Mounds Park Academy

February 2, 2022

What do you love about MPA?
I love the environment and the people, staff and students both. When you walk into MPA, especially the classrooms, it feels so warm and inviting all the time! I tend to stay after school frequently and I’m constantly surprised how everywhere I go has a safe feeling to it.

How are you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
For me, the encouragement comes from all of the opputunities. Part of what I love and appreciate so much about MPA is that they help you find opportunities to expand knowledge and/or experiences in certain fields. (college counseling, history day, writing competitions, math competitions, etc.) So the encouragement comes from all of the opportunities that are presented to me and knowing that there are teachers and other adults that want to help me succeed.

Why do you believe your teachers teach the way they do?
I’ll be honest, I’ve never really thought about this! All of the teachers I’ve had (and have) are very thoughtful and understanding, and not to mention, they are all extremely good at what they do. Maybe they are like that because they’re trying to create and maintain a good teacher-student relationship. It’s very easy for students to take teachers for granted, but I also feel the same is true about teachers to students. It takes more effort to create a lasting friendship with a teacher, but I think that is why the MPA teachers teach the way they do–because they care and want to be a part of the students’ lives. Read More

MPA Students Thrive At The Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards

February 1, 2022

Please join the Visual Arts Department in congratulating these Upper School artists for having their work acknowledged in the 2022 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards!

An online exhibition of all award winners will be available soon, and there will be an online ceremony hosted by the Weisman Art Museum on February 26.

Those receiving Gold Key awards will automatically be entered to compete at the national level.

Cassie Atkinson (11)—Focusing on Orchids Honorable Mention Mixed Media
Amelia Dickson (12)—Storage Full Silver Key Digital Art
Amelia Dickson (12)—Frog Hopping Through Imagination Gold Key Digital Art
Amelia Dickson (12)—The Ugly Butterfly Gold Key Digital Art
Amelia Dickson (12)—Anxiety’s Untouched Remains Silver Key Drawing
Amelia Dickson (12)—Rebirth Gold Key Sculpture
Amelia Dickson (12)—Cyberchondria: Fear and Fabrication Gold Key Mixed Media
Amelia Dickson (12)—Chapters of Childhood Silver Key Art Portfolio
Amelia Dickson (12)>—Caged Gold Key Mixed Media
Amelia Dickson (12)—The Manifestations of Anxiety Gold Key Art Portfolio
Amelia Dickson (12)—Lore: A Childhood Across Three Continents Gold Key Painting
Audrey Jakway (11)—Family Shelf Honorable Mention Mixed Media
Xinyuan (Ella) Li (10)—Undersea World Silver Key Drawing
Lia Sonka (10)—Franconia Honorable Mention Drawing
Maxwell Spencer (11)—Affliction Honorable Mention Painting
Maxwell Spencer (11)—Scream Honorable Mention Painting
Xintong Xiang (12)—Insomnia Silver Key Painting
Xintong Xiang (12)—Clash Silver Key Mixed Media
Xintong Xiang (12)—Overflow Gold Key Mixed Media
Xintong Xiang (12)—Round Taiyaki Honorable Mention Ceramics
Xintong Xiang 12—Right and wrong and love and Honorable Mention Ceramics

Please click here for the full album of beautiful artwork by our talented Upper Schoolers!

Strengthening Our Sustainability

January 27, 2022

from Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

This is the fourth of a four-part series of Head’s Messages that dives deep into MPA’s new strategic plan, 2024ward. Today we will outline this priority: Enhance institutional capacity by continuing to strengthen financial sustainability. The first article may be found here. The second article may be found here. The third article may be found here. An overview of 2024ward may be found here.

Whenever I am back “home” in Lansing, Michigan, I always take time to drive by my childhood home. When we moved in, it was the first house in a new suburb created from what was previously open fields of a dairy farm. I vividly remember planting several saplings with my dad and impatiently asking him when they would grow to become shade trees to protect my bedroom window from the glaring summer sun. Almost 50 years later, I marvel at their size and find joy knowing they provide shade and comfort to the current family that occupies the house.

In much the same way, our founding families made decisions and took certain actions that benefit our students today. The most obvious example is the generosity of donors over the years that have contributed to our endowment, which stands at $7,104,004 million. While relatively modest for a school our size, the draw on the endowment helps to directly fund programs and services for current students. Read More

MPA Parents Association Events & Updates

January 27, 2022

Parents Connect

Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week
The school year is flying by and the second round of conferences is coming up for Lower School and Middle School. This coincides with the second Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week, January 31-February 4 for all of MPA. Please consider donating a beverage or snack. Teachers have reported increased thirst and cravings during conference week and we can help! Contact Tara Lafferty with questions, TMattRN@aol.com or 201-563-4622. Thank you from Tara, Shari and the Parents Association!

Donations can be dropped off at PA Carts located inside the Lower School, Middle School or Upper School Entrances. Please adhere to MPA Peanut/Tree Nut Awareness for Beverages and Snacks. No peanuts or tree nuts please. Refer to the MPA Food Allergy Guidelines for more information.

