Mounds Park Academy

April 6, 2019

There are freethinkers, free spirits, risk takers, right makers, dreamers, and doers who are standing up to support Together, We Dream. Here is one story that explains why. Meet Jane Harper and John Velin, parents of Mike Velin ’06.

What impact do you see the completion of Together, We Dream: The Campaign for MPA having on your family?
We hope our grandchildren will someday have the chance to study at MPA. We would like a first-rate school ready for them.

Why do you believe it is important to give to both Together, We Dream and to the annual MPA Fund as you would in other years?
It is important to reach deep once in awhile to support the large capital projects. It is equally important to continue annual giving to be able to sustain the capital investment.

Why do you choose to give to Together, We Dream even though your child has graduated?
We are giving to the endowment to establish a tuition scholarship. We believe it is important for families at all income levels to have access to the quality of education provided by MPA.

How do you see the four priorities (library, commons, cafeteria and kitchen, endowment, and outdoor track) of Together, We Dream impacting the student experience?
Although our focus is on the endowment, it is important for students to be proud of the school they attend. These improvements will add value to their educational experience.

What is your dream for the future of MPA and how do you see Together, We Dream working toward your dream?
Our dream is that the school is sustainable, that it maintains high standards throughout the next 20 years, and that it is accessible to all income levels.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your MPA experience?
As parents of an alum, we know how life-changing the MPA experience can be for a young person. Our son blossomed as a whole person after transferring into MPA in ninth grade.

Honor where we’ve been. Power our way forward. Make a gift at moundsparkacademy.org/donate/alumni.

Paying It Forward

April 6, 2019

There are freethinkers, free spirits, risk takers, right makers, dreamers, and doers who are standing up to support Together, We Dream. Here is one story that explains why. Meet Mike Velin ’06 and Ashley Cooper, MPA Middle and Upper School counselor.

What impact do you see the completion of Together, We Dream: The Campaign for MPA having on your family?
We think the improvements the school intends to make will have a large impact on our children for several reasons. There will be a direct benefit that they will receive by having new spaces to learn and explore in the library/common spaces, but also the ability to push themselves outside of their comfort zone by trying new things in the test kitchen. Indirectly, the new spaces will create a higher demand in a competitive independent school market. Not only will a more diverse student body be encouraged to come to our school, but a more diverse faculty will be excited to thrive and teach in our new space.

Why do you believe it is important to give to both Together, We Dream and to the annual MPA Fund as you would in other years?
At the end of the day, the campaign and our annual fund are two separate, but very key pieces to the overall health of our school. It’s planning for today, while investing for tomorrow. We need to stay competitive with other schools while providing a diverse setting in which students can learn—so we need to invest in our future with the campaign. While at the same time we need to also plan for our current students and faculty through the annual fund by bridging the gap between the cost of the school year and the amount of tuition paid—without this, there will be no future for our kids to reap the benefits of our investment in the Campaign.

Why do you choose to give to Together, We Dream even though you have graduated?
I continue to feel blessed and in debt to the school and community because without the friends, family, and faculty at MPA, I believe my path would be somewhere completely different than it is right now. I benefited from a caring group of individuals that gave everything they had to allow us to succeed and I want to make sure that I can help other children feel the same way too. We were raised on a spirit of giving back and I want to continue to that notion of paying it forward for the next generation.

How do you see the four priorities (library, commons, cafeteria and kitchen, endowment, and outdoor track) of Together, We Dream impacting the student experience?
Each priority has it’s own set of goals and students that it will impact, however ultimately all four will allow the school to continue its mission of intellectual ambition with the joy of learning.

What is your dream for the future of MPA and how do you see Together, We Dream working toward your dream?
Our dream for MPA is that all students feel comfortable and accepted for who they are and feel like they are a part of a community that they can thrive in by being themselves, while being pushed to step outside of their comfort zone. MPA will never be the right place, for all students. But we should work on being the best place for the students and families that we have.

Honor where we’ve been. Power our way forward. Make a gift at moundsparkacademy.org/donate/alumni.

Two Seniors Far Surpass Previous Bridge Record

April 5, 2019

A story of creative risk-taking and turning challenges into opportunities.

Fifteen sticks of basswood, a tube of glue, a bunch of instructions, guidelines, and some hints: these are the only materials given to students in Upper School physics for the infamous Bridge Project. The students have four weeks to build a bridge that will hold the most weight possible and garner votes for craftsmanship, creativity, realism, beauty, and best name, before putting the bridges to the test.

“I’ve been doing it since the mid-nineties,” says Marc Shapiro, Upper School physics teacher. “I do it because it’s a great way to apply things that we have learned during the first semester of physics. It’s a new, different kind of project than any other thing that we do, and we get to learn about structures and forces along the way.”

This year started out like previous years, with the students hard at work on their bridges. After the bridge testing, however, it was clear that something special had happened; two MPA seniors, Gabby Law and Henry Peterson, set an outstanding new record that would go down in MPA Bridge Project history as the bridge that held the most weight. Their bridge weighed 21.05 grams, and held an astonishing 319 pounds, which was 6,900 times its own weight. The previous record held just under 2,400 times its own weight.

