Welcome To The Family, Mr. Harris!

Rich HarrisMeet Rich Harris, who is joining MPA as a Physical Education teacher. Mr. Harris graduated from Southwestern College in Kansas in 1996 and has been following his passion of teaching ever since. He taught for two years in Kansas, 10 in Massachusetts, three in Qatar, five in London, and the past three in Saudi Arabia. He has also coached a variety of sports, but always basketball.

What did you love about MPA right away?
The communication was fantastic and the people, especially Mr. Segal, are so nice and kind.

What’s your big dream?
To coach college basketball some day. Read More


Welcome To The Family, Ms. Joyce!

Tracey JoyceMeet Tracey Joyce, who will be our new PreK-12 academic technology integrationist. Tracey comes to us from Visitation School where she has worked in the area of technology for 12 years. Prior to that, she was a classroom teacher for eight years. Ms. Joyce has extensive experience developing curriculum and promoting the intentional use of technology to support student achievement in the PreK-12 classroom. She is an exceptional parent educator and advocate of digital citizenship and security who deeply cherishes whole child education and loves to celebrate the joy of learning!

What did you love about MPA right away?
My favorite part of the interview process was meeting the students. The students I interacted with from all three divisions were helpful, kind, articulate, and charming. It is evident that the entire community supports a “students first” mentality and I absolutely cannot wait to join that effort. And, in full disclosure, I should also mention how much I enjoyed the “spa water” at lunch, too! Read More


Panthers Embark On Global Summer Adventure

students on their global summer adventureOn June 16, 16 MPA students, parents, and faculty headed to London for the first leg of a two-week journey that would take them from London to Paris via Normandy, Brittany, and the Loire Valley.

The trip began focused on British history with an emphasis on World War II. After a visit to the Churchill War Rooms in London, students boarded a boat and crossed the English Channel to Normandy, where they spent the next few days exploring and learning more details of the D-Day invasion. Since it was the 75th anniversary, this visit was even more poignant in the villages and historic sites of Cherbourg, Caen, Arromanches, St. Mère Eglise, the American Cemetery, Omaha Beach, and Point du Hoc. Students were assigned a person involved during the D-Day invasion and had several days to prepare a presentation about them, which was shared with the group at Point du Hoc. MPA Senior Charlie Galicich also shared with the group the story of Class of 2018 alumna Katie Jacob’s grandmother, following her experiences as a nurse days after the initial invasion. Read More


Now Offering Girls Swimming Swimming and Diving

swim club swimmersDue to student interest, MPA is pleased to announce that it will offer an Upper School Girls Swimming and Diving Team starting this fall!

Details:

  • This four-day-per-week program is for students entering grades seven through 12 and no exceptions can be made.
  • This offering will be in addition to the Lower and Middle School Swim Club for boys and girls, which is offered in the winter. Swimmers may participate in both opportunities (correction from an earlier communication).
  • This will be an MPA-only team with no other school partnerships.
  • This team will be coached by Ms. Stacy, fourth grade teacher.
  • Practices will begin August 12, 2019 at the Maplewood YMCA. Meets will be determined at a later date.
  • Transportation to and from practices and meets will be the responsibility of the families.
  • A parent/coach meeting will occur later in July.
  • The cost for participation will be $175 per student.

To register for the team, email Dan Haase, athletic director, at dhaase@moundsparkacademy.org and include your student’s name, grade level, and preferred parent email address.

Go Panthers!


MPA Expands Transportation To South Minneapolis

Bus pulling up to Mounds Park AcademyMounds Park Academy is happy to announce the expansion of its bus services to the Minneapolis area for the 2019-20 school year!

This expansion is the result of unprecedented interest from prospective families in the area as well as the school’s desire to serve current and future families better. This new route will be in addition to the routes that are currently offered to and from Stillwater, Lakeland, Woodbury, North Oaks, Roseville, St. Paul, Highland Park, and throughout District 622.

Minneapolis bus route details:

  • Unlike our other bus routes, the cost of the Minneapolis route will include before and after school care for Lower and Middle School children.
  • To allow for participation in athletics, enrichment classes, and other after school activities, many of which are offered at no additional cost, this route will leave the MPA campus at 4:30 PM.
  • The tentative group stops will be at Lyndale Ave S & 50th Street E and Lyndale Ave S & 42nd St E. These stops may be adjusted.
  • This route is pending ridership. We will confirm the route when the minimum number of riders is reached.

For more information about this as well as MPA’s other bus routes, visit moundsparkacademy.org/mplstransportation. To sign up for transportation, current and new families may contact Amanda Platson, student billing coordinator, at aplatson@moundsparkacademy.org or 651-748-5502.


Panthers Recap: MSHSL Class A State Championship

Yahya Madar celebrates after winning the state high jumpWith 13 athletes plus relay alternates qualifying for the state meet, it was a busy weekend for panthers track and field. On Thursday, MPA’s state qualifiers, alternates and coaches took a bus to Hamline University for the season’s final practice on the track at Hamline. After practice, the team enjoyed a stop at Jamba Juice on the way home!

