Parents Association News And Events May 21, 2026
May 21, 2026
Don’t miss these final HOORAHS for the 2025-26 school year!
Lower School Division End-of-Year Party | Monday, June 1: 3:30-5:30 PM, Fun City, Maplewood, RSVP >
Middle School Division End-of-Year Party | Wednesday, June 3: 12:30-3 PM | Urban Air, Coon Rapids, RSVP >
Upper School Division End-of-Year Party | Wednesday, June 3: 11 AM-1 PM, Smash Park, Roseville, RSVP >
Upper School Division News May 21, 2026
May 21, 2026
from Mark Segal, Upper School director
One might think that after three decades in education, saying goodbye at the end of each school year would become easier. In truth, it has not. Each year is shaped by relationships and built on trust, shared experiences, and daily moments that matter. Those connections make May both joyful and bittersweet.
As the year draws to a close, I often find myself reflecting on the opening lines of The Doors’ 1967 song “The End”—“This is the end, beautiful friend…” Originally written by Jim Morrison as a farewell following a relational breakup, the song evolved into something much broader: a meditation on transition, closure, and even the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Morrison himself later reflected that it began as “a simple goodbye song,” but could also be understood as “a goodbye to a kind of childhood.”
That broader meaning resonates deeply with me, and I imagine in many schools. This time of year is not simply about endings—it is about transformation. It is about honoring what has been, while also recognizing what is becoming.
In classrooms across MPA, teachers intentionally create the conditions for students to grow into their next chapter. Research consistently reinforces what we see every day within our hallways and classrooms, that strong student-teacher relationships are foundational to student engagement and success. In fact, a study published in the June 2024 “Frontiers in Psychology” shows that “when students perceive their instructors as supportive, they are more likely to stay motivated, participate actively, and persist through challenges.” Similarly, research in educational psychology highlights that positive student-teacher relationships are directly associated with improved academic engagement and well-being. Read More
Middle School Division News May 21, 2026
May 21, 2026
from Paul Errickson, Middle School director
It is hard to believe that this is my last Panther Post of the school year. Are we really wrapping this school year up in the next two weeks? This year has been filled with so much joy; it is hard to capture it all in one post. One of the things I am most proud of is the fact that every Middle School student was able to “Dream Big” or “Do Right” this year through our Dream Big, Do Right Advisory Challenge.
This year, we made sure to meet, as a Middle School, once or twice a month in our Middle School Meetings. This time was meant to bring us together as a community, reflect on the year, and have students make announcements and share their work—from poetry to prose, persuasive speeches about homework and music performances, we had play previews and presentations from our BIPOC group about monthly cultural celebrations. One constant throughout our Middle School Meetings was the Dream Big, Do Right Advisory Challenge. Each meeting, a new advisory was chosen to do something for our MPA or the broader Twin Cities community, either by dreaming big or doing right.
Our Middle Schoolers did an amazing job with this challenge. We had advisories dreaming big by raising funds for Feed My Starving Children and smattering our hallways and lockers with words of affirmation, doing right by bringing a dance party and games into our Middle School Meetings, and creating goodie bags with personalized notes for our seniors during their last week of school. In the Middle School this year, every student can say that they did something special for someone else. They worked to make others feel included, and they went out of their way to help out in their teachers’ classrooms. One of our advisories even designed and sewed MPA skirts for the auction, made from upcycled MPA gear. Read More
Lower School Division News May 21, 2026
May 21, 2026
from James Ewer, Lower School director
We started this year still finding our footing. New faces in classrooms. New routines being built. New trust being earned. We asked a lot of our kids, and they delivered. We asked a lot of each other and we showed up. Not perfectly. But with intention. That matters.
We learned that students are more capable than we sometimes give them credit for. When we gave them a voice, they used it wisely. When we raised our expectations, they rose to meet them. When we built structures that were clear and consistent, they thrived inside them. That is not a small thing. That is the work.
We also learned that community is not just a word we put in a mission statement. It is what happens when a family sends a hard email and a teacher responds with care. It is what happens when a child is struggling and the adults around them refuse to give up. It is what happens when we disagree and still choose to stay in a relationship. You have been that kind of community this year. I am grateful.
We have grown. Read More
May 18, 2026
Recently, MPA’s very own Ryan Wood ’96 appeared on CBS Sunday Morning with Ted Koppel in a segment about the more than 200 immigration judges who have been fired or forced out of the nation’s immigration courts over the past 14 months, and the due process concerns that purge has created.
Ryan said he wanted to share his story with MPA because “the path that led me there began at Mounds Park (Academy).”
“After graduating in 1996, I spent more than twenty years in federal service. I served as an Army judge advocate with a deployment to Iraq. I was an associate chief counsel at ICE. I was an assistant United States attorney in Minnesota. I was appointed a federal immigration judge, and I was later promoted to assistant chief immigration judge—supervising 20 judges and more than 80 staff across the Midwest, and serving as one of the primary trainers of the nation’s immigration judges at the Executive Office for Immigration Review.