MPArors Advance To World Championship

April 4, 2019

This past weekend the Robotics Team, MPArors, competed in the MN FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Regional Robotics Competition! The team placed second overall out of 60 teams, and will be moving onto the FIRST Championship in Detroit at the end of April, where there will be teams participating from all over the world.

They had a wonderful group of fans who stayed throughout the day to watch, among which was Sarah McFarland, MPA parent and international student program coordinator. “There were so may wonderful things to see and experience such as watching the team learn and grow from their mistakes, seeing the students in action working together toward a common goals, hearing the pride in mentors’ voices and seeing the sparkle in their eyes,” she shared.

Some MPA alumni and founding team members were also in attendance, cheering on the MPArors and offering their support. Among the MPA alumni present was Sirid Kellermann ’88. Sirid was a FIRST FRC Judge Advisor, whose job it is to coordinate the 30-judge team and ensure they are able to do their jobs successfully. “The MPArors truly reflected the ‘gracious professionalism’ spirit of FIRST Robotics,” said Sirid, “FIRST is about so much more than building a quality robot that performs well in competition. It’s also about the agile problem-solving, teamwork, and collaboration with other teams for the benefit of all. The MPArors can be proud of being a well-rounded team that checks all of these boxes. I encourage them to build on their success and strive even higher in the coming years—I’ll be there cheering them on again next spring!”

Congrats, MPArors! The MPA community and Coach Shapiro are so proud of you!

Gifts From All Ages

April 4, 2019

Two second grade students, Isaac and Thomas, were recently inspired to raise money to donate to Together, We Dream: The Campaign For MPA.

Thomas proudly brought in his hard-earned $10 donation because he is so excited about the improvements to our school and wanted to be a part of them. He said, “At the groundbreaking, I heard you were trying to raise $5 million. After I went home and thought about it, I decided I had ten dollars that I needed to donate to the construction.”

Isaac’s mother, Michelle, shared that during spring break, Isaac collected trash throughout his neighborhood in exchange for a little bit of money from her. She said, “He really wanted to contribute to the current campaign having seen his classmate Thomas do the same thing with his pocket money.”

When one gift inspires another, big dreams can come true. Thank you, Thomas and Isaac!

Spring’s Impact On Learning

April 4, 2019

by Renee Wright, Lower School Director

Editor’s Note: On the first Thursday of each month, you will find a guest blog post here from one of MPA’s division directors. We hope you enjoy reading their thoughts and reflections about life at MPA.

The March break stimulates thoughts of spring in Minnesota, stirs up feelings of excitement, and renews the soul. Spring has always been my favorite season, marking the end of a brutal winter and the transition into warmer temperatures. As a child I watched for puddles to appear and looked for the first sighting of a robin or baby bunnies or ducklings in our backyard as a sign that spring was on its way. Spring seemed so mysterious to me as a child, and as an adult I continue to feel the same. The transition from winter to spring magically transforms nature, which impacts the human spirit. Read More

Invite A Friend To Be Curious With Us!

April 3, 2019

Do you have a friend, colleague, or neighbor who would love MPA? Invite them to MPA’s Early Childhood Curiosity Day on April 26! It will be a fun morning with activities that include a singalong, a story walk, play time in the Makerspace, and much more.

Our Early Childhood Curiosity Day is a very special event is for families who are interested in MPA’s PreK or kindergarten program. Visitors will join us as we explore curiosity and literacy in conjunction with the release of the latest Curious George seek-and-find book. At MPA, we learn by doing and this event is no exception. Activities will include a story walk, singalong, and seek-and-find fun in addition to diving into Curious George’s most recent story.

For more information and RSVP, see moundsparkacademy.org/visit, email admission@moundsparkacademy.org, or call 651-748-5577. Come be curious with us!

Living The Vision

April 2, 2019

There are freethinkers, free spirits, risk takers, right makers, dreamers, and doers who are standing up to support Together, We Dream. Here is one story that explains why. Meet Ankita and Amit Bhalla, current MPA parents.

What impact do you see the completion of Together, We Dream: The Campaign for MPA having on your family?
A better and more enhanced facility greatly affects the health, behavior, engagement, learning and growth in achievement of our children, and so the impact of this campaign on our daughter is vital.

Why do you believe it is important to give to Together, We Dream?
It is important to us not only for the reasons above, but also to ensure we focus on the need for our daughter to grow and learn 21st century skills such as teamwork, effective communication, and collaboration with her teachers and school mates. Contributing enables the improvement of the facility to facilitate these skills and needs.

How do you see the four priorities (library, commons, cafeteria and kitchen, endowment, and outdoor track) of Together, We Dream impacting the student experience?
These priorities are hugely impactful as they positively relate to our daughters development, engagement and achievement.

