We Are In Good Hands

Kindergartners gifting Dr. Hudson a scarf by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

I was pleasantly surprised Tuesday by a visit from Ms. Petersen’s kindergartners who presented me with a very nice MPA blue scarf. As we sat on the floor together in the hallway outside my office (six feet apart, of course!), they shared that they are spreading kindness throughout the school this month. The scarf was an act of kindness to thank me for my efforts to safely open school this year. As one of them put it, “You were a great leader and protector,” in the classroom.

For many, the future looks grim. Some people have lost faith in our society and feel hopeless and helpless. However, when so much seems to be outside of our control, I believe we must seek aspects of our lives we can control. Taking action now on something that will have a positive impact in years ahead can help us move through those feelings of hopelessness. In the midst of uncertainty, for instance, investing in the education of our children is essentially an act of hope and kindness.

Over the years, many MPA families and alumni have expressed their faith and confidence in the future by making a planned or estate gift to the school. These types of gifts might include making MPA the beneficiary of a life insurance policy or retirement plan, creating a charitable gift annuity, or most simply, by making a bequest through your will. There are many ways you can designate a future gift through your estate planning. Contact the Development Office to learn more about what options might work best for you. Read More


Maker Fest 2021: Amelia Dickson

Amelia DicksonWe’re interviewing the Makers you’ll meet at Maker Fest 2021 on Saturday, February 20 so you can get to know them ahead of time! If reading about the Amelia’s work has inspired you to share your own, sign up here to be a Maker yourself!

What (or who) inspires you to make? 
I find a lot of inspiration from other artists around me and my own experiences in life. My own struggles inspire me as well to create worlds and things that don’t exist in order to escape the world around me.

What do you enjoy making?
I spend a lot of my time creating characters and environments through illustration and model making!

What are your favorite materials and mediums?
Throughout my time as a growing artist, I have made it a goal of mine to experiment with every medium I can, but my favorites are definitely digital illustration, painting, using polymer clay, and drawing with a classic graphite pencil.

If you could make anything imaginable with no restrictions, what would you make?
I would love to learn how to make fantasy prosthetics for costumes and movies. I love to create things that are fictional but seem real! It takes me into an entirely new world. If I could, I would create an entire environment full of fictional but realistic models.

Amelia Dickson's digital artworkWhat music do you listen to while you work?
My favorite music to listen to as I work is definitely movie soundtracks including The Lord of the Rings and How to Train Your Dragon. My top five songs on my Spotify wrapped last year were all songs from the How to Train your Dragon soundtrack… It’s just so good!

How has the MPA Makerspace impacted your abilities?
Because of COVID-19, I haven’t had many opportunities to use the Makerspace over the last year, and I definitely wish I could have used it more! There are so many incredible tools in the space that can transform ideas into reality. Sometime in the future, I would love to use the laser cutter more to print illustrations into wood and other materials.

Don’t miss Amelia’s Maker Fest presentation on Zoom Saturday, February 20 at 11 AM!

Join via Zoom >
Meeting ID 913 0516 4223
Passcode: makerfest


Meet Laura McPherson ’04

Laura McPherson What are you currently doing, professionally and/or personally?

I am an Associate Professor of Linguistics at Dartmouth College, where my research focuses on documenting understudied languages (primarily of West Africa) and studying the relationship between language and music in “talking drum” traditions.

How did you get there? Where did you attend college? Are there some career moves or other key experiences or relationships that have inspired you?

I always loved languages (as faculty at MPA could attest to!). In college at Scripps College, I discovered the field of linguistics—the scientific study of how languages work—and knew it was exactly what I had been looking for. My wonderful undergraduate advisor did research with African languages, and after a class where we spent the term working with a speaker from Uganda, I was inspired to do fieldwork of my own. I received a Fulbright and spent eleven months in Mali after graduation documenting a Dogon language called Tommo So. Throughout my PhD program at UCLA, I continued taking trips, first to Mali, and later to neighboring Burkina Faso. I was lucky enough to get the job at Dartmouth in 2014 when I finished my PhD and I’ve been there ever since! Read More


Meet Katherine Garvey ’11

Katherine Garvey on a bicycleWhat are you currently doing, professionally and/or personally?

After working in D.C. for three years in with different education-focused nonprofits, I was offered a position with Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Presidential campaign and moved back to Minnesota.  Currently, I am the Campaign Manager for Judge Pat Diamond for Ramsey County and entering my first year of graduate school at Hamline University.

How did you get there? Where did you attend college? Are there some career moves or other key experiences or relationships that have inspired you?

After graduating from Montana State University, I was offered an internship with the Tanadana Foundation as the ESL teaching intern in Otavalo, Ecuador. After that ended, I moved to Washington, D.C. to work with the educational nonprofit City Year AmeriCorps. With City Year, I worked in classrooms in Southeast D.C. helping bridge the gap between what schools were built to do and what students needed from their school. Wanting to stay in D.C., I found myself as an advisor for foreign Fulbright Scholars and working with Department of State contracts at the Institute of International Education. While I enjoyed learning about the visa process and advising, I realized I missed the personal connections I got to have in the classroom. Read More


Meet Katie Ditmore Sinaikin ’97

Katie and her sonsWhat are you currently doing, professionally and/or personally?