For snack ideas, please click here
To sign up, please click here

January Walks with Dogs
Due to doggie health—or lack thereof—we will be meeting in the Lower School parking lot at Michelle Mick’s black suburban. We’ll start right after drop off for a little brisk walk around the MPA grounds to get a little exercise, Friday, January 28 around 8 AM. We look forward to seeing everyone and trying to spot the sounds of spring, optimistic as that may be!

SnoDaze All-School Nature Walk, Dodge Nature Center, February 22, 3:45-5:45 PM,
Let’s kick off the week of SnoDaze, and celebrate the joy of winter in Minnesota! Bundle up the family and meet at Dodge Nature Center after school on February 22. Their naturalist will take MPA Families on a winter exploration of the grounds. We will end with some free time to gather around the bonfire to chat, as well as kick-sled across the frozen ponds. This is an all-school event, so if your students are busy with other activities, parents are welcome to come and enjoy winter’s splendor without kids in tow. RSVP to Staci Banks, sbhehe42@icloud.com.

Attention Middle School Panthers and Parents
The annual Middle School Café is going tubular this year! Stay tuned and get excited. While we can’t unveil all the details just yet (sorry!), we can say, SAVE THE DATE, Friday, February 25 from 2:30-5:30 PM.

Keep the Spring Break Vibes Alive, March 25th, 1:15-2:15 PM, Yogafresh
Save the date for some self-care and community connection! In March, Yogafresh, will offer a tailored class experience for MPA parents that weaves gentle movement, breathing and meditation into the practice with some additional tools and resources to tap into when things feel stressful at home (or work). There will be more details on this event as we get closer to March, as things are COVID-situation dependent.

Upper School Division News January 27, 2022

January 27, 2022

from Mark Segal, Upper School Director

Given the recent frigid temperatures it is not hard to believe that we are deep in the throughs of Winter, yet thankfully we are also only a few short days from the start of February. The Academic Team, however, are deep into planning for the 2022-2023 school year. We are finalizing course information shared by faculty who wish to offer new courses next year and are already looking at what adjustments and modifications can be made to the highly complex upper school schedule. Within the next couple of weeks your 9 – 11 grade students will receive registration materials to use as they look ahead to registering for classes next year.

We take seriously the charge in our mission to provide a curriculum that “models intellectual ambition and global responsibility” while helping students appreciate the “joy of learning.” MPA teachers design and deliver challenging, student-centered classes that are engaging and relevant to our ever-changing society. They continually strive to develop independent, creative, and critical thinkers who engage in asking the “why” of a subject area while collaborating effectively and seeking solutions to the questions and problems that face our local, domestic, and global community.

To assist 9th and 10th grade families with the registration procedure and to provide guidance to those not aware of how we approach class registration, I invite you to join Upper School Director of Guidance Randy Comfort and me next Tuesday, February 1 at 7:30 PM via Zoom to learn more about this important annual process. This gathering will be recorded and shared in next week’s Panther Post for those unable to attend. The Zoom link for this event can be found here.

Meeting ID: 912 3422 9491
Password: MPAUPPER Read More

Middle School Division News January 27, 2022

January 27, 2022

from Dr. Jenn Milam, Middle School Director

Winter Conferences Are Almost Here
Your partnership with us is an integral part of your student’s success. Most importantly, your student needs to know that you hold them accountable for being a good student academically, a caring human being and positively contributing member of our school community, and that you value and work with their teachers to help them be there best!

We are eagerly preparing for the winter conferences that are coming up next week. Please take this time to ask questions, listen with curiosity, and work to find ways that you can support and reinforce the learning that is happening at school at home–and we pledge to do the same!

Save The Date! Middle School Community Event
On Friday, February 25, we will load up five (yes, I said 5!) buses and take all middle school students to Badlands SnowPark for an afternoon of SnowTubing fun (2:30-5:30 PM)! This is not just a student event, in fact, our Middle School Parents’ Association has planned to bring a food truck, build a giant bonfire, and an event that will welcome parents, families, and siblings to the hill for fun and community time.

More information is forthcoming regarding participation release, food costs, and transportation information for both students and families. Please SAVE THE DATE on your calendar and plan to attend to meet other families, teachers, and students.

Reminder: Quarter 2 Grade Reports
Availability of grade reports for Quarter 2 was delayed from Monday, January 24 to Monday, January 30 to account for the short shift to virtual school for grades 7-12. We made the decision to allow teachers and students a bit more flexibility and time to wrap up Quarter 2. We hope that this helped to mediate any negative impact on student’s academic standings that may have happened with all the shifts in the last few weeks. Read More

Meet Retired Faculty Member Nansee Greeley

January 27, 2022

Position while at MPA
Math Teacher, asst. Middle school director, Lower School Director, Interim Head, Summer Program Director, Tennis Coach, Math Team Coach

How many years did you work at MPA?
35

What do you miss most about MPA?
The intellectual stimulation, the close friends I made over the years and of course the enthusiasm of the students.

