Mounds Park Academy

Class of 2019: Henry Peterson, Stillwater

May 9, 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 came to MPA in third grade.

How did you come to choose the college that you did?
I grew up knowing I wanted to attend a small college. Both of my parents attended liberal arts colleges for their undergraduate education and loved it. Looking for a liberal arts college with nice weather narrowed my field of options drastically, and Pomona was the first college where I felt at home during my visit—it became my first choice very quickly.

What are you most excited about as you embark on your college experience?
I am most excited to live away from home, meet new people with different backgrounds from my own, and learn about topics I haven’t yet had the opportunity to study in an academic setting.

What did you appreciate most about the college counseling process at MPA?
As I reflect on my college process, I believe my letters of recommendation may have been the strongest part of my applications. And although I will never read them, they represent what I’m most grateful for: my teachers taking the time to form meaningful relationships with me and my classmates throughout my time at MPA. As I meet more people who are going through the college process, I’ve realized the many benefits of strong student-teacher relationships (including the help they provide during the college application process). Read More

Mental Health Awareness Month At MPA

May 9, 2019

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and in honor of the national initiative, each weekday throughout the month at MPA there are activities, discussions, and presentations surrounding the topic of mental health. The month’s awareness events are focused on Upper School students, and are spearheaded by Ashley Cooper, Middle and Upper School counselor. While Ms. Cooper created the calendar of daily events, she shared that a lot of what she planned were direct requests from students.

Ms. Cooper emphasizes the importance of using the right terms when talking about mental health. “We all have mental health and mental wellness,” she says. She adds that some goals for the month are to bring awareness to mental health, help students reflect on the state of their own mental well-being, and to share resources on what to do if students think they need to talk to a professional about potential mental illnesses.

The month’s daily calendar has a loose structure; every week there is Meditation Monday, an activity, a Lunch Talk, a presentation, and an exercise for students to complete on their own. The first Lunch Talk of the month surrounded the topic of stigma, and any stigma that the students thought was associated with mental health. Upcoming Lunch Talks will cover the topics of supportive language, how to help a friend who is struggling with mental health, and a discussion on how to talk about your struggles. The month will conclude with a discussion on positive self-talk. These discussions are all led by Ms. Cooper, but are driven by the students who attend. Meditation Monday reoccurs every Monday throughout the entire school year, and the idea was brought to Ms. Cooper by Upper School students, who wanted moments of relaxation and stillness throughout their busy days.

See You Saturday At The Spring Auction!

May 9, 2019

Our volunteers are hard at work putting the finishing touches on the 2019 Spring Auction—Once Upon a Time! It’s not too late to get your tickets to this fun, entertaining, and important event in support of MPA. We’re so thankful for all of the hours that so many of our MPA community members have put in to make this year’s event our best yet.

We have silent auction items with starting bids as low as $35! You may preview them here. In addition, you’ll find mystery boxes, a wine toss where you’re sure to be a winner, a game of heads or tails with a cash prize, incredible live auction packages, a live band, and great food—what more could you want for a fun night out?! Perhaps most importantly, we want to build community and raise funds in support of our teachers and students in the classroom.

A special thank you to Lisa Vale for the progress photo above! Pictured: Reese Manger, Sarah McFarland, Renee Roach, Jen MacDonald, Billi Jo Aamodt. Volunteers not pictured: Jen Holloway, Amanda Platson, Sally Richie, Lisa Vale, Christi Zweig.

A Language Overnight Unlike Any Other

May 9, 2019

Last Friday, May 3, fourth graders celebrated the end of the school year by participating in a culminating event of Lower School: a foreign language overnight! In years past, this took place at Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji, but when they couldn’t host it this year, our very own foreign language teachers came together to create a completely unique and engaging experience for the students.

The group had a packed schedule! First, they visited the Festival of Nations in St. Paul and then stopped by El Burrito Mercado, an authentic Mexican deli selling groceries and arts and crafts directly from artisans in Mexico. When they arrived back at school, they sang and danced with guest musicians and then enjoyed a six-course dinner prepared by MPA’s Chef Doug. The dinner alternated between a French course and a Spanish course, enabling the students to have the opportunity to try different dishes from regions around the world. After dinner, the students cozied up with a movie and a “camp fire” in the library, made creatively from string lights and smooth stones. In the morning, the event concluded with crepes and churros for breakfast in the Makerspace.

Why We Make At MPA

May 9, 2019

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

As I attend the concerts, art shows, and special grade-level events this month, I am reminded that May is a wonderful celebration of the maker mindset cultivated throughout the curriculum at MPA. I recently came across an article that explained the purpose of a makerspace. I found it descriptive of what happens in our own Makerspace and affirming of the pedagogy behind why we do what we do in that space. However, upon further reading and reflecting, I found that the maker mindset described extends to every classroom and the principles on which our school was founded.

