Upper School Archives

Panthers Headed To State!

June 1, 2019

Mounds Park Academy is so proud of all its student-athletes headed to state!

This weekend, MPA made school history with the most Track & Field State Qualifiers ever!

Henry Snider – 3200m run
Sofia Walker – 800m Run
Yahya Madar – High Jump (Section Meet Record of 6′ 8)
Girls 4 x 800m Relay (Gabby Law, Izzy Quam, Margo Nightingale, Sofia Walker)
Boys 4 x 200m Relay (Tae’Vion Wilkins, Ian Olson, Nathan Harvanko, Flynn Opatz)
Boys 4 x 800m Relay (Isak Nightingale, Cullen Moore, Matthew Bourn, Henry Snider)

The State Track & Field Meet will be June 7 and 8 at Hamline University.

State Tennis starts Tuesday, June 4 at Reed Sweatt Tennis Club. MPA takes on Hibbing High School at 12 PM.

In MPA Golf, Maya Merchant advances to State June 11 and 12 at Pebble Creek.

Go Panthers!

Be A Part Of The MPA Sailing Team!

May 30, 2019

Congratulations to MPA’s Sailing Team for placing third in the 2019 State Co-Ed Championships and to senior Toby Sullivan and eighth grader Henry S. for placing first in the Boys State Championships! Both regattas were held last weekend at the Minneapolis Sailing Center under challenging conditions.

If your 7th-12th grader is interested in joining the team this fall, please email MPA parent Natalie Waters Seum at n.watersseum@gmail.com to learn more. Sailing provides invaluable lessons in courage, self control, teamwork, critical thinking, and more. No experience is necessary and boats are provided! Read more about the benefits of sailing here.

Meet MPA’s Newest Faculty And Staff

May 30, 2019

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

I consider hiring to be one of the most important aspects of my role as head of school. As a rigorous college prep school, I need to ensure that we have excellent teachers. But because of our mission, we also need to ensure that we have excellent human beings who are going to go beyond the classroom as role models, advocates, and confidants, and even sometimes, act in “loco parentis.” I am continually reminded from my own experience as a teacher that in the long run, students won’t always remember what we taught them, but who we are, how we treated them, and how we made them feel. Early in the hiring process, I make a point to remind each committee that while it is important to fill the position, we are hiring the person first.

MPA has a very rigorous and inclusive hiring process. When an opening presents itself, we first take the opportunity to review the position in light of our mission and the evolving needs of the school. Open positions are then posted both locally and nationally and despite a national teacher shortage, we have had great success in attracting a highly qualified and diverse pool of candidates. Each hiring team is led by a member of the administrative team and is comprised of faculty and staff who work collaboratively to screen resumes and conduct a first round of interviews, culminating with a day on campus and a final interview. As a part of their time on campus, teaching candidates actually teach a class and then meet informally with students. We truly value the student perspective and voice in the hiring process. The final decision rests with the head of school, taking into account the recommendation of the hiring committee and the feedback of the students. Read More

MPA Achievements At The Section 4A True Team Meet

May 30, 2019

MPA Track and Field traveled to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winstead High School for the Section 4A True Team Meet, and ran, jumped and threw to excellent performances. In a typical meet, only the top eight individuals and top six relays score, but in a True Team meet, every competitor scores. There are 14 teams in Section 4A, and with each team able to put up to two athletes in an event, many individual events included 28 athletes.

On the girls side, eighth grader Zoe M. won the 100m dash in a personal best time of 13.26 and placed second in the 200m in 27.42, which is the seventh fastest time ever at MPA! Eighth grader Greta M. (Gentry Academy) placed fifth in the 200m in 28.04 and won the 400m in a personal best time of 1:02.44, making the MSHSL honor roll and moving up to third place all time at MPA with the fastest 400m since 2007! In the girls 800m, senior Sofia Walker won with a personal best time of 2:26.04, the third fastest time ever at MPA and fastest 800m since 2002! Notable performances in the field events include senior Gabby Law placing sixth in the triple jump with a season best performance of 30’11.

