Upper School Archives

MPA Debate Team’s Strongest Performance Yet

December 6, 2022

from Katie Murr, head coach

Congratulations to the MPA debate team on a great performance at the Classic State Debate Festival. 46 students represented the school, and Mounds Park Academy received the second-place team sweepstakes award. This award is based on the top two performances across each of the three divisions of competition – novice, junior varsity, and varsity. It’s a testament to the depth of the team.

We call the tournament the Classic Debate Championships in novice and junior varsity. In the novice division, the team of Mina Kim and Rosie Bergh advanced to the octafinal round, and the team of Salma Egal and Soren Winikoff advanced to the quarterfinal round. In the junior varsity division, the team of Molly Vergin and Meiran Carlson advanced to the octafinal round, and the teams of Paul Fertig and Amal Sastry, Zainab Lodhi and Max O’Connor, and Maggie Banks and Rowan Mulrooney advanced to the quarterfinal round. The team of Annika Binstadt and Zoya Nayak advanced all the way to the semifinal round.

The varsity division is called the Minnesota State High School League Classic Debate State Festival, as the MSHSL sponsors the awards for this event. Before we get to the team results, we want to applaud four debaters who were recognized with all-state debate honors for their excellence over the entire season: Frances Martin, Zaara Nayak, Akshay Somayajula, and Ben Murr. In the team competition, MPA had a strong performance. The teams of Kensi Binstadt and Audrey Jakway, Ian Frankel and Trevor Lien, and Ben Murr and Akshay Somayajula all advanced to the quarterfinal round, while the team of Frances Martin and Zaara Nayak made it all the way to the semifinal round. This is one of the strongest collective performances by the varsity team in MPA history.

A special thank you to all the alums who judged and coached for the team this season. In particular, Elli Carlson deserves special recognition. She has given back to MPA more than the school could ever have given to her. This season, she helped to coach over 80 students through the rigors of debate, teaching about research, speaking, and writing. We are so fortunate to be the beneficiaries of her care and commitment.

Thriving Through Winter in Minnesota

December 2, 2022

With any relocation, there are many moving parts as families transition their lives somewhere new–one of them being your first Minnesota winter! Minnesota has a climate that allows us to experience four distinct seasons. With the right mindset and preparation, experiencing the transformation from one season to the next is inspirational and invigorating. Here’s how you can set your family on a path to thrive, not just survive, through your new favorite season here.

Keep Kids Moving
The winter months can get long here in Minnesota. It’s cold outside and there is less daylight, so it can be hard to stay motivated, but physical activity is important for everyone all year round–especially young children. Physical activity is vital to a child’s success emotionally, physically, and mentally. It helps them build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints, and prevents chronic diseases. Physical activity is beneficial for the development of cognitive skills, which can help kids stay more focused in the classroom. It also helps kids sleep better and significantly reduces stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression.

At Mounds Park Academy, we believe in the importance of physical activity and encourage students to be active outdoors throughout the year. We know that children need time to play and socialize, so our students have recess every day—even in the winter. Although it’s colder outside, all it takes is a few extra layers. The benefits are seen in the classroom as well as on the rosy faces of our students.

MPA students also embrace winter through their activities and athletics, such as the Middle and Upper School Alpine (downhill) ski team, Middle and Upper School Nordic (cross country) ski team, the boys hockey team, grade level group outdoor adventures like snowtubing, and Northern MN i-Term adventures like dogsledding. Read More

Upper School Division News December 1, 2022

December 1, 2022

from Mark Segal, Upper School director

One of the quintessential experiences of being a high school student is attending school dances. Recent research shows that high schoolers can spend up to nine hours a day connected to digital media, including social apps and streaming services (“Higher Ed Dive”). School dances, however, provide an outlet for in-person social interaction and development. In my more than a quarter of a century of attending school-sponsored dances, I have witnessed an increase in school spirit and positive social interactions in the weeks preceding and following dances.

At MPA, we hold four dances per year (Homecoming, Semi-Formal, SnoDaze, and Prom), and this coming Saturday evening, the Semi-Formal Dance will be held at Prestwick Golf Club. If history is any indication (and ticket sales have been strong), more than 75% of the Upper School student population will dress up and attend. Our students’ approach to dances is very different than what is experienced at other schools. There is no pressure applied to attend with a date. More often than not, students attend with their friend groups. For dances like the Semi-Formal, students often meet for dinner beforehand and arrive with beaming smiles “fashionably late” (yet before the 9:30 PM arrival deadline). Another thing that sets MPA dances apart from what I have experienced in other environments is that the students actually dance (aka a cluster of students bouncing in harmony). Read More

MPA Board Of Trustees Seeking Nominations

December 1, 2022

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 Cherie Honan, executive assistant to the head of school, at chonan@moundsparkacademy.org.

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 monthly standing committees.

The Governance committee will evaluate all nominees and reach out to shortlisted candidates for further information and interview. Candidates recommended by the Governance Committee will be presented to the full Board at its May 2023 meeting, and approved trustees will begin their first three-year term as of July 2023. Onboarding and training is provided to all trustees.

For more information on the Board and its working committees, please see the Board page on the MPA website.

Parents Association News & Events: December 1, 2022

December 1, 2022

Pie Love
Right before the holiday break, the MPA Parents Association participated in our annual Thanksgiving Pie distribution to all staff. This year staff had a choice of apple, pumpkin or lemon meringue pie! Thanks to Chef Chris for ordering and Cherie and the Development team for helping with distribution.

Book Festival Is Almost Here! Support the Joy of Reading at MPA.
The annual MPA Book Festival arrives next Monday, just in time for Winter Break reading or holiday gifts! This year the book festival is in-person once again.

