive environment. I loved my time there!

What’s next? Any aspirations – personal or professional – that you’d like to share?
I look forward to being an active and engaged member of our current school, Germantown Academy.

What do you to see happen during your time on the Alumni Association Board?
I hope to help MPA continue to grow and thrive.

Please share your favorite MPA story.
Some of my favorite MPA memories involved athletics. While I wasn’t a particularly talented athlete, MPA allowed me the opportunity to be enjoy the thrill of being on a team.

Live Performance At MPA

October 28, 2021

Having our students engaged in visual and performing arts isn’t just about fostering an appreciation of the arts, rather it is about helping students develop the ability to practice perseverance, develop ingenuity, and understand that ideas can be expressed in more than just words. Through authentic experiences as musicians, performers, and artists each student has the ability to maximize their artistic potential, build confidence, and create beauty.

True hallmarks of Mounds Park Academy are the live performances where instrumental and choral students share their work with the broader MPA community. It is hard to believe that due to the pandemic the last live concerts held on campus were more than 19 months ago. We are thrilled to share that at this time we are not only holding in person performances, but that guests are invited to attend either in person or virtually. View the MPA calendar and add the upcoming performances to your calendars including the Upper School Instrumental Concert on Wednesday, November 3 at 7:30 PM.

To maintain alignment with the MPA health and safety protocols, each guest who plans to attend the live performances will be required to pre-register and provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination (a picture or scan of their vaccination card) via email to covid@moundsparkacademy.org by 7 PM the night prior to the scheduled concert. If your vaccination card is already on file at MPA through athletics or other events, you do not need to send it again. If you have a medical or religious exception, please contact covid@moundsparkacademy.org with those details as we will provide information and work with you to obtain a clearance COVID-19 test so you may attend. Masking is required on campus.

All pre-registered guests will enter and exit through the Gallery on the south side of campus (door #3) and go directly to their seats in the Nicholson Center where the performances are held.

For the convenience and safety of our community, all performances will also be live streamed at the link below. Regardless of how you view the events, we are excited for you to enjoy the wonderful talent of our students.

JOIN LIVESTREAM
Password: 2051
There will not be a recording distributed afterward due to licensing restrictions.

IMPORTANT HEALTH & SAFETY NOTES REGARDING IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE

Please note that even though health and safety protocols are in place, band and choir performances are highly aerosolized activities. If any attendee develops symptoms within 48 hours of the performance, please contact covid@moundsparkacademy.org for guidance.

COVID-19 is a highly contagious and potentially life-threatening disease declared by the World Health Organization to be a global pandemic. Information about COVID-19 is continually evolving and subject to change. COVID-19’s highly contagious nature means that contact with others or contact with surfaces that have been exposed to the virus, can lead to infection. Additionally, individuals who may be infected with COVID-19, whether vaccinated or not, may be asymptomatic for a period of time or may never become symptomatic.

Aware of the foregoing, I am voluntarily attending the in person performance at Mounds Park Academy. To attend these concerts, I acknowledge and understand:

Given the many unknowns relating to COVID-19, it is not possible to fully identify or list each and every individual risk of contracting COVID-19;
MPA cannot limit all potential sources of COVID-19 infection.

Lower School Virtual Family Engineering Night

October 28, 2021

Join us as we celebrate “National Lights On Afterschool Day” with an MPA Lower School Virtual Family Engineering Night with The Works Museum! Our activity theme is Cardboard Creation Challenge, and can be done with materials you easily find at home!

When
Thursday, October 28 from 6:30-7:30 PM.

What
Cardboard Creations Challenge with The Works Museum!

Where
Zoom Link 1 (Last name A-K)
Meeting ID: 832 2664 9255
Passcode: 949823

Zoom Link 2 (Last name L-Z)
Meeting ID: 832 9483 4891
Passcode: 988073

Items to gather/Materials suggestions: shipping boxes, food boxes (cereal, cracker, etc.), scissors, tape (masking, duct, or packing), writing tool (pencils, markers, crayons)
Optional: glue, paper, straws/skewers/toothpicks/beads, art supplies (stickers, yarn, ribbon, fabric, tissue paper, etc.)

