May 31, 2018
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
If you happened to drive through the north parking last Friday, you no doubt noticed the playfulness of the seniors as they celebrated their last day of school. From filling the parking lot with cars parked askew, to the American Ninja obstacle course inside the north entrance that we all needed to traverse, to serving ice cream at 8 AM in the morning, the seniors showed a bit of mischievous humor. For that to serve as a last impression would be a mistake. They are a group of accomplished, multi-faceted, enormously talented, and genuinely good people.
MPA Middle School students Mason M., Noah H., Louis S., and Emilia M., participated in the Stock Market Game throughout the school year, ending with an awards ceremony for their success! Mason, Noah, and Louis took first place with an ending portfolio of $116,381.17, and Emilia took second place with an ending portfolio of $113,754.96!
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 PA and serving its families on July 1, 2018: Kim Jakway, President; Seema Anwar, President-Elect; Meredith Forgosh, Secretary; Barry Madore, Treasurer; Ginnie Peterson, Grade Representatives Lead; Russ Purdy, Upper School Division Lead; Susan Knapp and Tara Lafferty, Co-Middle School Division Leads; Tiffany Scott Knox, Lower School Division Lead.
Congratulations to MPA Quiz Bowl on a fantastic season! On May 26 and 27, freshmen Isak Dai, Ryan Ghose, Hana Miller and Peter Manolis competed at the High School National Championship Tournament for Quiz Bowl. They played in 10 total matches and had a finished record of 5-5, and one of their last matches of the season came down to a buzzer beater on the very last question.
On Friday, June 1, the Upper School Percussion and Woodwind Ensembles will be performing their annual end-of-the-year recital! You’ve never seen or heard anything like it! It will be a mix of classical and crazy, as the Woodwind Ensemble will be performing a multi-movement work by Beethoven, while the Percussion Ensemble is going completely non-traditional. Please join us at 6:30 PM in the Recital Hall for this incredible way to wrap up MPA’s concert season! In the meantime, 
The MPA Office of Admission is excited to be a part of several fun summer events around the Twin Cities, and we are looking for volunteers to help us share MPA! MPA will be at the MSP Mini Maker Faire and Grand Old Day this weekend, the Twin Cities Pride Festival, and also hosting a Twin Cities Mom’s Blog Community Heroes event here at MPA! 
There were so many ways we celebrated the Class of 2018’s last day of school last week, but among the most cherished was the class pairing up with the kindergartners to talk about the future and all things MPA. First, the seniors presented a “time capsule” slideshow, displaying some of the major historic events that have occurred since the Class of 2018 were kindergartners themselves! Then, then scattered in the Upper School commons (strategically avoiding the “seniors only” ping-pong area) to interview one another about their plans for the future, what they want to be when they grow up, and how they plan to acheive their goals. 
Middle School students have been hard at work preparing for their upcoming show, “10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse!” The show is a comedy by playwright Don Zolidis, whose one-acts and shows have been performed by students all over the country. 
As the 2017–18 school year comes to an end, we’re sharing the college choice stories of several members of the Class of 2018!
As the 2017–18 school year comes to an end, we’re sharing the college choice stories of several members of the Class of 2018!