Mounds Park Academy

April 5, 2023

Congratulations to The MPA Swim Club for incredible performances at last weekend’s CAA Championship. A big shout-out goes to Neva Sanders, who set a new record time of 30.14 in the 5-6 Girls 50 Back event!

This was a huge meet and, most importantly, another opportunity for these swimmers to shine. All of their hard work, determination, and progress throughout the season were exemplified in these races. What started out as a team of three in 2004 has evolved into a team of champions. We are so proud of our young athletes and can’t wait for them to continue doing what they love. Click here for full boys meet results; click here for full girls meet results; and view photos from the meet here. Give our swimmers a big congratulations!

Dr. Hudson Reflects On A Night of Pure Imagination

March 30, 2023

from Bill Hudson, Head of School

I am a huge fan of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”. I read the book as a child several times and watched the movie as often as possible. (The original movie with Gene Wilder, not the 2005 version with Johnny Depp. I’m kind of a snob about that.) Nothing made me happier than the beautiful rendition of Pure Imagination sung by the concert Choir at a past MPA Spring Concert. Imagine my delight when I heard that the Auction Committee chose “A Night of Pure Imagination” as this year’s theme! But don’t worry, I was told that I couldn’t wear an orange top hat.

Movies aside, “A Night of Pure Imagination” is a wonderful theme for the Spring Auction for it speaks to what we can accomplish together when we unbridle our imagination. The song “Pure Imagination” is about the power of imagination and the endless possibilities that come with it. I truly believe that if we harness our collective imaginations, there is nothing we can’t do.

The MPA Spring Auction isn’t just a fundraising event, it is about celebrating our community and joining together to build relationships and honor every member. We are so excited to be back in person at a beautiful venue again this year, the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront, on the evening of Friday, April 21. “A Night of Pure Imagination” is a chance for new and seasoned parents, alumni, grandparents, parents of alumni, and employees to celebrate all we’ve accomplished.

A true community endeavor, the Spring Auction relies upon hundreds of community members and area businesses to succeed. I am exceptionally grateful for the work of our volunteer planning committee of Bethany Branan, Julie Bixby, Nikki Butts, Rebekah Cook, Sarah Cotter, Lucia Gray, Jessie Flynn, Tina Heidelberger, Natalie King, Tara Lafferty, Amy Minear, Molly Oliver, Renee Roach, Leslie Todero, and Deanna Walsh under the leadership of host Mindy Ruane.

There is still time to buy your tickets to the auction. You will want to do that by tomorrow because prices will increase on April 1. We want to ensure this community-building event is accessible to everyone. If ticket prices are a barrier for you to attend, reducing pricing is available based on your need. There is also still time to contribute a few bottles of wine for the fun wine toss, donate a silent auction item, and sign up to be a sponsor.

Finally, you don’t need to buy hundreds of candy bars to get your own Golden Ticket! Back by popular demand, MPA’s Golden Ticket is your opportunity to win one of our amazing Live Auction items for only $150. Purchase one of 100 Golden Tickets which will be drawn during the Spring Auction program (not necessary to be present to win). Win one of the fabulous trips and experiences worth thousands of dollars! Tickets are now on sale!

I hope you will consider attending and contributing in some way. Like the movies and the song, MPA is about fueling the imagination of our students and encouraging them to dream big. Imagination and creativity are two important attributes of a mindset necessary to navigate our ever-changing world. Please join me for a “Night of Pure Imagination.”

Parents Association News & Events March 30, 2023

March 30, 2023

The MPAPA Spring Reading Book Club with Dr. Hudson
April 6, 6:30-8 PM
Looking for something great to read this spring? Try The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict! This historical fiction novel tells the story of a not-so-famous scientist who not only loved Albert Einstein, but also shaped the theories that brought him lasting renown. This is a great pick for Women’s History month. Dr. Hudson will host a discussion of the book. The MPAPA will be providing copies of the book to those who would like to participate. Child care will be provided. Please fill out the following form to sign up for the book club and request a book.