Questions: Contact Russ at 651-748-5571 or rpurdy@moundsparkacademy.org.

Meet MPA English Teacher Maddy Wolfe ’12

October 27, 2021

How many years have you been at MPA?
How do I possibly answer this concisely?! I went to MPA for high school, and then a few years ago I helped out in various roles before starting graduate school. This is my second year here as a teacher.

What do you love about MPA?
It feels cruel to choose just one, but I’d have to say the people and the community are what I love most about MPA. The relationships I started to make with teachers and administrators in high school have far surpassed the four years I attended, and now as a faculty member they have become the foundations of my adult life.

How does MPA inspire students who dream big and do right?
MPA inspires students to dream big and do right through the emphasis on teaching to the whole child. MPA recognizes that a child’s education is so much more than just one or two subjects. It is about nurturing them into growing up to be the curious, smart, conscientious adults our world needs.

What would you tell a parent considering MPA?
I realize that there are so many factors when choosing a school for your child, and it’s often a huge decision to make. However, MPA truly is even better than it seems on the surface. It’s an intimate, connected community that will encourage and support your child to be the best version of themselves, regardless of their name, gender, race, ethnicity, or interests they may have.

In what ways are you preparing students for life in the 21st century?
More than ever before our students thinking broadly and globally. They are connected to people all over the world and are constantly subjected to a myriad of opinions and viewpoints. In my classes, we do so much more than just read texts; we think critically about the world around us and respond thoughtfully and thoroughly, in order to help students become expert communicators and thinkers.

What do you hope for MPA students in 20 years?
I hope they are living their values out in the world and being the change our world needs, however big or small. I also hope they come back and share what they’ve done and where they are, because we are all behind them supporting them, cheering them on!

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your MPA experience?
MPA has been a part of me since I was 14 years old, and it has fused itself onto my soul in many ways. There is a reason I’ve kept coming back here after years of working and living in other places all over the world. I have a hard time picturing who I would be without MPA, and the overwhelming gratitude I feel is so immense it fuels my work every day with students. Thank you, MPA, for everything you have given me.

Meet Alumni Board Member Lesley Kroupa ’97

October 15, 2021

Lesley Kroupa ’97

For what grades did you attend MPA?
K-12

Why did you choose to pursue a position on the Alumni Association Board?
Joining the Alumni Association board is just one small way I can give back after growing up in the halls of MPA.

In what ways do you see yourself as a supporter of MPA and its mission?
The mission of MPA is more important than ever, and since my time at MPA I continuously strive to act with integrity and recognize our responsibility to support our communities.

What are you currently doing, professionally and/or personally?
I am currently the Interim Policy Director of the Tisch Center for Food, Education, and Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University. I provide strategic policy recommendations for ongoing research projects and participate in local, state, and federal campaigns related to child nutrition and nutrition education. Prior to joining the Tisch Food Center, I spent 11 years practicing corporate law in New York City. My husband and I recently moved to San Diego and I am adjusting to winters without parkas and mittens.

How did you get to where you are in your career? Did you attend college and if so, where? Are there some career moves or other key experiences or relationships that have inspired you?
I went to Smith College after MPA and went to the University of Michigan Law School a couple years thereafter. After years of practicing law, I knew I wanted to pivot my career to the non-profit sector, so I got a master’s in nutrition and public health from Teachers College, Columbia University. I now use my legal skills to advocate for public health policies.

What do you to see happen during your time on the Alumni Association Board?
I would love to see MPA continue to connect and maintain its relationships with its alumni living throughout the United States and abroad.

Meet The Oliver Family

October 13, 2021

The Oliver Family lives in St. Paul, MN. They joined our community in 2021–Kellen is in third grade and Cameron is in fifth grade.