In the 4x100m relay, the team of junior Catherine Moore, ninth grader Ella Fruchterman, and eighth graders Zoe M., and Greta M. (Gentry Academy) placed won with a time of 53.04, tied for fourth best all time at MPA! The 4x200m team of eighth grader Alexa H. (Gentry Academy), ninth grader Ella Fruchterman, eighth grader Emily B. and junior Catherine Moore placed third in 2:00.44. In the 4x800m, senior Sofia Walker eighth Margo N., senior Gabby Law and sophomore Izzy Quam placed third in a season best of 10:27.09, seventh best all time at MPA!

On the boys side, senior Tae’Vion Wilkins placed third in both the 100m dash (11.96) and the 200m dash (24.11). MPA placed two runners in the top six of the boys 400m with senior Flynn Opatz running a season best 54.43 for fourth place and Nathan Harvanko running 56.55 for sixth. In the 800m, senior Matt Bourne was fifth in a personal best of 2:07.93. Junior Henry Snider was a double winner, taking the 1600m in 4:41.03 and the 3200m in a personal best of 9:53.70. He became the fourth panther ever to break 10 minutes in the 3200m. In the 300m hurdles, senior Dylan Dickinson ran a personal best 46.76 to move up to sixth place all time at MPA, and the fastest 300m hurdles time since 2008. In the high jump, senior Yahya Madar won with a personal best of 6’7, extending his school record. 6’7 is one of the best jumps in Minnesota so far this year. In the triple jump, senior Tae’Vion Wilkins jumped a personal best of 38’11.75 to place fifth and move up to fourth all time at MPA. Also in the triple jump, senior Dylan Dickinson jumped 36’9.5 to record a personal best of nearly two feet and move up to tenth place all time at MPA.

In the boys 4x100m relay, the team of seniors Tae’Vion Wilkins, Ian Olson, junior Shane Fruchterman and sophomore Caleb Rhodes ran 46.82 to place second in a season best and move up to fifth all time at MPA. In the boys 4x200m relay, seniors Flynn Opatz and Ian Olson and juniors Shane Fruchterman and Nathan Harvanko, placed fourth in season best 1:38.32. In the 4x400m, seniors Matthew Bourne and Henry Peterson, junior Nathan Harvanko and freshman Cullen Moore ran a season best 3:44.79 to place fifth. In the 4x800m seniors Matthew Bourne and Henry Peterson and freshmen Cullen Moore and Isak Nightingale ran a season best 8:34.78 to place third and earn a spot on the state honor roll. Their time is fifth best all time at MPA.

In a true testament to the strength of the panthers’ teams, the girls placed fifth of fourteen teams with 595.5 points and the boys placed fourth of fourteen with 610 points. The next meet is the IMAC Championship on Thursday, May 16 at Providence Academy.

Panthers Take Third And Fourth In St. Croix Lutheran Invitational

May 30, 2019

In a great tune up meet before the Section 4A Championships, MPA Track and Field traveled to the St. Croix Lutheran Invitational in West St. Paul. Notable performances on the girls side include senior Sofia Walker placing second in the 400m in a personal best of 1:02.59. Her time is fourth all time in MPA history! Senior Gabby Law came in sixth in the 400m, running a personal best of 1:07.49. In the 800m, sophomore Katie Dahiya placed second with a personal best time of 2:43.47. In the 1600m, junior Izzy George ran a personal best of 6:56.61, breaking seven minutes for the first time thanks to a dramatic kick over the last 100m! In the 100m hurdles, eighth grader Emily B. ran a personal best of 18.91 to place fourth, earning the tenth spot on the MPA top ten in that event.