MPA All-School Gluten-Free Cooking Class with Kate Thrane
New Date: April 13, 5:30-7 PM
Please join us in the Teaching Kitchen for some hands-on cooking, as well as learning about the joy of cooking gluten-free. You can learn more about Kate and her recipes on Instagram at @theglutenlessmaximus. Please RSVP to Staci at sbhehe42@icloud.com so that we can have plenty of ingredients prepared! Hope to see you there!

US Quarterly Parent Coffee
Friday, April 14, 8-9:30 AM
Join us for our quarterly US Parent Coffee in the PCR. In addition to all Upper School parents, rising ninth-grade families are warmly invited to attend! Two topics will be covered: “If I knew then what I know now” and the scheduling/registration process and questions. Please join us!

Cultural Diversity Day
Wednesday, April 26, 3-7 PM
Save the date for the Culture Day celebration at MPA! Enjoy an evening of food, music, and crafts from around the world!

Would you like to share your culture through cuisine, music, dance, or art? We invite you to be a part of our cultural showcase or host a cooking demonstration. Please email seema_anwar@hotmail.com.

Beyond The Surface—Meet Prescott Hutton

March 30, 2023

We are very pleased to share that Prescott Hutton ’23 is presenting “Beyond The Surface: A Photographic Installation” in the Gallery for the entire community to enjoy, May 1-5. It will feature not only his art but the art of four additional Upper School students: Ansel Streier, ninth grade; Emmet Johnston, ninth grade; Graham Jakway, tenth grade; and Andy Taylor, eleventh grade. He has organized this opportunity as part of his Senior Service Project and hopes that it brings perspective and joy to the community.

In addition, please join him at the Opening Reception on May 1 at 6 PM in the Family Commons to learn more about the project and the artists. This event is most appropriate for ages 8+.

We hope you enjoy learning more about Prescott below!

What inspired you to create this event for your Senior Service Project?
I have been at MPA for 12 years. During those 12 years, I have seen most of the senior service projects that have occurred at MPA. As I was looking at these projects, I couldn’t help but think about my future contribution. What I didn’t want to do was a project that I did just to get done. I wanted to do something memorable and vital that is personal to me and motivates others around me. The inspiration for this project came after thinking about what makes me happy as an individual. Last year I had the privilege to be a teaching assistant in photo I and photo II, and during that time, I developed a love for teaching others about the arts—specifically photography. In addition to that, I spent more than 30 hours alone preparing the darkroom here on campus for use. So as I was brainstorming for this project, I thought, “Why not combine them both?” That’s when the idea came to teach a select group of students film photography and how to bring ideologies and emotions into photography.

What are your hopes for this event?
My hope for this event is to spread thought-provoking art and to show the community around MPA what’s possible for a student to create and hopefully inspire others to create art of their own and celebrate it. From a personal standpoint, my goal is to leave a memorable impact on the community that has raised me and pushed me to become the person I am today. I also hope that people see how much I care and what is possible if you put effort into something.

What does photography mean to you?
Photography for me means storytelling, especially film photography. This is because with each photo I take with my Hasselblad, there is a story behind how I got that image and why I took that image. From a personal standpoint, it allows me to express ideas or emotions that I have trouble talking about; it also is an outlet for emotions that I can turn into creativity and joy.

How has MPA contributed to your artistic insight or passion?
Ever since I came to MPA in first grade, I have always been pushed creatively. I remember Ms. Rossbach always putting an emphasis on hard work and always trying your hardest even if your art did not look good as the other people in your class. As I got older, this lesson was reinforced in most aspects of my life. When I applied this to photography, it meant taking my time with each photo, understanding the importance behind it, and, most importantly, acknowledging the reason and story of how I got that photo.

How do you describe your art?
I would describe my art as visual representations of emotions and storytelling. I believe that the impact of the photo I take has to have an emotion tied to it. I also want my art to have a story tied to it so that each aspect of the photo can be explained in great detail. Another way to explain it is that the viewers decide the emotion they feel, but I decide the story that influences the emotion.

What do you think makes your work unique?
One of the aspects where I think my artwork is unique is the fact that each one of my fine art portraits I have taken has a sense of raw emotion that is communicated directly to the viewer. Because of the style that I take my photos, there is a direct connection between the use of the camera and the subject’s emotions in the moment. I don’t like studio portraits, and I don’t like pre-determined photoshoots. I love the surprise and adventure of spontaneous portraits. In the event that I’m not taking portraits, I want to include emotion in all my photos and become a provocateur of thought.

