All School Archives

Top 10 Reasons For Alumni To Update Contact Information

December 15, 2020

Reconnect with former classmates
Maybe it’s been awhile! Being connected to the MPA alumni association means you’re in touch with old friends and in the know for all the biggest news from your graduating class.
Reconnect with former teachers and coaches
Did you see winning lip sync video from Mr. Thomsen and Emily Moses Thomsen ’13? It was amazing. Making sure your contact information is up to date means you never miss an opportunity to reconnect with a former teacher, administrator or coach. By the way, interested in congratulating Mr. Thomsen on the amazing winning video? Send him an email at mthomsen@moundsparkacademy.org. He’d love to hear from you!
Stay up to date on athletics
With nine teams coached by MPA alumni and 36 state championships to date, you’re going to want to stay up to date on Panthers athletics. Many of the same coaches you may have had along the way (Coach Ethier, Coach Scinto, Coach Haase, etc.) are still going strong! Follow along and celebrate their accomplishments. Read More

MPA Quiz Bowl Secures Spot In National Tournament

December 14, 2020

This past Saturday, the MPA Upper School Quiz Bowl teams couldn’t take celebratory pictures together quite like the one featured here from 2019, but their smiles were just as big! Three MPA teams competed at the RATRACE tournament (Really Awesome Thumb-Racing Academic Competition Event) Quiz Bowl competition, which was held virtually.

The A-Team, comprised of seniors Isak Dai, Ryan Ghose, Hana Miller, Ellen Vergin, and Tanner Gasteazoro, finished in the top 16 teams and secured a spot in the National Tournament this Spring! The B-Team, comprised of tenth graders Anthony Troullier and Gabe Messner, and ninth graders Zain Ali and Ian Frankel, missed making the top 16 by a very slim margin. The C-Team, comprised of ninth graders Ben Murr, Akshay Somayajula, Soumya Raman, Molly Vergin, and Fawzan Aslam, had a great showing with a 3-3 record.

Individually, out of nearly 300 players on 64 teams, Isak Dai finished third and Anthony Troullier finished sixth! Congratulations, Panthers! We can’t wait to cheer you on at the National Tournament!

Student Council Winter Clothing Drive

December 10, 2020

The Student Council is hosting a winter clothing drive in a contactless drop-off to collect warm winter coats and clothing for families in North Minneapolis. Similar to when you’ve picked up school supplies from the North Entrance, you will be able to drive up with your donations and drop them off without getting out of your car. After placing them in your trunk, a volunteer will pick your donated winter clothing with gloves and a mask. To contribute, please drop-off your materials at one of the following times:

Monday, December 14 from 4-5 PM
Tuesday, December 15 from 5-6 PM

Thank you for donating and for your support!

MPA Founders’ Day Cupcake Recipe

December 9, 2020

Happy Founders’ Day! Continue celebrating MPA’s birthday at home with the delicious Founders’ Day vanilla cupcake recipe. These are the cupcakes that were distributed to Lower School students and baked during the virtual Middle School baking show to celebrate! Thank you for the recipe, Chef Doug!

Cupcakes

Equipment needed: Measuring cups, large mixing bowl, pastry blender or two large forks, small mixing bowl, measuring spoons, wire whisk, rubber spatula, cupcake pan, paper/foil muffin cups, flour sifter

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cup of Sugar
3⁄4 Cup softened butter
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1⁄2 cups flour
1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 cup milk

Students Reflect On Diversity Leadership Conference

December 9, 2020

MPA Upper School students Alex Appleton, Salma Ali, Safa Madar, and Alexx Tolstad represented MPA at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). The students attended this transformative gathering virtually.

“Entering the SDLC conference, I knew I wanted to learn and that I wanted to expand my view with new perspectives. Within the first minutes of the intro I felt at home, I felt that this was a safe place, not just for me, but for all those around me,” said tenth grader Alex Appleton. “It was so encouraging to see people around me be vulnerable and I felt honored that they felt that comfort around me and the others.”

NAIS describes the experience as, “a multiracial, multicultural gathering of Upper School student leaders from across the U.S. and abroad. SDLC focuses on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community. Led by a diverse team of trained adult and peer facilitators, participating students develop cross-cultural communication skills, design effective strategies for social justice practice through dialogue and the arts, and learn the foundations of allyship and networking principles.” Read More

MPA’s Historic Debate Performance

December 6, 2020

Congratulations to the MPA debate team on a historic performance at the Classic State Debate Festival. MPA was represented by 44 students, and Mounds Park Academy received the second-place team sweepstakes award, missing out on first place by a single point. That’s an award based on the top two performances across each of the three divisions of competition–novice, junior varsity, and varsity. It’s a testament to the depth of the team.

