Mounds Park Academy

MPA Senior Receives Prestigious Gustavus Premiere Music Scholarship

May 28, 2026

Congratulations to Chali Yang ’26, who has been awarded the prestigious Gustavus Premiere Music Scholarship from Gustavus Adolphus College, earning $25,000 annually—a total of $100,000 over four years—after a competitive audition process. The college awards just one scholarship of its kind each year, and this is the first time a MPA student has received the honor.

For Yang, this represents years of discipline, persistence, and artistic growth.

“I think this scholarship is really a validation of all the hours I’ve put into practicing my instrument over the years, and especially through this absolutely rigorous audition process,” Yang said. “I feel a sense of calm now that it’s all over, and I feel like all the time I put into it was really worth it.”

Yang said guidance from MPA music faculty, including Upper School band director Renae Wantock and Middle School band director Lukas Skrove, helped shape his approach during the audition process. Read More

End Of Year Celebrations

May 28, 2026

from Dr. Lori-Anne Brogdon, head of school

We have so much to celebrate in the next few days! I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming end-of-year celebrations and ceremonies that mark the end of the 2025-26 school year. I want to thank the entire MPA community for your care, honesty, partnership, and energy. Schools are shaped and defined by the people within. Our community continues to show what is possible when people are willing to work together, support one another, and stay committed to our collective growth and success.

This year asked all of us to navigate moments of celebration, change, challenge, and growth. Not every moment was easy. I am deeply grateful that through it all, our shared commitment to dreaming big and doing right remained at the center of our work with students and with each other.

To our parents, guardians, and friends, thank you for showing up. Whether volunteering for field trips, supporting classroom projects, attending performances and games, hosting visiting students, participating in community service, or simply checking in on one another during difficult moments, you helped strengthen the sense of connection that makes MPA special. Read More

Congrats, Upper School Students!

May 27, 2026

Upper School students at Mounds Park Academy dedicate tremendous time and energy to their work, embodying the values that make our community proud. In recognition of their accomplishments, MPA held the Upper School Awards Assembly on Friday, May 22, in the Nicholson Center. The event celebrated students who earned distinctions in areas such as Academics, National Merit, Scholarships, Yearbook, Choir, Band, Orchestra, Visual Art, Math, English, Science, Social Studies, Forensics, French, Spanish, Drama, Athletics, the Spirit of ’86, Certificates of Distinction, and the Alumni Association. Join us in congratulating these outstanding students! View the full photo gallery from the awards here.

Cum Laude Inductees

Nom-Ujin Byambatsogt
Thomas Dickson
Theta Doffing
Piper Hubert
Mina Kim
Liam Kimmerle
Ash Klann
John Shilcox
Matthew Tan
Cosmo Vanzyl
Soren Winikoff

Valedictorian

Liam Kimmerle
Ash Klann
Soren Winikoff

Salutatorian

Thomas Dickson

Parents Association News And Events May 21, 2026

May 21, 2026

Don’t miss these final HOORAHS for the 2025-26 school year!

Lower School Division End-of-Year Party | Monday, June 1: 3:30-5:30 PM, Fun City, Maplewood, RSVP >

Middle School Division End-of-Year Party | Wednesday, June 3: 12:30-3 PM | Urban Air, Coon Rapids, RSVP >

Upper School Division End-of-Year Party | Wednesday, June 3: 11 AM-1 PM, Smash Park, Roseville, RSVP >

Upper School Division News May 21, 2026

May 21, 2026

from Mark Segal, Upper School director

One might think that after three decades in education, saying goodbye at the end of each school year would become easier. In truth, it has not. Each year is shaped by relationships and built on trust, shared experiences, and daily moments that matter. Those connections make May both joyful and bittersweet.

As the year draws to a close, I often find myself reflecting on the opening lines of The Doors’ 1967 song “The End”—“This is the end, beautiful friend…” Originally written by Jim Morrison as a farewell following a relational breakup, the song evolved into something much broader: a meditation on transition, closure, and even the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Morrison himself later reflected that it began as “a simple goodbye song,” but could also be understood as “a goodbye to a kind of childhood.”

That broader meaning resonates deeply with me, and I imagine in many schools. This time of year is not simply about endings—it is about transformation. It is about honoring what has been, while also recognizing what is becoming.

