Upper School Archives

MPA Shines At NSDA National Speech & Debate Tournament Qualifier

March 15, 2021

This past weekend, MPA competed at the NSDA National Speech and Debate Tournament Qualifier. MPA advanced the following two students to the semifinal round: senior Ryan Ghose in Humorous and Drama, and senior Hana Miller in Humorous and POI! Additionally, senior Salmah Elmasry qualified for the National Tournament in Extemp Speaking! MPA has one of the hardest districts to qualify out of, and Salmah advanced through most of the tournament as the #1 seed, ending in third.

We are so proud of these teams! NSDA is very difficult to qualify to, and these exciting results are on top of the seven students MPA has qualified to a separate national tournament, NIETOC. Let’s go Panthers!

Two MPA Students Named MN Escape The Vape Finalists

March 9, 2021

MPA ninth graders Trevor Lien and Akshay Somayajula were named finalists for the recent Minnesota Youth Council Escape the Vape video contest! Escape the Vape is a vaping and e-cigarette prevention video contest for Minnesota high school students. The top five finalists (of 110 statewide entries) were selected by the Minnesota Youth Council (MYC), a statewide group of youth leaders who work to create equitable systems through youth-led outreach, education, and advocacy.

Watch and vote for their submission here! The first place winner receives $500 for the entrant and $500 for their school or organization and second place receives $250 for the entrant and $250 for their school or organization Public voting closes on March 23 at 11:59 PM.

To find out more about the contest, visit MNEscapeTheVape.com.

March 4, 2021

We are pleased to be offering an expanded summer program with a larger choice of academic programs, enrichment classes, athletic clinics, full and half day Panther Camp, and much more for students of all ages! As always, our goal is to provide our participants with the highest quality program in the context of a safe and healthy environment.

Register at moundsparkacademy.org/summer. All Lower School classes and camps are currently open for registration. More Middle and Upper School options will be added in the coming days.

If you have any questions, please contact Russ Purdy, extended day program coordinator, at 651-748-5571 or rpurdy@moundsparkacademy.org.

Summer Athletic Camps
Register for our great athletic camp options this summer! MPA is excited to offer a basketball, soccer, and volleyball camp this year. Panther Boys and Girls Summer Basketball Camp is open to students in grades 4-9 from June 14-17. Panther Boys and Girls Soccer Camp is open to students in grades K-6 from June 21-24. Panther Boys and Girls Summer Volleyball camp is July 12-14, and Panther Girls Volleyball Camp for grades 9-12 is July 19-21. Learn more and register here!

MPA PA Hosting Virtual Movie Event

March 4, 2021

Thank You!
In this time of re-enrollment, the Parents Association wishes to thank you for your contributions through TADS. In a normal year, because of your donations, we are able to foster a sense of community through events both on and off campus. This year has been more challenging and we have been limited to Zoom socials, Faculty and Staff Appreciation, online movies, and virtual educational events. It is important to us to be good stewards of your funds. Thank you to all the wonderful families that make up MPA!

Virtual Movie Event for MPA, Saturday, March 6
We’ve made it to Spring Break! Please join the MPA Parents Association for a showing of “Inside Out” (Rated PG). It’s been quite a year, with all kinds of emotions and stressors. If you tuned in to Dr. Hudson’s Town Hall, then you may have heard Dr. Jules Nolan speaking about emotions, stress and anxiety and her key point was to talk about your feelings…”Name it to Tame it”. That can be hard. Maybe this movie can help. Common Sense Media calls this movie, a “beautiful, original story about handling big emotions”. Look for an email coming on Friday with the Watch Link and Pass Phrase. The movie can be accessed all day Saturday March 6, so tune in at your convenience. If you don’t get an email by Friday evening please contact Tara Lafferty at tmattrn@aol.com.

How We Prepare Students To Live, Learn, And Thrive

March 4, 2021

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

Educators are infamous for creating esoteric terms and anachronyms to describe different approaches to teaching and learning. Project-based learning, or PBL, is one such term but should not be confused with problem-based learning, also PBL. Both PBLs are similar, yet different. Debate exists within educational circles as to whether Design Thinking is a more inclusive term for both PBLs. To further complicate matters, some educators prefer the term “inquiry-based learning”. Confused? Ambivalent? Let me try to translate.