In the girls triple jump, senior Gabby Law tied her season best of 30.11 to place third. Eighth grader Zoe M. added a third place finish in the long jump, recording a 14.8. In the shot put, ninth grader Rose Thompson-Nelson placed eighth with a personal best of 26.4, good for tenth place all time at MPA. In the discus, junior Catherine Moore placed third with a personal best throw of 93.7, good for seventh best all time at MPA. Read More

Panthers Take Third And Fifth At IMAC Championships

May 30, 2019

The Panthers traveled to Providence Academy on a warm Thursday afternoon for the IMAC championships. Noteworthy performances on the girls side include eighth grader Zoe M. placing fourth in the 100m dash in 13.39 and adding a fifth place finish in the 200m in 28.02. Eighth grader Greta M. (Gentry Academy) finished fifth in the 200m in 28.10 and fourth in the 400m in a personal best 1:02.28. In the 800m, senior Sofia Walker ran a near personal best 2:26.18 to place second and sophomore Izzy Quam ran a season best 2:33.63 to finish sixth. Eighth grader Emily B. ran two personal bests in the hurdles races, placing sixth in 19.13 in the 100m hurdles and recording another personal best of 55.12 in the 300 hurdles. In the field events, Zoe M. placed fifth in the long jump with a personal best jump of 15.8.75, now third all time in MPA history. 15.8.75 gets Zoe on the state honor roll in the long jump! Junior Catherine Moore placed fourth in the discus throw with a near personal best of 80.9.

In the 4x100m, junior Catherine Moore, ninth grader Ella Fruchterman, and eighth graders Greta M. (Gentry) and Zoe M. place second in a season best time of 53.00, moving up to sole possession of fourth place all time at MPA. In the 4x800m, seniors Gabby Law and Sofia Walker, sophomore Izzy Quam and eighth grader Margo N. were conference champions! They ran a season best 10:21.54, earning a spot on the state honor roll and moving up to fifth place all time at MPA with the fastest time since 2002. Read More

Your New Parents Association Executive Board!

May 29, 2019

Thank you to those of you who voted for your new Parents Association Executive Board. The following slate was approved and will begin leading the Parents Association and serving the MPA community on July 1, 2019: Kim Jakway, president; Seema Anwar and Barry Madore, co-presidents-elect; Meredith Forgosh, secretary; Yuki Miyokawa, treasurer; Russ Purdy, Upper School division lead; Susan Knapp, Middle School division lead; Sally Richie and Andrea Dodson, Lower School co-division leads.

In addition, a special thanks to Tara Lafferty who is stepping down as Middle School lead but will continue to be involved in Parents Association events. Tara has dedicated many volunteer hours and her amazing contributions are much appreciated!

Quiz Bowl Excels At Nationals

May 29, 2019

Congratulations to the Upper School Quiz Bowl team for finishing with a record of 5-5 at Nationals last weekend! They were one win away from making playoffs. Sophomore Isak Dai finished 68th out of more than 1600 players, earning a Rising Star Award. Congratulations, Quiz Bowl!

Volunteer With MPA This Summer!

May 29, 2019

The Offices of Admission and Marketing/Communication are looking forward to MPA’s presence at many fabulous summer events, starting this weekend! These events provide us with an opportunity to raise awareness of MPA in the community and share what a wonderful school it is.

We are looking for volunteers (families, alumni, parents of alumni, faculty, staff, and students) to join us in this effort! This is a great way to connect with people you might not get to otherwise and share your love for MPA. Your children are more than welcome to accompany you and this is a great way for Upper School students to earn service hours. Read More

Class of 2019: Ling DeBellis, Saint Paul

May 29, 2019

As the 2018–19 school year comes to an end, we’re sharing the college choice stories of several members of the Class of 2019!

In what grade did you come to MPA?
I started MPA in PreK in 2005! This was MPA’s first PreK class. I was really shy back then, and had faced isolation at a PreK before MPA, so I was pretty nervous on the first day of school. Lorraine Anderson, the former MPA PreK teacher, was amazingly kind and nurturing; it didn’t take long for me to come out of my shell!

How did you come to choose the college that you did?
I chose Rice University in Houston, TX because it just felt like home. The people were so authentic and welcoming. Our campus tour was incredibly accessible (I am a wheelchair user, and have had terrible experiences at other colleges). I ate lunch with the best, nerdiest students ever, and instantly felt a connection. I was clearly surrounded by supportive, engaging peers and brilliant professors! And, of course, Houston weather is my kind of vibe. I ended up applying Early Decision because I knew I’d be heartbroken if I didn’t get in. A bonus is that Rice is neighbors to the world’s largest medical complex (really!) — fingers crossed for plenty of research gigs! Read More