In classrooms across MPA, teachers intentionally create the conditions for students to grow into their next chapter. Research consistently reinforces what we see every day within our hallways and classrooms, that strong student-teacher relationships are foundational to student engagement and success. In fact, a study published in the June 2024 “Frontiers in Psychology” shows that “when students perceive their instructors as supportive, they are more likely to stay motivated, participate actively, and persist through challenges.” Similarly, research in educational psychology highlights that positive student-teacher relationships are directly associated with improved academic engagement and well-being. Read More

Middle School Division News May 21, 2026

May 21, 2026

from Paul Errickson, Middle School director

It is hard to believe that this is my last Panther Post of the school year. Are we really wrapping this school year up in the next two weeks? This year has been filled with so much joy; it is hard to capture it all in one post. One of the things I am most proud of is the fact that every Middle School student was able to “Dream Big” or “Do Right” this year through our Dream Big, Do Right Advisory Challenge.

This year, we made sure to meet, as a Middle School, once or twice a month in our Middle School Meetings. This time was meant to bring us together as a community, reflect on the year, and have students make announcements and share their work—from poetry to prose, persuasive speeches about homework and music performances, we had play previews and presentations from our BIPOC group about monthly cultural celebrations. One constant throughout our Middle School Meetings was the Dream Big, Do Right Advisory Challenge. Each meeting, a new advisory was chosen to do something for our MPA or the broader Twin Cities community, either by dreaming big or doing right.

Our Middle Schoolers did an amazing job with this challenge. We had advisories dreaming big by raising funds for Feed My Starving Children and smattering our hallways and lockers with words of affirmation, doing right by bringing a dance party and games into our Middle School Meetings, and creating goodie bags with personalized notes for our seniors during their last week of school. In the Middle School this year, every student can say that they did something special for someone else. They worked to make others feel included, and they went out of their way to help out in their teachers’ classrooms. One of our advisories even designed and sewed MPA skirts for the auction, made from upcycled MPA gear. Read More

Lower School Division News May 21, 2026

May 21, 2026

from James Ewer, Lower School director

We started this year still finding our footing. New faces in classrooms. New routines being built. New trust being earned. We asked a lot of our kids, and they delivered. We asked a lot of each other and we showed up. Not perfectly. But with intention. That matters.

We learned that students are more capable than we sometimes give them credit for. When we gave them a voice, they used it wisely. When we raised our expectations, they rose to meet them. When we built structures that were clear and consistent, they thrived inside them. That is not a small thing. That is the work.

We also learned that community is not just a word we put in a mission statement. It is what happens when a family sends a hard email and a teacher responds with care. It is what happens when a child is struggling and the adults around them refuse to give up. It is what happens when we disagree and still choose to stay in a relationship. You have been that kind of community this year. I am grateful.

We have grown. Read More

Welcome To MPA, Ms. Kristina Doyle!

May 20, 2026

We are excited to share that Kristina Doyle will join Mounds Park Academy as our next director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Kristina brings a strong background in instructional coaching, student support, educational leadership, and culturally responsive practice. Most recently, she has served as a special education instructional coach in St. Louis Park Public Schools, where her work has included professional development, curriculum support, systems analysis, and partnership with faculty and school leaders to better support diverse learners. She holds a master’s degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from New York University, an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership. Her dissertation focus is on how the racial composition of a geographic region moderates rates of Racial Battle Fatigue and burnout among K-12 leaders of color. In addition to her work in schools, Kristina is a bilingual speech-language pathologist and experienced facilitator whose professional and academic work has consistently centered on equity, belonging, communication, and access.

Throughout the search process, Kristina generated overwhelmingly positive feedback. She stood out not only for the depth of her experience but also for the thoughtfulness of her leadership philosophy and the warmth and authenticity she brought to every conversation. In sharing her vision for MPA, Kristina emphasized the importance of first listening deeply to the experiences of students, families, faculty, and staff before setting priorities or building initiatives. She spoke about the importance of trust, relationship-building, shared language, and using both community voice and institutional data to guide meaningful work. Her approach is grounded in culturally sustaining practice, restorative approaches to conflict and harm, and the belief that schools are strongest when every student feels genuinely seen, valued, and supported.