We call the tournament the Classic Debate Championships in novice and junior varsity. In the novice division with 57 entries, the team of juniors Gavin Thorson and Sofia Cortes Weiss advanced to the octafinal round, and the team of junior Zoe Schnell and sophomore Frances Martin advanced to the quarterfinal round. In the junior varsity division, the team of sophomores Kensi Binstadt and Zaara Nayak advanced to the octafinal round, and the team of juniors Charlotte Bergh and Ruby Schwieger made it to the quarterfinal round. The team of seniors Lilly Gasterland-Gustafsson and Peter Manolis competed in the final round of the junior varsity division, and finished second to a team from Rochester Century. Read More

Introducing Pantherpedia!

December 3, 2020

We are excited to introduce Pantherpedia, a fun new feature where we define one word that’s unique to MPA! If you have a word or phrase that you want defined, let us know and we’ll feature it in an upcoming Pantherpedia entry!

CHAMP Program [tʃæmp prəʊɡræm]⁠⠀
Noun: The CHAMP (Character Happens at Mounds Park) Program is MPA’s Lower School character development program in which a character trait is chosen every year for students to explore in their homeroom classrooms, in special assemblies, in service-learning, and in music, art, and drama classes. PreK through fourth grade students come together for a monthly CHAMP assembly to learn about character traits such as friendship, cooperation, compassion, respect, self-control, responsibility, inclusiveness, courage, mindfulness, and integrity. In addition, service learning is embedded in the CHAMP program and in the classroom, culminating in the fourth grade conflict manager program. Students learn the importance of giving back and helping others in ways that are integrated in the classroom curriculum. Our CHAMP curriculum has made a difference at MPA. Students strive to apply the character traits they’ve learned in school to their own lives.

Three MPA Teams Going To State Future City Competition

December 2, 2020

Because the annual Middle School Future City Competition is completely virtual this year, MPA students had a preliminary in-school competition to determine the top three teams going to state this year. The outputs are the same–a 1500-word essay in collaboration with their English class, a physical model of the city, and a presentation. However, the problem that students must solve changes every year. This year, students had to design and build a city of the future on the Moon. “This is the toughest problem I have seen in years,” Mr. Milam said.

Students had to research the Moon’s resources, how to travel to and from the Moon, and how to sustain life on the Moon. They developed many innovations in indoor farming, transportation, mining on the Moon, production of water and air, city infrastructure, and housing.

The three winning teams that are representing MPA at the State Competition are Annika B., Annika D., Zoya, and Navreen; Rowan, Lucia, Camdyn, and Sylvie; and Olivia, Lucy, Zainab, and Ava. We’re cheering you on, Panthers!

Celebrating The Holidays Safety

November 19, 2020

As we’re sure you saw, Governor Walz announced yesterday a month-long pause to help curb the spike in COVID-19 cases that Minnesota is currently experiencing. In addition to suspending organized sports, the order bans indoor and outdoor social gatherings, discourages travel, closes bars and restaurants (except for takeout, delivery, or walk-up service), and closes fitness centers and entertainment venues. Click here for the full order.

In order to do our part, help slow the spread, and ultimately return to dial stop two on January 20, we urge all MPA families to follow this order diligently. Gathering with family members outside your household is a very high risk activity. Travel is discouraged as well. If you do plan to travel, please report it to covid@moundsparkacademy.org.

Thank you for joining us in helping slow the spread. We hope you enjoy the holidays while being safe, smart, and kind. And, as always, report any COVID-19 symptoms, exposures, or cases to covid@moundsparkacademy.org.

MPA Fall And Winter Athletics Update

November 19, 2020

Yesterday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz released Emergency Executive Order which initiates restrictions/a pause on all organized youth and high school sports beginning Friday, November 20. These restrictions directly impact all Minnesota State High School League fine arts and athletic programs that are in-season (volleyball) or projected to start (alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, basketball, and hockey). The restriction remains in effect through Friday, December 18. More specific MPA athletic program information will be forthcoming as we learn more from the Minnesota State High School League.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Dan Haase, athletic director, via email.