On Friday, the boys 4x200m of seniors Tae’Vion Wilkins, Ian Olson and Flynn Opatz and junior Nathan Harvanko led off the state meet competition in the prelims of the 4x200m. Though they did not make finals, placing 14th with a time of 1:34.46, seniors Tae’Vion Wilkins, Ian Olson and Flynn Opatz got to conclude their track and field careers on the track at the state meet. Also on Friday, junior Henry Snider ran in the finals of the 3200m. In brutal heat, Henry ran his second fastest time ever to place seventh and earn all-state honors with a time of 9:53.34. Read More


Panthers Recap: Section 4A Championships

Sofia Walker in the Section 4A raceMPA Track and Field went toe to toe with the best competition in Section 4A and emerged with a record number of runners advancing to the state meet!

On the girls side, highlights include eighth grader Zoe M. winning her prelim heat in the 100m, advancing through her semifinals heat, and qualifying for finals, placing fourth with a season best time of 13.17. In the 400m, 8th grader Greta M. (Gentry) advanced to finals and placed fifth, running a near season best of 1:02.81. In the 800m, senior Sofia Walker’s dream of qualifying for the state meet came to fruition, as she won the 800m in 2:26.43, just off her personal best. Sophomore Izzy Quam ran near her season best to make finals in the 800m and finished seventh in 2:34.94. In the 1600m, Sophomore Katie Dahiya earned a medal with her sixth-place finish, running her second-best time of the season in 5:49.26. She added another medal in the 3200m, running 12:26.80 and finishing fifth with a personal best by nearly 30 seconds! She is now fifth all time in MPA history in the 3200m.  In the 100m hurdles, 8th grader Emily B. qualified for the finals running a personal best time of 18.56 in the prelims (now eighth best all time at MPA) and took eighth in the finals.

In the 4x100m, the team of eighth grader Zoe M., ninth grader Ella Fruchterman, junior Catherine Moore and senior Ellie Quam made the finals and placed seventh, running 53.34. They are now sixth all time at MPA. In the 4x200m, the team of eighth graders Zoe M. and Greta M., ninth grader Ella Fruchterman, and junior Catherine Moore. ran 1:52.22 to earn medals with their fifth-place finish.  Their time is now eighth all time at MPA. In the girls 4x800m, the team of seniors Sofia Walker and Gabby Law, tenth grader Izzy Quam and 8th grader Margo N. ran a heroic race to finish second and qualify for state! Their time of 10:05.06 is the second fastest ever at MPA and the fastest in 21 years. Read More


Welcome To The Family, Ms. Lawson!

Hannah LawsonMeet Hannah Lawson, who has been selected as the new director of orchestras and music teacher. Ms. Lawson will join our community and the Twin Cities after eight years of public and private school teaching in the United States and abroad. Most recently, she has been teaching orchestra and general music in Saudi Arabia! She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Music Education from Boston University. We are excited about Hannah’s passion for music, her deep and thorough knowledge of composition and music theory, and her excitement to lead MPA’s orchestras to continued excellence.

What did you love about MPA right away?
How kind and welcoming the faculty was. The progressive mission of the school. I loved that the students had a voice and were able to be apart of the process. I was treated with respect and was not judged for interviewing over Skype for a performance position, which can be difficult.

What’s your big dream?
To be the back up violinist for Dave Matthews Band! Read More


Welcome To The Family, Mr. Cunningham!

Ian CunninghamMeet Ian Cunningham, who we are thrilled to welcome back after he completed his student teaching with us just last fall! Mr. Cunningham is joining the Middle School faculty as the new social studies teacher for grades five and six. He is a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota with a Master of Education in social studies, and his Bachelor of Arts in history with a minor in youth studies is also from the University of Minnesota. He brings a wonderfully positive energy to the Middle School and is already a beloved member of our community, especially by students. He is a talented young teacher with a real passion for the social studies, an ability to connect students with content, and a commitment to equity, justice, and goodness.

What did you love about MPA right away?
I love the sense of community and support at MPA. I know Dream Big, Do Right is more than a catchy slogan here, because I have seen firsthand how both ideals are woven into not just the classrooms, but the sports, clubs, activities, and everything else the MPA community has to offer. During my interview process, the current 5th graders took turns asking me questions about myself and my teaching style, and I think that was the best part of the entire process. I have many friends and classmates who are interviewing at many schools around the greater metro area, but none of them were asked questions by the students themselves. Read More


Class of 2019: Mats Dahlberg, Saint Paul

Mats Dahlberg '19As the 2018–19 school year comes to an end, we’re sharing the college choice stories of several members of the Class of 2019!

In what grade did you come to MPA?
I came to MPA in Kindergarten.

How did you come to choose the college that you did?
I chose Columbia College Chicago because it has a strong dance and visual arts program and they would let me be involved in both. I wanted to go to a college in a city surrounded by a vibrant art scene and so many museums and traveling exhibits especially because I’m studying arts. Columbia is right in the middle of the city on Michigan Avenue and has great speakers and events including some notable alumni.

What are you most excited about as you embark on your college experience?
I’m excited to explore my independence, especially in a new city. I am very excited to expand my circle and meet a new very diverse crowd of people with different viewpoints than I’ve been exposed to. I’m excited to have my ideas challenged and add to my skillset with education from new teachers and more high-level art classes. I’d love to take a printmaking class or a textile and fiber works class, something that I haven’t had the opportunity for at MPA, but have the basic artistic foundation for because of the Fine Arts education here. (And I’m excited to try all the pizza Chicago has to offer). Read More