Kristina will join the administrative team this summer and will partner closely with students, employees, and families across all divisions of the school. Building on the strong foundation of DEIB work already established at MPA, Kristina will help guide and deepen this work in the years ahead. We are thrilled to welcome her to the MPA community and look forward to the perspective, care, and collaborative leadership she will bring to this important role. Please get to know Kristina below!

From what school/organization are you coming?
I worked previously for St. Louis Park Public Schools.

Tell us about your education and past experience.
I am a bilingual Afrolatina educator with an educational specialist degree and a soon-to-be doctorate in educational leadership focused on racial equity. I currently serve as a special education instructional coach working across early childhood through age 22, where I bring a racial equity lens to instructional practice, data disaggregation, and adult learning design. My equity work spans facilitation of Courageous Conversations, DEIB design team membership grounded in culturally relevant pedagogy, multicultural family engagement, and doctoral research on racial battle fatigue and burnout in leaders of color. I have worked with students, families, faculty, staff, and school boards—translating equity values into institutional action across every level of a school community. This work has never been separate from who I am. As an Afrolatina woman who has navigated predominantly white institutions my whole life, I bring both the scholarship and the lived experience this role requires.

What did you find appealing about MPA?
MPA appealed to me because the work is already named and the infrastructure is already built—and that is rare. Most schools are still debating whether equity matters. MPA has moved past that conversation. The strategic plan names radical accountability as a priority; affinity groups exist for students, staff, and families; a parent DEI committee; and the board of trustees has an equity and belonging committee. That foundation tells me this community is serious about moving from aspiration to action. What drew me in further was the honesty of the plan—naming not just where MPA is strong but where the gaps are. A school willing to do that is a school I want to work in. I bring a doctoral foundation in racial equity, bilingual capability, instructional coaching experience, and deep community engagement work. I know MPA is the right place to lead this work explicitly.

Welcome To MPA, Ms. Jocelyn Cunha!

May 20, 2026

We are excited to share that Jocelyn Cunha will join Mounds Park Academy as a PreK teacher beginning in June! Jocelyn brings extensive experience in child-centered, developmentally appropriate education, including six years of teaching and mentoring at The Colorado Springs School, an independent PreK-12 school in Colorado. We are thrilled to introduce Ms. Cunha!

Tell us about your education and past experience.
I’ve had the privilege of working across the education field in a variety of settings, including nonprofits, public and independent schools, and the ed tech sector. I began my journey with the I Have a Dream Foundation in Boulder, where I quickly discovered my passion for teaching and knew I wanted to become a classroom educator. Since then, I’ve taught all grades K-3, with most of my time spent in kindergarten at The Colorado Springs School, an independent school in Colorado. Over the past six years, I’ve created PreK-6 math and ELA instructional videos for IXL Learning. While this work has been meaningful and creatively fulfilling, I am truly excited to return to the classroom and be part of a school community again. I believe in the joy and wonder of the early childhood years and feel honored to be part of the beginning of our youngest learners’ educational journeys!

What did you find appealing about MPA?
As parents, we were first drawn to MPA’s warm and welcoming community and its clear commitment to knowing, valuing, and loving each child. As an educator, MPA’s child-centered approach aligns with my belief that children thrive when they feel safe, understood, and genuinely cared for. I appreciate the strong sense of partnership among students, families, and faculty, which creates a supportive and inspiring environment for everyone.

Welcome To MPA, Ms. Charlotte Hechtl!

May 19, 2026

Welcome to MPA, Ms. Charlotte (Charley) Hechtl! Charley will join the team as a communications intern while communications manager Mike Pappas takes paternity leave from June through September, and we are thrilled to introduce her to the community.

Tell us about your education and past experience.
I am a rising senior at Creighton University, studying journalism with a focus on advertising, public relations, and news, and a minor in business administration. Through coursework, I have worked on projects involving social media content, promotional writing, and campaigns, so I’m very excited about this opportunity!

What did you find appealing about MPA?
What truly caught my eye was MPA’s “dreamers and doers” approach, and the sense of community it fosters, especially the opportunity to capture and communicate. I have always been drawn to media and storytelling, and believe that social media can sometimes show the best moments, such as students discovering their strengths or building friendships. It’s not always about content, but storytelling, which can help a family truly understand what makes MPA so special. Lastly, as a Twin Cities native, I am very excited to contribute to a community I care about!