Upper School Archives

January 3, 2019

MPA’s Board of Trustees collaborates with the Head of School to guide the school’s strategic direction, to protect its mission, to support the school’s development efforts and to safeguard the school’s financial stability.

Nominations for Trustees
We are pleased to share that the Governance Committee of the Board is launching its annual process to identify potential trustees.

If you, or someone you know, could be a strong contributor to the MPA Board of Trustees, please provide the name of your nominee and a short description of their experience and background, directly to Zoe Dickson, Trustee and Governance Chair, MPA Board of Trustees at zdickson1@mmm.com.

In addition to strong leadership skills, nominees will bring a broad diversity of experience and backgrounds, and a passion to advance the mission of MPA. Areas of desired professional experience include: finance, accounting, investment, banking, business, communications, construction, education, law, governance, scientific training, the arts, IT, human resources, strategic planning, development, marketing, and community service, among others.

Trustees serve up to two three-year terms, participating in MPA Board meetings five to six times a year, in addition to participating in standing committees.

The Relationship Between Movement And The Brain

January 3, 2019

by Renee Wright, Lower School Director

Editor’s Note: On the first Thursday of each month, you will find a guest blog post here from one of MPA’s division directors. We hope you will enjoy reading their thoughts and reflections about life at MPA.

“It is time to warm up our bodies and brains and get ready for a new week of learning.” These words are spoken every Monday morning at the start of the Lower School Meeting, right before students and teachers participate in the “BrainDance.” Developed by Anne Green Gilbert, an educator and author who founded the Creative Dance Center in Seattle, the BrainDance is a series of exercises and developmental movement patterns that prepare students for learning, promote appropriate behaviors, and develop social skills. This is just one way that MPA teachers promote movement to enhance learning.

What does research tell us about the relationship between movement and the brain? Prior to 1995, researchers believed that the health benefits of exercise were limited to the body. Recent research has shown, however, that regular physical activity and movement benefit more than just the body—they actually augment brain function. Movement supplies brain cells with oxygen, promotes the production of new brain cells, and aids in creating new synapses. In experiments at the University of Illinois, rats that exercised had a greater number of neuron connections than non-exercising rats (Greenough & Anderson, 1991). Movement triggers the release of a brain-derived neurotrophic factor known as BDNF (Kesslak, Patrick, So, Cotman, & Gomez-Pinilla, 1998). This natural substance enhances cognition by boosting a neuron’s ability to communicate with other neurons. Movement also increases energy, reduces stress, and calms the mind and body. Research shows that exercise may stimulate the production of brain chemicals norepinephrine and dopamine, which energize and elevate mood (Chaouloff, 1989). In addition, studies link movement to better memory and reduced likelihood of depression (Kempermann, 2002). Other research studies reveal that exercise improves classroom behavior, academic performance, and social skills (Dwyer, Sallis, Blizzard, Lazarus, & Dean, 2001). As a result of multiple research studies, schools now understand that students learn better, behave better, and are socially more successful when they have physical activity and movement breaks throughout the school day.

Meet Aneesh Syal ’19

December 14, 2018

What do you love about MPA?
MPA is one big group of people, striving for the same goal: to make this world a better place. All of us come from different backgrounds, different families, and different religions yet we all work together to help one another. I believe the soul of MPA is embedded within the students, teachers, and administration. The reason I love MPA is because the people.

How are you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
MPA constantly reminds us that while we are fortunate enough to receive a wonderful education, we have to constantly check ourselves. We are developing as a society, and I believe MPA students are on the front lines of this. We stand up for what we believe, we do what we preach, and most of all we listen to our peers. MPA gives us the motivation and ability to do what we want. Read More

Curiosity Continued

December 13, 2018

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

I have often heard that people like to read my weekly messages. That is always welcome news as it can be time consuming and sometimes stressful in the midst of my other duties and demands on my time. However, I truly enjoy the opportunity to reflect on a particular topic relevant to education or taking place in the world and connect it with what is happening at MPA. At times, I am struck by something that happens in a classroom or event that gives rise to a deep appreciation for our exceptional teachers and the unique educational experience provided at MPA.

It is particularly rewarding when something I write resonates with the community. My message two weeks ago, “Cultivating A Curious Mindset,” did just that. Since then, I have had a number of conversations with parents who connected what I wrote with their experiences in the workplace. In a moment of serendipity, Dr. Mike Mercer, Lower School parent of Henry and Charlie, shared that on the day I wrote about curiosity, he covered the same topic with his medical students. He shared with me a very powerful article entitled “Curiosity” written a number of years ago by Faith T. Fitzgerald, M.D. from the UC Davis Medical Center. Read More

2019-20 Financial Assistance Application Open

December 13, 2018

The financial assistance re-application for the 2019-20 school year is now open. If you are a current family who plans to request financial assistance for the 2019-20 school year, please submit your application, including supporting documents, by Friday, January 11.