What is your dream for the future of MPA and how do you see Together, We Dream working toward your dream?
Our dream aligns very closely with the MPA vision to “dream big and do right”. It is important for us that our daughter is able to live this vision and able to have the capabilities and opportunities that allow her to do so.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your MPA experience?
We have loved our experience at MPA thus far. For our daughter to indicate without a doubt that she will never leave the school is a testament to her experience and in turn, ours. There is always room for improvement and we appreciate the opportunity to be able to be involved as parents and to grow together.

Honor where we’ve been. Power our way forward. Make a gift at moundsparkacademy.org/donate/together.

A Lifelong Gift

April 2, 2019

There are freethinkers, free spirits, risk takers, right makers, dreamers, and doers who are standing up to support Together, We Dream. Here is one story that explains why. Meet Nate Bander, alumnus, coach, and Upper School admission coordinator.

What impact do you see the completion of Together, We Dream: The Campaign for MPA having on your family?
My family has been part of MPA since 1996 and we’re passionate about MPA’s continued success. Completing Together, We Dream will continue to ensure that MPA students for generations to come have access to the same incredible facilities that our family has had.

Why do you believe it is important to give to both Together, We Dream and the annual fund (MPA Fund), as you would in other years?
Both Together, We Dream and the MPA Fund are incredibly important. For me, as someone who fully supports MPA in any way I can, it’s critical to contribute to both this year. Obviously, Together, We Dream is a historic moment for MPA and will change our campus forever, but the MPA Fund still provides funds for financial assistance and day-to-day operations of the school that students, faculty, and MPA families can’t succeed without. For me, it’s a little bit more of an investment supporting both Together We Dream and the MPA Fund this year, but it’s all worth it because of how much MPA has impacted my family and me.

Why do you choose to give to Together, We Dream even though you have graduated?
An MPA education is a lifelong gift. Though we’re coming up on the 10 year anniversary of my graduation from MPA, I chose to give so that my future children will have a viable, strong MPA campus and community. Just like previous generations supported me, it’s now my duty to support those who will come next.

How do you see the four priorities (library, commons, cafeteria, and kitchen, endowment, and outdoor track) of Together, We Dream impacting the student experience?
The cornerstone of an MPA education is community. With the completion of the four priorities in Together, We Dream, MPA students will experience an increasingly close knit community with matching facilities and resources to facilitate a joyful student experience and a vibrant school culture.

What is your dream for the future of MPA and how do you see Together, We Dream working toward your dream?
My dream is for MPA to be a strong, well supported institution that succeeds in the classroom and in athletics while educating the next generation of dreamers and doers in the best facilities possible. I dream of MPA hosting the Conference Championship Track Meet. I dream of MPA inspiring its students to create through cooking. I dream of MPA maintaining a beautiful new library that’s both cozy and practical. Together, We Dream works toward all of those dreams.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your MPA experience?
I’d like to challenge the class of 2009 to have the highest participation of any alumni class. We were the beneficiaries of the brand new Lansing Sports Center, we saw the Nicholson Center open up, as fifth graders, we were there for the ribbon cutting of the new expansion and the purchase of the District 622 building. We have been lucky to benefit from previous generosity at MPA and now it’s our turn to give back through Together, We Dream.

Honor where we’ve been. Power our way forward. Make a gift at moundsparkacademy.org/donate/together.

Fulfilling A Promise

April 2, 2019

There are freethinkers, free spirits, risk takers, right makers, dreamers, and doers who are standing up to support Together, We Dream. Here is one story that explains why. Meet Kevin Hart, parent of alumni.

What impact do you see the completion of Together, We Dream: The Campaign for MPA having on your family?
I see it fulfilling a promise to donors to finish what was started. Capital campaigns don’t always follow a punctual time line, but in this case, exploring and exhausting all options is critical for current and future MPA students & families!

Why do you believe it is important to give to both Together, We Dream AND the annual fund (MPA Fund), as you would in other years?
As a parent, all we can do is provide the best education and opportunities for our children. MPA fit this criteria with small class sizes, professional, caring teachers and staff in an optimal setting, which are costs above tuition that are associated with the educational environment we, as parents, want and that MPA delivers.

Why do you choose to give to Together, We Dream even though your children have graduated?
I want to see Together, We Dream campaign completed so current and future MPA students and families can be beneficiaries.

How do you see the four priorities (library, cafeteria and kitchen, endowment, and outdoor track) of Together, We Dream impacting the student experience?
The cafeteria and library should be most favorably impacted by students given their current situations. Endowment is the “hidden gem” within any organization or entity that helps insure a future buffer in challenging times. Specific to MPA, it’s the bridge between tuition and the real cost of an MPA education all parents should want!

What is your dream for the future of MPA and how do you see Together, We Dream working toward your dream?
My hopes are current and future MPA families can experience the reality my kids experienced as the MPA campus was transformed and the learning environment enhanced with the completion of an earlier campaign. At the end of the day, we want to look back and say I did all I could for my kids’ education in preparation for college and beyond.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your MPA experience?
Enjoy the MPA experience in real time! When it ends, the relationships may endure, but the experience itself can only be recaptured in memories!

Honor where we’ve been. Power our way forward. Make a gift at moundsparkacademy.org/donate/together.