Ways to Support MPA’s Book Festival:

Visit the Gallery to purchase new books and gift cards. During the week of the Book Festival, Usborne will be selling books in the Gallery, and Valley Bookseller gift cards will be available for purchase. A portion of the profits generated from those sales will be donated to our library.
Help build a teacher’s classroom library. We will have the books our teachers requested for their classroom libraries available for purchase in the Gallery. Check or cashless payment only. You can hand-deliver the books you select, or we can deliver them for you. Download the list here.
Visit the Used Book Sale. LS used books will be sold in the LS Atrium at drop off and pick up. MS and US used books will be sold during lunch and recess outside the Family Commons. We have an excellent selection of books for all ages. All proceeds raised from the Used Book Sale benefit the library.

Book Discussions All Week!

December 5, 8 AM in the Gallery: Book Festival Kick-Off Coffee with book recommendations
December 7, 6 PM in the Library: Book Club with Dr. Hudson
December 8, 3-4 PM in the Family Commons: Cocoa and Popcorn Storytime, Upper Schoolers will host a story time for Lower Schoolers. Sign-up here to attend.

Can’t make it into school that week? Valley Bookseller is dedicating their bookshop.org/shop/valleybookseller affiliate link to our Book Festival. We must use this website, not the Valley Bookseller site, for the school to get a portion of our purchases. All books must be shipped to your home. Email PA@moundsparkacademy.org with questions. Happy Reading! Read More

Founders’ Day 2022

December 1, 2022

by Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school

I invite you and your family to our annual pancake breakfast next Wednesday, December 7, from 7-8 AM to celebrate Founders’ Day. Founders’ Day celebrates the official date that the school was established. This is a very special celebration, and what better way to mark the school’s founding than with a delicious pancake breakfast made by members of the MPA Board of Trustees?! This year, the day is being made extra special with an all-school pajama day in honor of the Book Festival.

My family spent a quiet Thanksgiving with my husband Ross’ brother and sister-in-law. We gathered for the annual Olson Family Lefse and Flatbread Making Day on Saturday. True North Dakotan Norwegians Willard and Vernita would spend a day making lefse and flatbread for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to enjoy over the Christmas holidays. Now that they have both passed away, we started a new tradition of getting together as a family to make the lefse and flatbread. It is a beautiful day of remembering, telling stories, arguing over which of Vernita’s lefse recipes we should use, working together to roll the perfectly rounded lefse, nurturing a shared identity, and sharing a meal. Read More

Help Keep MPA Children Safe

November 30, 2022

It is MPA’s number one priority to provide the safest campus environment possible for you and your children. Lately, we have noticed an uptick in risky driving behavior in our parking lots and drive-thru lanes.

We ask that you share this critical information with all of the drivers in your home and 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 frustrating 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 where they need to be. In the interest of safety, courtesy, and efficiency, we ask that drivers refrain from pulling in front of another car or “leap-frogging” to the front. To make the process as efficient as possible, please pull up all the way to the crosswalk to allow maximum space in the drive-thru lanes. Please help ensure no gaps are present in the drive-thru lanes, even if that means your child needs to wait or walk further to enter the vehicle.

Entering and Exiting the Car
Children should only be allowed to enter and exit the car from the right/curbside in the drive-thru lanes. If you need to leave the vehicle to help your children in or out, please do so with great caution. Additionally, if you park in a lot during drop off and/or pick up, please take extra precautions to ensure your child is safe and uses the appropriate crosswalks to enter the building. No Lower School student should cross the crosswalk into the parking lot without an adult caregiver by their side. Read More

American Choral State Honor Choir

November 30, 2022

Congratulations to tenth grader Rowan Mulrooney and ninth graders Truman Wilgocki and Warner Reid who auditioned and were selected to be members of the American Choral Director’s Association 9-10 State Honor Choir!

Rowan will sing in the soprano-alto choir under the direction of Susan Vollbrecht (University of Wyoming) while Warner will perform in the tenor-bass choir with Derrick Fox (University of Nebraska). Truman is in the mixed choir conducted by Merin Guice Gil from Bethel University. The daylong event will culminate with a concert at Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis. Rowan and Truman are members of the MPA Concert Choir while Warner sings in the MPA Varsity Choir. Keep singing, Panthers!

Afterschool Activities and Care Canceled This Afternoon

November 29, 2022

Due to the weather, all afterschool activities, including games, practices, Panther Club/Den, Middle School study hall, and meetings are canceled this afternoon, Tuesday, November 29. MPA will remain in session until our regular dismissal time of 3 PM.

The families of District 622 and Minneapolis bus riders will be communicated with directly as soon as possible regarding modified bus schedules. All other buses will run as usual, although they may be running late.

PreK Panther, Panther Club, and Panther Den will remain open until all children are picked up; however, families are asked to arrive as quickly as possible after 3 PM so our faculty and staff can travel home as well.

Email communications@moundsparkacademy.org if you have any questions. Please drive safely!

RSVP Today For The PreK-12 MPA Preview

November 28, 2022

The PreK-12 Preview is the perfect opportunity to discover why you belong at MPA! You and your entire family are warmly invited to attend the PreK-12 MPA Preview on Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 2 PM. RSVP here!

The PreK-12 MPA Preview is designed to introduce you to the faculty, students, and families who make MPA the exceptional learning community it is. You’ll hear from various perspectives, be engaged in conversation with academic leaders, and leave with a much better understanding of the MPA way. These events are designed for family members of all ages to attend together and will include division-specific time. Read More