September 21, 2023
This message is from MPA’s Office of Admission from the September 21, 2023 issue of InsideMPA. Click here to get in touch with Admission and learn more!
At MPA, we are nurturing dreamers, doers, and right-makers. We are equipping students with academic knowledge to be change agents and world-shakers. In fact, in MPA’s Code of Ethics, our community acknowledges the responsibility of being a global citizen by advocating for social justice, caring for the welfare of others, and promoting human equality, among other pillars rooted in respect.
“Right-making is a seed that is planted in each student and cultivated as they journey through MPA. Not only do we teach character traits like inclusiveness and integrity, we promote a do-right attitude through our actions and words while we learn and grow together. This inspires us to dream big and impact others positively at home and in the world,” Kristine Petersen, MPA Kindergarten teacher says of global citizenship at MPA.
Through rigorous curriculum with meaning and purpose, and an educational blueprint with character education at its heart, MPA pushes students to realize that their identities are measured by the depth and decency of their impact on the world–our world. Perhaps Ms. Murr and Salmah ’21 could illustrate what this means.
Global citizenship at MPA is all about students discovering how to make a positive difference in our world, helping one another, and feeling connected. We emphasize character education. We require service projects prior to graduation. We support student-led clubs with cause-based initiatives. We partner with global organizations–The Red Cross and Seeds of Change, for example–for our students as young as first grade to realize their responsibility to positively impact our world. This is what makes a global citizen–and cultivating a service-based mindset in students is key to unlocking a larger worldview, while also preparing them for all that lies ahead.
Please join us for a parent training!
As an educator in Minnesota, the month of September brings many transitions—the end of the State Fair and, therefore, summer vacation, begrudgingly getting back into a school sleep schedule, cooler temperatures, and the joys of planning for a new year, and a new set of students. This September was no different, except that I would be officially teaching at MPA. If you had asked me when I graduated twelve years ago if I could see myself teaching, let alone teaching at the academy, I would have scoffed and said, “There is NO WAY I’m doing what my parents do!” Funny how life works out, right? Starting a new school year is always nerve-wracking no matter how long you’ve been teaching, “Are the kids going to like me? Have I done enough lesson planning? What if they hate the room? What if I mess up?” What I’m grateful for during this season of transition is how easy it was for me to handle those nerves, knowing I’d be coming back home. Regardless of your experience at MPA, there is something inherently special about walking the halls of your alma mater. What struck me as I dragged box after box of classroom decorations and school supplies down the Lower School hallway was, “Okay! I guess I’m really doing this… and thank goodness I get to be doing it here.” After spending four years teaching in public schools, I felt a literal weight taken off my shoulders when I walked through my classroom door. I knew that no matter what this school year would bring, I would be supported, cared for, and cheered on by everyone in the building.
Discover something remarkable at the PreK-12 MPA Preview on Sunday, November 5, 2-4 PM–our largest PreK-12 admission event of the year!
For families exploring ninth grade at MPA, we have a special pre-event immediately before the November 5 MPA Preview. The Taste of Ninth Grade is a lunch event for specifically for prospective ninth graders and their families. This event is your opportunity to learn more about MPA’s ninth grade program specifically. Students will engage in an activity to help them determine their school search priorities, while parents participate in an Upper School Leadership Q&A and hear from MPA’s school psychologist about parenting through the Upper School years.
MPA is delighted to announce that the admission application for new students to join us in the fall of 2024 will open on Friday, September 15!
Homecoming is quickly approaching with festivities planned for September 26-30! We have several ways for you and your student to get involved in this year’s slate of events.
We are excited to host our annual celebration of Lower School and Middle School students and their special guests on Wednesday, October 18.
from Bill Hudson, head of school
Faculty and Staff Appreciation