What do you love about MPA?
We love the community. As a new family, it was important to us to find a school that offered and encouraged a sense of “welcome.” We found this through the enrollment process, when we met “buddies,” met online with several teachers and administrators, and then when school began where (possibly most significantly) we have found that students and teachers say “hello” and smile beneath their masks at drop-off, pick-up, in the halls and on the playground. We have really enjoyed this sense that everyone has a place at MPA and everyone gets seen at MPA.

What initially attracted you to MPA?
In our recent school search brought about by our family’s move from Los Angeles, CA, we were attracted to MPA’s small size and with that, a greater chance for our children to have individualized attention–both academic and emotional. We were inspired by MPA’s commitment to encourage and teach children to be independent thinkers and to honor, respect, and contribute to our diverse community and world. We also appreciate the emphasis on collaboration.

How are your children encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
We are new to MPA, so still assessing how the school’s “Dream Big, Do Right” is implemented on a daily or yearly and individual basis. However, already, our young boys have been given choices that guide their learning, from language to music to reading and science projects. This opportunity has encouraged them to take responsibility for their development to some degree and to look inside themselves as well as in their community of students and teachers for answers. We look forward to more of these chances to ask big questions, explore what excites us, and seek new knowledge during our years at MPA. Read More

Meet Alumni Board Member Isabel Meyer-Mueller ’17

October 5, 2021

Isabel Meyer-Mueller ’17

For what grades did you attend MPA?
I was at MPA for K-12

Why did you choose to pursue a position on the Alumni Association Board?
I have never been a part of a more supportive, caring, and intellectually stimulating community than MPA. For 13 years, MPA provided me with not only a place to learn, but a place to build life long friendships, pursue my passions, and create a home. I chose to apply to the Alumni Association Board as a way of giving back to a community that gave me so much and to ensure that even after graduating, each alum knows that they have a place in the MPA family.

In what ways do you see yourself as a supporter of MPA and its mission?
During my senior year at MPA I was voted “Most School Spirit” and that love for MPA has never dwindled. In a lot of ways, I believe that the MPA mission has formed the bedrock of my personal and professional identity. I do my best to prioritize respect and inclusivity, thinking independently, and living up to my responsibility to change the world for the better. Most importantly, I see myself as a lifelong learner and find joy in learning something new everyday.

How did you get to where you are in your career? Did you attend college and if so, where? Are there some career moves or other key experiences or relationships that have inspired you?
I graduated from Macalester College in May with a B.A. in Psychology and Community and Global Health. This fall, I will begin a Master of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at UW Stout. I will also be working with Just The Pill, a mobile clinic that provides medication abortions to rural Minnesotans, as a community outreach coordinator. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, baking, playing pickleball, exploring new running routes in Minneapolis, and going for long walks with my sheepadoodle puppy, Bertie.

How did your MPA experience prepare you for your life today? How did MPA help you dream big and do right?
I am so thankful that MPA prepared me to thrive in college. Not only did I learn the necessary writing and reading skills, but I learned how to think critically, manage my time effectively, maintain healthy relationships, and balance academics, athletics, and arts, all of which set me up well for my time at Macalester. Most importantly, MPA instilled me with the belief that I have not only the ability but the responsibility to make a difference in the world. MPA not only gave me the skills to form my own opinions and develop passions but also the confidence to go out and change what needs changing.

What’s next? Any aspirations – personal or professional – that you’d like to share?
My professional goal is to become a sexuality therapist/educator. As a result of my time at MPA, I put a high value on education that teaches students how to think, not what to think. And that is exactly what quality sex education is — giving students all of the information and then letting them decide what is the best decision for their own body. My goal is a world where everyone has the information they need to make the best decisions for their own body and the vocabulary to articulate what that looks like. Personally, I have recently taken up running and I hope to run a marathon next year. I have also been training my dog, Bertie, to become a Canine Good Citizen with the hopes of eventually training him to be a therapy dog.

What do you to see happen during your time on the Alumni Association Board?
I am very excited to get to know the other members of the Alumni Association Board and make connections with MPA graduates across generations. I hope that as a team we will be able to facilitate relationships between MPA and its alumni and that everyone who graduates from MPA knows that they will be an important part of the community for the rest of their lives. I am particularly excited to be a part of the new Subcommittee for Alumni for Antiracist Practice in order to increase awareness of antiracism at MPA and among alumni.