Have you had any major artistic influences?
When it comes to influences on my personal style, the biggest inspiration and role model for my work is Platon. His work captures what I believe is the perfect portrait; he manages to look into people’s souls and capture their lifestyles on the camera he uses. He manages to capture photos of the most well-known people on this planet and make them relatable and personal.

Do you have any long-term goals or plans for your art career?
I plan to pursue photography as a minor in college and hopefully continue my business. I would love to venture into documentary photography and travel all over the world.

What kind of support did you receive for this event?
There are multiple people I would like to thank: Mr. Dean because he encouraged me and supported me through the beginning stage of this project and has spent a considerable amount of time helping me. Dr. Hudson, for meeting with me, supporting the project, and putting MPA behind it. Mr. Braafladt for graciously allowing me to use the Makerspace as a home base for this project. And Ms. Flinsch for teaching me all I know about photography and making this possible project possible by inspiring me to pursue photography.

Four Students Succeed To History Day State Level

March 30, 2023

Ms. McCall’s sophomores write a research paper in the fall and can choose whether or not they want to submit it for the annual History Day Competition. Minnesota has the largest program in the nation and is highly competitive. This year, hundreds of students submitted their papers, and only 12 (total) made it to State. At MPA, six students submitted their papers, ranging from 12-22 pages long, and four made it to the state level of the competition. Please help us congratulate Earl Martin, Greer Krumpelmann, Sydney Petersen and Zayd Naseem for their hard work and dedication!

AI To Advance And Deepen Learning

March 23, 2023

by Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school

The debut last fall of ChatGPT and, more recently, Microsoft’s Bing GPT-4 and Google’s Bard have been getting a tremendous amount of press lately and have many in the educational field up in arms and very nervous. I’m not one of them. Instead, I believe that artificial intelligence can benefit students and teachers significantly to advance and deepen learning.

ChatGPT is not a technology to be feared, discouraged, or banned but to be embraced and harnessed. Artificial Intelligence can assist students in understanding complex topics better, provide assistance with homework, and sharpen their critical thinking skills. I don’t believe that AI will ever replace a teacher, but instead, it will provide them with a powerful toolbox to assist them in very practical ways so that they have more time to spend with their students.

Last fall, I wrote about Climate Alpha, a company using AI to understand how climate change will affect property development. Climate Alpha founder Parag Khanna began by asking, “How are cities adapting and investing in infrastructure to protect against climate impacts? Where are jobs growing? Where are people moving now, despite extreme heat or wildfires or sea level rise?” Climate Alpha is an excellent example of the shift from the Information Age to what author and futurist Daniel Pink calls the Conceptual Age. While the Information Age was all about big data, the Conceptual Age is concerned with using the information in new and novel ways to make the world a better place. Read More

Upper School Division News March 23, 2023

March 23, 2023

The pressure to end the quarter on the “right note” is frequently a focus for students and their families. Next week most third quarter non-elective classes will be offering final exams to 9-11 grade students; seniors do not take final exams. For the most part, these assessments are not the old blue book cumulative exams that many of us experienced when we were in high school. Instead, teachers do a wonderful job of asking students essential questions based on the material and discussions had throughout the quarter. Certainly, math and World Language courses have more cumulative assessments as those courses are based upon a sequential curriculum. According to the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University, “final exams remain one of the most common genres of cumulative assignments, set at the end of courses in order to give students (and instructors) the opportunity to synthesize and reflect on the full arc of the grading period.”

The schedule next week will provide students the opportunity to review the material on which they will be assessed and focus only on their exams on Thursday and Friday. Final exams are allotted 90 minutes of time and students take specific exams at scheduled times. The content covered on final exams is cumulative for the entire year, but the exam is worth up to 20% of the second semester grade. There is no averaging of the first semester and second semester grades as each grade earned goes into the GPA calculation separately. The first term grades are already finalized and have been entered into each student’s permanent record, so performance on the final exam has no bearing on the first semester grade and only affects the second semester.

