May 5, 2016
MPA has a duck problem. On Tuesday, I happened upon 
Michele Maturen’s math class eagerly marshalling forces outside the Benz Courtyard. “We saw the ducklings! We saw the ducklings!” they shouted. At this point, I wasn’t sure who was more excited, Ms. Maturen or her students.
For many years, a mother duck has laid her eggs somewhere in the Benz Courtyard. It is a safe place, free from predators and somewhat sheltered from the unpredictability of Minnesota springs. However, there is no way for the ducklings, once hatched, to escape. Enter Upper School Science Teacher, Mitch Thomsen. With the assistance of our students, Mr. Thomsen has been successful in safely capturing the mother, while students scramble to carefully collect the ducklings. Once safe in a box, he leads the way with mother duck, trailed by the box of ducklings close by so mother can hear them. Out of the courtyard they all go, following Mr. Thomsen to our own pond where they are released and swim away to safety.
This annual occurrence may seem like little more than a bit of fun in the midst of academic work, but it is emblematic of the unique approach to science at MPA. We believe it is imperative for students to not only know and understand science, but to value and participate in it. The goal is to foster citizen scientists, PreK-12.
Our science program is founded on the notion of students “doing science to learn science,” of being actively engaged in hands-on experiential learning activities both in and outside the classroom. These projects are excellent ways for students to not only learn concepts and how they relate to each other, but also how the process of experimentation is messy and seldom straight forward.
For example, MPA has partnered with the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District for the past 15 years. Students are involved in preparing and planting seeds, transplanting from flats to four pack sets and finally planting in the rain garden at school and also at various locations in our community. In doing this work, students experience first-hand how even small contributions, if done in thoughtful ways, can have a big impact in serving the common good.
At MPA, we feel it is also important for students to realize that data is important and can be used over a long period of time to better understand our world. In the yearly pond water-quality study, the turtle project, and native plant work, students not only collect data year to year, but they analyze the data from previous years looking for trends and drawing hypotheses. Additionally, students involved with our house sparrow egg and bluebird projects are contributing data, as citizen scientists do, to the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology. In this way, we are participating in real and meaningful scientific research.
MPA citizen scientists are thinkers, dreamers, and doers. They pose questions, design and implement experiments, develop conclusions and relate the learning back to their lives and society as a whole. As we prepare students to live, learn, and thrive in today’s world, we firmly believe that students should be both exposed to deep content knowledge and actively engaged in science. This is certainly true for anyone who wishes to be a doctor, scientist, or engineer, but it is also true for those who plan to pursuing politics, art, writing, or business.
See more photos of the ducks being released here.