Whether described as project, problem, or inquiry-based learning, this form of learning has roots in what John Dewey (American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer who is often referred to as one of the “fathers of American education”) called “progressive education.” Contemporary educational theorists refer to it as a pedagogy (another educational esoteric term that designates an educational method) that “engages students in creating, questioning, and revising knowledge, while developing their skills in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, reasoning, synthesis, and resilience” (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008). Read More

Essential Planning For 2021-22

February 25, 2021

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

Growing up, I loved the summer vacations of our family. They were wonderful cross-country car trips that my mom and dad would spend months planning, engaging my sister, brother, and me in the process. (We still laugh that my little brother sat on a cushion between the two bucket front seats on the entire ride out to Boston and back.) Those road trips never quite worked out the way they were intended, but were, nonetheless, spectacular and we always had a marvelous time.

President Dwight Eisenhower is famous for saying, “Plans are worthless but planning is everything.” Like our summer road trips, a plan is essential, but what is most important is the planning. As we look forward to the 2021-22 school year, we are building upon the successes we’ve enjoyed this year as well as the lessons we have learned. A year ago, we began with a core set of values drawn from our school’s mission statement. Given the uncertainty, we knew that we needed a plan that was flexible and agile so that we could pivot quickly if necessary. Tying ourselves to a set of values enabled us to successfully adapt as the circumstances warranted. Read More

“Almost, Maine” Honored By Hennepin Theatre Trust

February 25, 2021

The Upper School Winter Show, “Almost, Maine,” took part in the Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Spotlight Education program this year. As part of the Spotlight Education program, the show was evaluated and recognized with multiple honors!

Production Honors

Achievement in Theatre: Honorable Mention
Overall Production: Outstanding
Overall Performance: Honorable Mention
Ensemble Performance: Honorable Mention
Acting Performance: Honorable Mention
Costume Crew: Honorable Mention
Overall Technical Team: Outstanding
Light & Sound Crew: Honorable Mention

What Google’s Discovery Means For An MPA Student

February 18, 2021

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

Not long ago, Google decided to do some self-reflection. Cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page set out to determine the eight most important qualities of Google’s top employees. As a company that mostly hired top computer scientists, I imagine they were more than a bit surprised to find that of these eight qualities, expertise in STEM was not first nor second, but eighth! The top seven were: being a good coach; communicating and listening well; possessing insights into others (including others’ different values and points of view); having empathy toward, and being supportive of one’s colleagues; being a good critical thinker and problem solver; and being able to make connections across complex ideas.

What can we learn from Google about the future of creating smart, successful, in-demand graduates? The skills that students learn from the humanities and liberal arts are in high demand. In addition to the skills listed above, Google’s follow up research identified having curiosity toward teammates’ ideas, harboring emotional intelligence, valuing equality, being generous, and cultivating emotional safety as additional key skills for their employees. Read More

Summer Registration Is Open!

February 18, 2021

Register at moundsparkacademy.org/summer. All Lower School classes and camps are currently open for registration. More Middle and Upper School options will be added in the coming days.

If you have any questions, please contact Russ Purdy, extended day program coordinator, at 651-748-5571 or rpurdy@moundsparkacademy.org.

Virtual Maker Fest Is Saturday, February 20!

February 18, 2021

We are so excited for Virtual Maker Fest 2021 this weekend! On Saturday, February 20 at 11 AM, join us on Zoom as community makers to showcase their projects, passions, and hands on how-to demonstrations. Participants will be able to view the presentations by visiting different breakout rooms, ask questions, and discuss with our guest presenters. We are looking forward to seeing you there to celebrate our creative community!

Join via Zoom >
Meeting ID 913 0516 4223
Passcode: makerfest

Discover MPA Student And Maker Amelia Dickson
We interviewed MPA student and passionate maker Amelia Dickson so you can get to know her ahead of time! Don’t miss her Virtual Maker Fest presentation on Zoom Saturday, February 20 at 11 AM! Discover Amelia’s artwork and learn more about Virtual Maker Fest >