You should have everything you need to complete the application today, given you will use your 2017 tax return to do so. The application can be accessed in your TADS account. Please be sure to select the 2019-20 application year. Click here to re-apply and select Minnesota > Saint Paul > Mounds Park Academy. Read More

Computer Science Education Week At MPA

December 6, 2018

by Ariel Kitch, PreK-12 Technology Integration Specialist

“I made a 12-sided shape!” one of the fourth graders screamed jubilantly while programming a tiny turtle to move in patterns across his screen. You would be surprised how motivating it can be to move the tiny turtle forward with a few lines of Python code, nonetheless create a dodecagon with a for-loop. Our study of Python Turtles in fourth grade is part of Computer Science Education Week here at MPA, a national event aimed at raising awareness of computer science in schools.

We have been celebrating the study of computer science in my technology classes by trying out coding in many different forms, but also through practicing the set of processes referred to as “computational thinking.” Computational thinking acknowledges that computer science is about more than just programming or studying computers themselves (although they are all around us these days)–but about our capability to harness the power of computers to solve problems. Some of the skills of computational thinking, such as persistence, critical thinking, and collaboration, could be simply referred to as “life skills.” Others, such as pattern recognition, debugging, algorithms, and abstraction, help us to structure our solutions to fit the unique strengths of computer processing power. Read More

Important Safety Reminders From MPA

December 6, 2018

It is MPA’s responsibility to provide the safest campus environment possible for you and your children—this is our number one priority. We’d like to share some important traffic safety reminders.. Please share this information with all of the drivers in your home, in addition to others who may provide transportation for you. Thank you very much in advance for your cooperation and understanding

Drive-Thru Lanes
We realize it can be a frustrating time in the morning and afternoon as students unload/reload all of their things for the day and that many drivers are in a hurry to get to work or an evening commitment. We’d like to ask, in the interest of safety, courtesy, and efficiency, that parents refrain from pulling in front of another car or “leap-frogging” to the front. Please do not pull in front of another person who is paused to allow their child to exit (or enter) the car with their belongings. Read More

Spanning Geographical And Experiential Divides

December 6, 2018

by Mark Segal, Upper School Director

Hidden in a corner near the Hart Commons is a classroom that few who are not part of the Upper School are aware of. The location of the room was intentionally selected as it is quiet, out of the way, and allows for small group collaboration for the students who use it as their classroom. Together, students in the room are studying many things including:

Architecture from the ancient Egyptians into the 21st century through the philosophic idea that western civilizations have been the primary “drivers of architecture through the ages;”
Modern Standard Arabic where they are learning to read and write the Arabic alphabet and developing a proficiency in the language; and
The ethics of making decisions by focusing on medical practice, medical research and development, and health care case studies.

The aforementioned students are enrolled in interactive, synchronous courses though the Malone Schools Online Network (MSON) that bring students together with dedicated high school or college faculty from across the United States. Five years ago, Mounds Park Academy joined this wonderful collaborative of independent schools, which offers their students the opportunity to take a variety of courses beyond what normally would be available to them through the most up-to-date video conferencing technology. Building Utopia, Arabic II, and Medical Bioethics are just a few of the more than 30 courses offered through MSON. Read More

MPA Debate At State

December 6, 2018

MPA debate finished its season on December 1 at the State Tournament at South Saint Paul High School. Overall, the team placed third in the tournament ahead of Minnetonka and Stillwater and behind Rochester Mayo and Eastview High Schools!

In the novice division, the team of juniors Katie Goodno and Ben Lash narrowly missed advancing with an excellent 4-1 record. In junior varsity, the team of junior Quincy Lewis and sophomore Luke Zscheile advanced to quarterfinals, the team of sophomore Hana Miller and junior Charles Grimes advanced to semifinals, and the team of sophomores Ellen Vergin and Isak Dai were the champions in a division of 49 teams. Congratulations, Panthers!

Lori Evert And Per Breiehagen Visit MPA

December 6, 2018

MPA was delighted to welcome Lori Evert and Per Breiehagen, author and artist of “The Wish Books,” to campus! The series has been featured on the New York Times Best Sellers List, and the students were so excited to meet the creators. There are six books, including “The Polar Bear Wish,” “The Reindeer Wish,” and “The Christmas Wish.” All are colorful Nordic tales inspired by courage, friendship, and the spirit of adventure, starring Lori and Per’s daughter, Anja.

The pair read stories to the Lower Schoolers, answered their wonderful questions, and signed their books. Per also visited with an Upper School digital media class to talk about his career as a photographer. His work has appeared in publications by National Geographic, Disney, Audubon, and Rolling Stone.

A warm thank you to Lori and Per for visiting MPA! See all of the photos at mpa.link/thewishbooks!