Please share your favorite MPA story.
When I was in high school and the school day ended, I never wanted to leave. MPA was one of my favorite places to spend time. Some of my favorite MPA memories are from the countless hours I spent hanging out after school. It didn’t matter if I was doing homework with friends in the yearbook room, going to soccer practice, singing in the spring musical, or helping a teacher with a project, I was always having a blast and did not want to leave. I think this speaks to MPA’s incredible ability to create a safe and welcoming environment for students and I am so grateful that my school felt more like a second home than anything else.

Meet The Cook Family

September 23, 2021

Parent Rebekah Cook and her family live in St. Paul, MN, and have a second grader at MPA.

What do you love about MPA?
I love the communication from faculty and staff. I always feel like I know what to expect and when things are happening, which gives me a sense of agency and allows me to be an active participant in my child’s education.

What initially attracted you to MPA?
My good friend, Summer, works at MPA. She would share about what she was teaching and the discussions she would have with her students, and I was like, “I WANT THAT FOR FRANKIE. How do I get that?!” Also, we visited several different schools and at no other school did kids have such confidence. We were strangers walking down the hallway, and kids would say, “Hi!” Or when visiting their classroom, a teacher would ask them a question and they would all be so eager to respond and share–so eloquent and confident. That’s all we wanted for Frankie–to feel confident and safe to be herself!

How is your child encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
Frankie is curious, empathetic, highly opinionated, and has some natural leadership abilities, but it can sometimes come across at “bossy.” One of Frankie’s goals from her first grade teacher was to not get distracted by others in the room and to put all of her focus on her own work so she could feel challenged and proud. I LOVED this! Her teacher didn’t discourage her to be different or to simulate, but to identify her weaknesses and strengths and channel all of that to make her the best she can be! Read More

Meet Alumni Board Member Rex Hendrickson ’11

September 21, 2021

Rex Hendrickson ’11

For what grades did you attend MPA?
K-12

Why did you choose to pursue a position on the Alumni Association Board?
I wanted to get more involved in many aspects of my life. I wanted to engage with the world around me and the world I know. I know MPA quite well after being there for 13 years – it seemed like a natural way to get involved and a way to give back.

In what ways do you see yourself as a supporter of MPA and its mission?
I believe, deep down, we all know what doing right is. We all have our own unique role to play, which gives us purpose and direction. I support MPA’s mission in passing on that wisdom to its students and encouraging them to dream big and do right.

What are you currently doing, professionally and/or personally?
I am an account director at a brand strategy agency called vnzo. We work with other companies to create differentiation in the marketplace – how to claim their own space and increase marketshare. We strategize to come up with solutions; we incorporate that into their brand; and ultimately, grow through marketing.

How did you get to where you are in your career? Did you attend college and if so, where? Are there some career moves or other key experiences or relationships that have inspired you?
I attended the University of Denver for a couple years before moving back to MN to start working. I worked a few odd jobs before meeting a good friend of mine with whom we started a company together. Now, that company is no longer, it started to make me think in an entrepreneurial way and that has been exciting to see.

How did your MPA experience prepare you for your life today? How did MPA help you dream big and do right?
I think one of the major takeaways from MPA was the notion to think for myself. To be learned and to stay curious – to keep dreaming for something bigger and better for my life. MPA also taught me to do the right thing, to have my own moral code and ethics to live by. To have this personal set of rules that governs me and every one of my choices. I think that compass started at a young age.

What’s next? Any aspirations – personal or professional – that you’d like to share?
I would like to continue to work hard and keep my head down. I enjoy personal development and seeing where consistency can take you. I would also like to travel again but for now, home is where I need to be.

What do you to see happen during your time on the Alumni Association Board?
I would like to see MPA continue to grow as one of the premier private education systems in MN.

Please share your favorite MPA story.
My favorite MPA story has to include my time on the soccer team. Going to the state tournament my sophomore and my senior year were memories I will hold close to home.