Faculty & Staff Holiday Appreciation
December 5, 2017
Show your appreciation for MPA Faculty and Staff by volunteering to wrap holiday gifts in the Porter Conference Room on December 11, 2017 from 8 AM-3 PM! Shifts are flexible! Spend one or two hours, or split the day and wrap a little in the morning and a little in the afternoon. Sign up here to volunteer! Thanks for all of your help!
MPA Sails Through The Great Oaks Regatta
November 30, 2017
MPA juniors Karan Jain, Toby Sullivan, and Jose Varela came in second in the Great Oaks National Invitational Regatta in New Orleans!
The Great Oaks Regatta is a national championship for schools with small sailing teams. Teams need to qualify in a regional regatta in order to be invited to compete in New Orleans. This is the MPA team’s third consecutive year of qualifying and participating and it was their best result yet. Go Panthers!
Generosity Improves The Black Box Theatre
November 30, 2017
Renovating the Black Box Theatre was MPA’s Fund A Need from the last Spring Auction. In less than five minutes, our community raised nearly $100,000 to make necessary improvements. The Fine Arts Department was humbled to be spotlighted and supported by the community in such a profound way.
The Middle School Play, Peter Pan, sold out four performances in the newly-remodeled space, and everyone noticed a difference in the new lighting, costume shop, infrastructural updates, and learning spaces that proved to be valuable to the students and their teachers throughout the entire production.
Heather Mastel, drama teacher and Middle School Play director, shares the difference: “I overheard many positive comments about the updated look with the new risers and chairs. The curtain made the Black Box look so polished. My favorite part of the remodel was the costume shop though … looking at it now, I don’t know how we even got by with the previous space. The new space allows for collaboration and work in the shop!”
November 30, 2017
MPA students in grades PreK-4 are invited to be a Lower School Kid of the Game at an MPA Boys Varsity Basketball home game!
The Kid of the Game will first be introduced before the game, then join the Panthers and coaches on the court for pregame warm ups, and receive an MPA basketball gift and concession stand item. Being a Lower School Kid of Game is free and siblings are welcome to be Lower School Kid of Game on the same night.
MPA Students Selected For State Honor Choirs
November 30, 2017
Congratulations to Solveig Svennevig-Brosi (Class 2020) and Jordan Akers (Class of 2020) who auditioned online and were selected to be members of the 9-10 ACDA-MN State Honor Choirs!
Solveig will sing in the SSAA Honor Choir under the direction of Jennaya Robinson from Luther College.
A second-year member of the SATB Honor Choir, Jordan will sing with Jonathan Talberg who teaches at California State University.
Jordan and Solveig will prepare their Honor Choir music for a day long festival in February culminating with a performance in the Minneapolis Convention Center.
Solveig and Jordan both currently sing in the MPA Concert Choir and Madrigals Singers. Best wishes to our musicians!
November 30, 2017
The Thanksgiving season is a traditional time to recognize and appreciate all that is good in one’s life. At Mounds Park Academy, we are thankful for the continued generosity of our community. This year’s annual five-week Joyful Learning, Joyful Giving Fall Campaign grew like an ocean wave with its peak on Give to the Max Day! Of the nearly $300,000 in gifts throughout the campaign, 43 percent was contributed on that day alone! Incredible! Thank you!
This year’s Give to the Max Day also included the Lip Sync Battle! In its third year, the event is now an established tradition celebrating our fabulous community! Click here to revisit this year’s fun one more time!
November 16, 2017
As of noon, MPA families have raised an incredible $41,028. If we reach $75,000, a generous family will give a bonus gift of $25,000 to get us to the goal of $100,000 today! Incredible!As of noon, MPA families have raised an incredible $41,028. If we reach $75,000, a generous family will give a bonus gift of $25,000 to get us to the goal of $100,000 today! Incredible!
In celebration of such generosity on Give to the Max Day, please join us for a Lip Sync Assembly this afternoon in the Lansing Sports Center at 2:20 PM featuring performances from across all divisions. You won’t want to miss the fabul ous line up of faculty and students.
As Dr. Hudson shared in his Head’s Message, “I give out of gratitude, in thanksgiving for the transformational experience my daughter, and your children, are receiving. I give because parenting is tough and I need and appreciate all the help I can get. I give as a manifestation of hope.” Follow along on Facebook as MPA’s faculty and staff share why they give to MPA each hour!
Please join Dr. Hudson, faculty, and staff, and make a gift…
If you have any questions about making a gift, please contact Matt Magers, Director of Development at 651-748-5532 or via email .
“Screenagers” Viewing And Discussion
November 16, 2017
How much time does your child spend looking at screens? On average, children spend six and a half hours a day on screens, and that’s not including in the classroom or while doing homework. Do you think violent video games desensitize people to violence? Have you experienced people using screens to avoid face-to-face interactions? Does your child ever make comments online that he or she wouldn’t make in person? These are all questions that every parent struggles with and MPA would like to help better equip you to navigate this important issue.
We had so many members of our community join us for a viewing of Screenagers, followed by energetic and intriguing discussion. For those who were not able to attend, we will be hosting an additional viewing on campus on January 9 from 8-10 AM in the Recital Hall. Please join us!
November 16, 2017
MPA alum Zach Quinn ’11 co-founded Love Your Melon and is making an incredible difference in the lives of children and families battling cancer. He is one of many dreamers and doers who have passed through the halls of MPA.
If you weren’t able to get your MPA-branded Love Your Melon hat at Homecoming, no fear! A shop will be popping up on Tuesday, November 21!
Cash, checks, and credit cards will be accepted. Pom hats are $45 and the others are $30. Proceeds go directly to Love Your Melon’s non-profit partners.
Dreaming Big At The CHAMP Assembly
November 9, 2017
The theme of the Lower School CHAMP assembly Wednesday was “Be brave and dream big.” This represents the new CHAMP character trait, courage, reminding students of how much their dreams matter and to stay true to who they are, think big, take risks, and be courageous in all of their endeavors.
Students designed posters that served as self-reflections. They started with an outline of their faces, and sketched in portraits of unique hairstyles, sleeping eyes, and whatever they were dreaming up at the moment. These illustrations are an emblematic way to show what kind of dreamer they are, including responses such as World Dreamer, Outside-The-Box Dreamer, Silly Dreamer, and Independent Dreamer. The posters will soon decorate the Lower School hallway.