September 15, 2017
One-dimensional teaching creates one-dimensional learners, and today’s world is too complex for linear thinking. From PreK through 12th grade, MPA students explore topics and ideas through multiple disciplines, examining problems and situations with insight from the sciences, math, arts, and humanities.
Recently, hurricanes ravaged Texas, Florida, and the Caribbean, dominating our news cycles and public consciousness. How would MPA faculty approach a lesson on Harvey and Irma?
Science faculty would examine weather patterns, track the storms, evaluate the destruction, and analyze climate change. Math teachers might use hurricane-related figures in their problems or examine all of the calculations involved in monitoring or categorizing the storm or evacuating millions of people.
Social studies teachers might examine early explorers’ descriptions of Florida as uninhabitable swampland, debate land-use issues surrounding the control of water, and discuss how history might inform how best to rebuild. English teachers might use survival narratives or writing exercises as part of their hurricane-related curriculum. Engineering classes could examine the destruction with an eye toward the buildings that withstood the storm, and ones that didn’t. Technology would be used in meaningful ways throughout all of these lessons.
After my many years at MPA, I went to the University of Denver (DU). I attended for two years before studying abroad at Semester at Sea for the fall of 2013—my junior year. At DU, I focused on business/economic classes as well as a blend of writing, French and music (thanks to MPA).
Last March, during the Alumni Challenge, James Cordon ’97 challenged his class to reach a 25 percent participation rate, promising to run through Times Square in the MPA Panther suit if they hit that goal.
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
Join our conversations! The purpose of all of MPA’s social media accounts is to connect the entire community including alumni, faculty and staff, parents, students, and friends of MPA. LinkedIn, specifically, is the social media tool that benefits everyone in the Mounds Park Academy network, from faculty to parents to young alums.
We need your support to make all of this fun happen again! 
The MPA community is invited to campus on October 7 for the AnnMarie Thomas Makerspace dedication ceremony, ribbon cutting, and STEAM activities for all ages.
On September 13, a rainbow of MPA Lower School students excitedly awaited a big announcement at their first CHAMP assembly of the year. Everyone was dressed in red, orange, yellow, green, blue or purple to represent their grade levels, but all sat together to form a colorful audience for the reveal of a new CHAMP trait. The students cheered as one special word rang out in the cafeteria: courage.
Welcome back to another school year at MPA! Believe it or not, Conference week is fast approaching, September 25-28, 2017. One longstanding tradition at MPA is to provide nourishment for the 100+ faculty and staff during this week. Our faculty and staff spend extra hours at school during this week and one way to help support them is to provide food all day long. (Dinners on Tuesday and Thursday nights that week are provided by the Parents Association directly).