In February 2025, I retired—not because I was ready to stop working, but because I had come to believe the most useful thing I could do was work from outside the system. What I was seeing on the bench, and what has since accelerated, convinced me that attorneys, employers, and organizations would need experienced counsel. The enforcement environment is unlike any this country has seen. Read More
Parents Association News And Events May 14, 2026
May 14, 2026
Don’t miss this one final HOORAH for the 2025-26 school year!
Lower School Division End-of-Year Party | Monday, June 1: 3:30-5:30 PM, Fun City, Maplewood, RSVP >
Middle School Division End-of-Year Party | Wednesday, June 3: 12:30-3 PM | Urban Air, Coon Rapids, RSVP >
Upper School Division End-of-Year Party | Wednesday, June 3: 11 AM-1 PM, Smash Park, Roseville, RSVP >
Appreciation on behalf of all MPA parents!
Parent volunteers made and delivered floral bouquets to staff members on Friday as part of this year’s National Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you to all MPA Staffulty!
In case you missed it, check out the Parent Press May edition.
May 14, 2026
from Dr. Lori-Anne Brogdon, head of school
Kindergarten students celebrate the 100th day of school. Now, tomorrow marks the final day for the Class of 2026.
Even though the school year follows a familiar rhythm and calendar, these final weeks always seem to arrive more quickly than expected.
Countdowns help us organize time and build anticipation for what lies ahead. At MPA, this season of transition also invites reflection. In conversations across campus, I continue to hear students, families, and colleagues sharing pride in accomplishments, gratitude for meaningful experiences, excitement, and sometimes nervousness about what comes next.
Yesterday, I stood in the courtyard with our seniors as they laughed, talked, and enjoyed the sunshine and each other’s company. Some eagerly shared how ready they feel to begin their next chapter, while others spoke honestly about the uncertainty that can come with change. Both emotions are real, important, and deeply human. The countdown to their time at MPA is nearly complete, and with it comes a mixture of celebration, reflection, and transition. Read More
May 14, 2026
from Katie Roche, kindergarten teacher
Coding might sound like something reserved for older students or tech experts, but in today’s classrooms, even our youngest learners are beginning to explore the foundations of computational thinking. At Mounds Park Academy, that learning doesn’t begin with screens or complicated programs. It begins with hands-on play, movement, collaboration, and problem-solving.
For parents, it’s helpful to know that coding in kindergarten isn’t really about screen time—it’s about thinking. It’s about breaking down problems, giving clear instructions, testing ideas, and learning through trial and error. Technology becomes one tool for extending that learning.
In Katie Roche’s kindergarten classroom, students began their coding journey in a very “analog” way, with no devices required. Using a simple grid taped onto the classroom floor, students worked together to solve a challenge: reach the treasure while avoiding obstacles. They planned routes, counted steps, tested ideas, and adjusted when things didn’t go as expected. Read More
MPA Speech Success At NIETOC Nationals
May 11, 2026
The MPA speech team finished ranked 11th in the nation this past weekend—its best finish ever at NIETOC Nationals!
Ash Klann was a national finalist in Original Oratory, finishing sixth overall. Ash’s speech focused on the need for a new LGBTQ+ rights movement. Guy Schwieger and Nico Bergh advanced to the semifinal round in Duo, finishing ninth overall with a humorous twist on “Titanic.”
Kelvyn Boddipalli and Oslo Norcross also advanced to the semifinal round in Duo, finishing 12th overall with a performance of “Men Against Fire,” an episode of Black Mirror. Andrew Buhr was tiebroken from the semifinal round in International Extemporaneous Speaking, finishing in the top 15.
Lucy Mayer finished one point shy of the semifinals in Original Oratory, ending her run in quarterfinals. Boddipalli also reached the quarterfinals in Humorous Interpretation.
Reaching the octafinals were Sidd Sastry in International Extemporaneous Speaking, Hazel Reid and Warner Reid in Duo, and Norcross in Informative Speaking.
The results continue a rapid rise in national success for the MPA speech team. Since 2024, the team has produced four champions, eight finalists, and 36 out-of-round appearances at national circuit tournaments. Congratulations, Panthers!
MPA Students Named National Merit Finalists
May 7, 2026
Congratulations to Thomas Dickson ’26 and Liam Kimmerle ’26, who were named National Merit Finalists this year, a recognition achieved by only around 15,000 students nationwide!
After qualifying as semi-finalists based on the PSAT taken in their junior year, each completed an application including an essay, academic and activity information, and a school recommendation. This fall, Thomas will attend Haverford College in Pennsylvania, while Liam will enroll at UCLA. They plan to study chemistry and biochemistry, respectively.
In addition to the honor of selection, about 7,500 finalists receive scholarships through the National Merit program each year. Thomas recently received news that he had been chosen as a National Merit Corporate-sponsored Scholarship winner. Congratulations, Thomas!