February 6, 2020
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
As we approach the end of our current 5-year strategic plan, Momentum 2020, work is underway to lay the foundation for our next plan. Under the leadership of the Board of Trustees and the school’s administration, the MPA community is engaged in a conversation around our core and aspirational values that will give direction to the new plan.
As part of this conversation, students in the Upper School were recently given the opportunity to provide their feedback on a list of core and aspirational values. They were also given the opportunity to name additional values represented at MPA that were not on the list provided. Imagine my reaction when the overwhelming value Upper School students offered was “kindness.” In a world that often feels anything but kind, I am proud that students affirmed kindness as a core value. While respect is part of our mission statement, kindness is the manifestation of respect, an expression of how students consciously choose to act. I couldn’t have been prouder.
We are fortunate to have a warm, kind, welcoming, and inclusive community, characterized by kindness. It represents a deliberate outcome set forth in our current plan that prioritized the creation and implementation of character education and wellness programs across each division. It serves as just one of many examples of how Momentum 2020 has guided the ongoing, continuous school improvement over the past five years. It is customary at this time of year that I provide an update on our strategic plan and how the school is living out its mission. As you will see in this infographic, we have accomplished a great deal. While it is impossible to capture all the progress that has been made in the last year, I would like to highlight a few notable accomplishments under each of the three strategic priorities. Read More
As part of Design For Change’s Earth Day Network Plastic Pollution Design Sprint, two MPA Kindergarten students and Ms. Koen were featured in a blog post and on one of their podcast episodes! The Kindergarten students’ recent project selling reusable canvas grocery bags at Kowalski’s Market gave them the knowledge and confidence to take what they learned about preserving the environment, eliminating plastic use, and global citizenship on air. 
Congratulations to MPA’s Alpine Skiers! The girls team placed sixth out of 17 teams and the boys team placed ninth out of 17 teams in the Section 4A Meet at Wild Mountain. MPA Senior Emma Finch, MPA freshman Margo Nightingale, and MPA sophomore Isak Nightingale have advanced as individuals and will participate at the State Meet next week at Giants Ridge. Let’s go, Panthers!
Thank you to our generous and kind community for helping us unveil the brand new Martin Lenz Harrison Library yesterday! Martin Lenz Harrison was a member of MPA’s first graduating class. His memory and legacy will live on for generations of Panthers as they read, learn, and grow in their beautiful library.
The following essay is adapted from MPA Class of 2020 member Lilly Ramalingam’s Senior Speech.
The MPA Fiber Friends are currently working on a community-wide quilting project and want your masterpieces to be part of it! Bring your artistic vision and voice and be a part of something special. Anyone may be part of the community quilting. The Fiber Friends meet on Fridays from 11 AM to 12:30 PM. This group of knitters, crocheters, and textile gurus is open to all parents, alums, grandparents, students, staff, and faculty. Beginners are always welcome!
Joanne Olson, MPA’s first Lower School director, is fond of saying that MPA was born “of a dream and a shoestring.” What started as the dream of founders Bob Kriescher and Sandy Kriescher Smith, quickly became the dream of parents and educators from across the Twin Cities. Bob, Sandy, our founding teachers, board members, and parents pooled what resources they could muster to make their dream a reality on a shoestring budget that would have a lasting impact.
We’re interviewing the Makers you’ll meet at at Maker Fest 2020 on Saturday, February 22 so you can get to know them ahead of time! Debbie LaChapelle is MPA’s PreK teacher who loves to use the Makerspace to channel her students’ and her own creativity.
Pajamarama is Thursday, January 30! From 5:45-6:45 PM, Lower School students will enjoy a short concert of their favorite Disney music, meet our musicians, and enjoy story telling in a new and imaginative way. Following the Disney performance, the children are led in interactive activities designed to spark excitement and curiosity about music. To finalize our program we will have a reading of a popular children’s book performed by a narrator while being accompanied by the MPA Upper School Orchestra. Students will receive a snack while they cozy up to hear this famous story come to life! Wear your pajamas or your comfy clothes!
Congratulations to the 2019-2020 Girls IMAC Nordic Champions, the MPA Panthers! The MPA Girls Nordic Ski team of seniors Mari Bohacek and Izzy George, juniors Katie Dahiya, Izzy Quam, Eva Benson, and Emma Cohen, freshmen Eleanore Haas, Sophia Spisak, and Margo Nightingale, eighth grader Abby B., and North Heights seventh grader Sienna S. finished first at the Conference Championship Race with a final score of 550.