The Schedule for Finals Week
Monday, March 27, through Wednesday, March 29, are “normal” school days. Students in Quarter 3 World Language classes will take their final exams on either (or both) Monday or Tuesday, March 27 and 28, during their regular class meeting time.

On Thursday, March 30, and Friday, March 31, there are no regular upper school classes – there are only final exams these two days. Upper school students may be on campus before and after their final exams and lunch will be available for those students on the MPA lunch plan 11:20-11:45 AM. Light breakfast and snack items will be available throughout the day to all upper school students outside of the upper school office. Please note that Middle and Lower School students will follow their regular class schedule all week and only Upper School has a modified schedule for final exams. Read More

Middle School Division News March 23, 2023

March 23, 2023

WELCOME BACK! I hope you all had a lovely Spring Break and took time to relax, recharge, and maybe even read a good book. While many folks travel to escape the cold of Minnesota “spring,” some of us just took advantage of time a little less hectic and a lot less hurried. In whatever way your family spent their time, I hope it was fulfilling and just the break you needed to prepare for the sprint ahead.

In just one week, we will finish our third quarter and find ourselves welcoming the last nine weeks of the school year. This year has flown by and it’s hard to believe before too long, I’ll be sending our eighth graders on to Upper School, and we’ll be welcoming our newest class of Middle Schoolers!

END OF QUARTER 3
As always, encourage and support your student to finish strong. Our quarter ends on March 31, and it is imperative that students finish all assignments, do well on assessments, and make sure to leave “no points on the field” (a.k.a. no missing assignments)! While grades are important, establishing strong work habits and an ethic of personal responsibility is the goal. If you have concerns, questions, or wonderings about your student’s progress, please reach out to teachers. We are always happy to hear from you!

NOTE: The end of the quarter is Friday, March 31. Late assignments and past due work will not be accepted after this date. Additionally, Monday, April 3, is a Grading Day, and this is a day of NO CLASSES at MPA! Read More

Lower School Division News March 23, 2023

March 23, 2023

It has been a pleasure welcoming everyone in the Lower School back from a wonderful Spring Break. So many students have lovely stories of their travels and I believe we have a couple of students who returned from Europe on the same plane as our very own Dr. Hudson!

Lower School Student Art Featured At State Capitol
Several of our students also returned to the great news that their art will be displayed at Minnesota’s State Capitol building as part of Youth Art Month! Youth Art Month (YAM) was started in 1961 by The Council for Art Education (CFAE). Youth Art Month encourages support for quality school art programs and promotes art material safety. The honored works are:

Kindergartener’s artwork: Lisa Congdon Inspired Shapes
First grader’s artwork: Northern Lights
Second grader’s artwork: Heart Art
Third grader’s artwork: Jellyfish
Fourth grader’s artwork: Untitled
Fourth grader’s artwork: Notre Dame

Thank you to Ms. Scharfenberg for creating this opportunity for our students!

Lower School Art And Music Show: Thursday, March 30, 6-8 PM
Our whole community is getting excited for the annual spring Art and Music Show. Families are invited to view artwork prior to entering the Nicholson for musical entertainment from kindergarten through fourth grade. We look forward to seeing all families and extended family members there! Read More

Please Welcome Jay Dean to MPA Permanently!

March 23, 2023

What position will you be holding at MPA?
Assistant Upper School director

From what school/organization are you coming?
The Blake School

Tell us a little bit about your education and past experience.
I earned my B.S. in Producing for Electronic Media from Syracuse University and earned my M.A. in School Counseling from Loyola Marymount University. My teaching and administrative experience includes time at The Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, California (2002-11) and The Blake School (2011-22). At Blake, I served as Middle School director for five years. I also served in the interim assistant Upper School director role here at MPA during the 2022-23 school year.

What did you find appealing about MPA during the interview process?
What initially drew me to MPA is the focus on the whole child, its progressive approach to teaching and learning, and the recognition of the importance of social-emotional learning and DEIJ work. After being here for nearly a year, what keeps me at MPA are the people. I have deeply enjoyed my experience working with the talented and dedicated teachers and our curious, creative (and often hilarious!) students. I want to spend more time with them here!! MPA is a “transformative” partner for students and families, and I am excited to continue being a part of that. Read More