Classroom teacher, university professor, and author John Spence defines a makerspace as “simply a space designed and dedicated to hands-on creativity,” he explains, “and the key thing there is they’re actually making something. Creativity is sometimes idea generation, it’s sometimes problem-solving. But (in) a makerspace, you’re actually going to create some kind of product.” It has been my experience that at MPA, one could easily take out the word makerspace in the above quote and insert “music classroom,” “art studio,” “physical education class,” “science classroom,” “playground,” etc. Throughout every area of the school, MPA teachers encourage, and the curriculum reflects, core values of design thinking including problem-based learning, critical thinking, divergent thinking, among other common values within the makerspace movement. Read More

Athletic Achievements This Week

May 9, 2019

While it may not feel like spring sports weather today, we have some exciting MPA athletics results to share from earlier in the week!

At the Section 4A True Team Meet on May 7, the Boys Track and Field Team finished in fourth place out of 14 teams and the girls finished fifth! The teams had seven event winners in sprints, distance, jumps and relays. Senior Yahya Madar earned a personal best and school record of 6’7” in the high jump. Seniors Tae’Vion Wilkins and Dylan Dickinson both set personal records in the triple jump. Senior Henry Snider won the 1600m race.

The Panthers Softball Team got the win against Providence Academy to stay undefeated this season! MPA eighth grader Siri S. pitched five innings with 10 strikeouts. Read More

Class of 2019: Julia Portis, North Oaks

May 7, 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 came to MPA in first grade. My sister, who is three years older than me, was enrolled at the time. My parents loved the community so much, and they were so excited for us both to go here. I am so happy that I came to MPA. I am so lucky to have had the wonderful and immersive education that Mounds Park Academy offers all of its students.

How did you come to choose the college that you did?
I didn’t really know what I wanted to pursue until the end of my junior year. My first exposure to college was my sister’s experience. She looked at small liberal arts colleges across the country. As I traveled with her, I began to see myself at similar schools. After deciding that I wanted to study business, my list of schools began to narrow. Babson College was the first business school I ever visited. The community was infectious, and my first impression never seemed to escape me. After attending MPA for 12 years, I have a firm grasp on the benefits of a small community. Similar to MPA, Babson emphasizes the importance of collaboration, innovation, problem-solving, and critical thinking. I’m so excited to join the community in the fall!

What are you most excited about as you embark on your college experience?
I am excited for the things I will learn in college, as well as the experiences that will mold me into the person I will become in the future. There is so much I have yet to figure out. I am excited to take risks, challenge myself, and hopefully fail a couple times. Yes, fail. The way I see it, there is so much learning and thinking that comes from failed ventures. Read More

Students Participate in Art 4 Shelter

May 6, 2019

Upper School artists are honored to participate in Art 4 Shelter again this year. Art 4 Shelter is an exhibition and sale that benefits the Simpson Housing Services in Minneapolis. What a wonderful opportunity for students to use their skills to help better our community! This year’s participating MPA students are: sophomore Satori Lewen, junior Charles Grimes, and seniors Ajay Manicka, Olivia Burton, Jordan Grabanski, Mats Dahlberg, and also teacher Renee Sonka.

The Art 4 Shelter exhibition and sale will be held at Machine Shop, 300 2nd St SE in Minneapolis, Wednesday, May 15, 7 PM. Click here for more information on Art 4 Shelter.

Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be

May 6, 2019

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

A Middle School mother recently shared with me a conversation she had with her child. At the dinner table one night this week, her son burst into tears. He said, “I’m so stressed out because I don’t know what the right career is for me.” If the stress and anxiety over colleges and careers is beginning for students in Middle School, I know it is beginning for parents even sooner than that.

There is indeed a general anxiety in U.S. culture around the college-application process driven by an inflated importance of attending the “best” school instead of the “right” school. The best fit for one student is not the right fit for the next, even among high-achieving, academically strong, and otherwise talented students.

In his book “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania,” New York Times columnist Frank Bruni attempts to refocus the search process. In a time that stress and anxiety is associated with the college admissions process, Bruni hopes to “restore the excitement of going off to college, which should be a time for taking intellectual and social chances, for finding or confirming a passion, and for discovering yourself,” rather than getting caught up with getting into elite, higher-profile colleges and universities.

A Conversation About Community

May 6, 2019

Thirteen years ago, Mounds Park Academy Class of 2019 students were in kindergarten. As they graduate this year, 13 of them join MPA’s Joanne Olson Club, reserved for students whose entire K-12 or PreK-12 journey has taken place here at MPA.

In February, many members of this remarkable group were able to come together for a conversation about community. After all, who knows more about the MPA community than students who joined us in kindergarten and now leave the school as young adults, bound for college and a promising future?

How has MPA’s community supported and shaped you?
“In Lower School, as we walked to class, we’d high-five older kids. At home we’d tell our parents, ‘I high-fived this huge high schooler today!’ I want to support that community, too.” Parker Law
“Our relationships with teachers forge respect between adults and kids. We talk to our teachers about social-life issues, real-world issues, our opinions, and more. That’s shaped my relationships with adults outside school.” Tara Samsel
“Teachers encourage these relationships. I’m comfortable talking to people much older than I am.” Emilie Davidson
“We’ve grown up surrounded by older kids and loving adults. So that age difference doesn’t seem as big.” Gabby Law Read More