What have you been up to since leaving MPA?
When I first left MPA I became the executive director for MAIS (Minnesota Association of Independent Schools.) I retired from that job 3 years ago. I now watch two of my grandchildren 2 days a week, play golf and pickleball and travel. We spend our winters in Palm Springs near our LA grandchildren.

Building Early Childhood Skills During the COVID-19 Pandemic

January 27, 2022

To say the least, parenting young children has presented many new challenges throughout the last two years. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in fewer opportunities for children to interact with their peers and develop independence. As students ages three to five prepare to attend PreK or kindergarten at MPA, many parents have questions and concerns about their child’s social and emotional readiness during this challenging time.

We are here to say, fear not! Young children are incredibly resilient, and they will rapidly make up for lost time. We have assembled some suggestions to help you ease into preparing your child for school this fall.

Start With Play
Young children learn best through play and thrive on interactions that help them grow. Playing make-believe is an excellent way for young children to learn and practice new skills. Pretending together provides an example of behavior for a child to emulate. Here are some fun ideas for learning opportunities disguised as pretend play:

Play “story time” and take turns telling a story while the other listens.
Go on a picnic, even if it’s indoors. Let your child use a lunch box
and practice eating and taking care of their leftovers and clean up
independently.
Pretend to be a new friend. Teach your child how to introduce
themselves, ask for the other person’s name, and invite the friend to play.
Have quiet time. This is a part of the PreK day at MPA. Even if your child
no longer naps, practice having some quiet time in the afternoon. Books, quiet music, and dim lighting can help them relax.

Meet Cory Becker-Kim, International Student Program Coordinator

January 27, 2022

Cory Becker-Kim is the International Student Program Coordinator and Advanced Language & Culture Teacher at MPA.

How many years have you been at MPA?
1 1/2

What do you love about MPA?
The genuine people and the MPA community wanting to teach, learn from and inspire students and people alike.

How does MPA inspire students who dream big and do right?
By teaching everyone the importance of listening, being respectful and contributing to the world as a global citizen.

If you have worked at another school, how has your experience at MPA been different?
I would say the biggest difference here at MPA is the actual practice and actual living of school values. Read More

Building A Brighter Future

January 25, 2022

A huge congratulations to our eighth grade Future City participants! MPA, in its third year of participation, had our best showing yet!

This year’s competition entailed the same elements: a 1500-word essay in collaboration with their English class, a physical model of their city, and a presentation. However, the problem that students must solve changes every year. The challenge that students faced this year was to build a waste-free city. This theme was heavily inspired by nature and its circular processes, in which one organism’s waste is another organism’s food. The modern human world, however, operates in a linear fashion that follows a path of taking natural resources, creating products to use, then discarding them–from water bottles to clothing. While recycled materials are becoming more popular, today’s approach does not have a productive way to capture most of the limited resources and materials that our trash is composed of. This unfortunately causes pollution and many other issues for humans, the animal kingdom, and the world’s natural processes. This challenge serves to cultivate young minds to build a progressive, healthier world.

Below are summaries of this year’s awards:

Zenaida: This Future City won third place overall in the state of Minnesota, Best Infrastructure/Commercial Layout, and Best Age-Friendly City! The team was composed of MPA eighth graders Izzy V., Andrea P., Abby M., Teagan O., Ansel S., and Rosie B. During questioning, Izzy commented on how Andrea and Abby are new students to MPA this year and how the process of bringing them into the MPA community was special.

La Citta Del’Acqua: This Future City was made by Liam K., Truman W., Coba D., Boyd M., Matt T., Amelia V., and Roman S. This group won Best Essay in Minnesota and Most Innovative City Setting!

Greenwaters: This group was composed of Mina K., Zara G., Samantha G. , Amy X., Liam M., and Nellie L. Their ‘Greenwaters’ City won Outstanding Future City Project Plan!

A special shout out goes out to the MPA teachers, staff, and mentors who assisted students with writing their essays, providing information on sustainable food, ecosystems and waste-free programs, and model-building. Project-based learning takes immeasurable amounts of time, planning, commitment, and collaboration. The world is in good hands with these kids in the future!

We thank the following professionals for being mentors and judges,

Mentors:
Chris McLaughlin–Retired 3M Executive
Aimee Pearce–Medical Doctor
Olivia E. LeDee, Ph.D.–Acting Federal Director, U.S. Geological Survey, Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
Doug Galler–Architect
Mike Darrow–City Planner, Maplewood

Judges:
Lisa Vale
Joseph Pugh
Kate Johnston
Paula Tuebo Munkelwitz
Carol Bagnoli
Raphael Coffey
Scott Burnett
Salley Doherty
Meghan Masters
Bridget Mayer
9th grade Future City veterans: Alex Milam, Liam O’Keeffe, Rowan Mulroney, Ali Zuhayb, Zainab Lodhi