Professionally I lead a team of global market researchers and forecasters focused in Oncology, for a Bay Area biotech/Pharma company.

How did you get there? Where did you attend college?

I attended Wellesley College and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

How did your MPA experience prepare you for your life today? How did MPA inspire you to dream big and do right?

I had the good fortune to spend 13 years at MPA. I was afforded the opportunity to do pretty much anything I wanted – cross country and track despite not being the fastest person out there, Nordic skiing despite having never been on skis, choir, band, Quiz Bowl, speech, and debate. At MPA the world truly was my oyster.

Is there anyone or anything you are particularly thankful for?

I owe so much to Mrs. Heinze for fostering my critical thinking skills in debate and instilling in me the confidence to speak on pretty much any topic to a large audience via speech competitions. Coach Bev Docherty taught me the value of just committing, trying, and finding joy in the act of running. And, of course, the academics prepared me for success in college and business school (and of course I know my genes from my jeans and my Kings from my kings).


Save The Date For The 2021 Virtual Spring Auction

Spring Auction 2021 LogoSave the date! The 2021 Spring Auction: The Best Is Yet To Come is going virtual! The MPA volunteer planning committee is pleased to share sponsorship packages are now available with amazing perks, at-home meal kits, and great ways to get involved and give back to the school you love. Save the date for April 16 and visit moundsparkacademy.org/springauction to learn more, purchase a sponsorship package today, or donate an auction item from our wish list!

Expect student performances, hear from Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School, and other MPA community members, and bid on and win some amazing silent and live auction items. Proceeds support MPA’s educational programs, new curricular initiatives, COVID-19 response expenses, athletics programs, the arts, and so much more.

Questions? Contact Jennifer Rogers-Petitt, director of development and community engagement at jrogers@moundsparkacademy.org.


Save The Date For Virtual Maker Fest

a student painting at maker fest 2020Save the date for MPA’s Virtual Maker Fest! On Saturday, February 20 from 11 AM-1 PM, MPA will host a variety of community makers to showcase their projects, passions, and hands on how-to demonstrations through Zoom. Participants will be able to the presentations by visiting different breakout rooms. More event details for Virtual Maker Fest 2021 will be coming soon! Please click here to sign up as a presenter!

If you have any questions, please email Nicole Koen at nkoen@moundsparkacademy.org.


Alumni Board Seeks Members For Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Subcommittee

Sidney Carlson White '17The Alumni Association Board is seeking members for its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion subcommittee! Led by the Board’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer Sidney Carlson White ’17, this subcommittee, which meets every other month, is for alumni looking to impact and guide antiracism efforts undertaken by both the Alumni Association Board and the broader MPA community.

To be considered for this subcommittee, you don’t have to be a member of the alumni board, simply reach out to alumni@moundsparkacademy.org if interested.


MPA Legacy Society Hosts Wealth Management Presentation

MPA alumnus Ty Johnston ’04 MPA’s Legacy Society Committee welcomes you to join MPA alumnus Ty Johnston ’04 for a special presentation on wealth management and creative giving vehicles to benefit important causes you care about. You will learn and gain perspective on tax implications, practical steps you can take, and a variety of giving vehicles you may benefit from. Save the date for January 27, 2021 to join us at 4 PM.

Ty serves as a wealth manager, working directly with his clients to create and maintain a customized financial plan addressing all aspects of a healthy financial life including investments, tax planning, risk management, retirement, employee benefits and estate planning.

Ty is a proud member of the Class of 2004 at MPA and enjoys visiting campus in non-COVID years to visit with former teachers and administrators as well as to keep in touch with existing alumni in the Twin Cities. He has also participated in the MPA Alumni Mentorship program, supporting current MPA seniors as they contemplate their career and college choices.

This presentation will be beneficial for any MPA parents, grandparents, alumni, and other community members. Following the presentation Ty will provide a Q&A session. Join us on Facebook Live or watch the video recording made available following the session.


Alumni Mentors Make Connections Virtually

Isak, Ryan, And Jeremy making alumni mentorship connectionsThe MPA Mentorship Program entered its third year with MPA Alumni being paired with a member of the senior class. The MPA Alums and seniors exchange three emails throughout the months of November and December. A survey was sent to both the seniors and alums to determine what their interests, career goals, college choice, etc. Work then began to recruit mentors who matched with the interests of our seniors. The program is proving to be successful and gain traction as for the second year in a row we had more alumni interested than seniors enrolled. Engagement continued to be at a high level and many connections were made that will continue far beyond the seniors’ last year at MPA.

This year’s alumni mentor program concluded on January 12, 2021 with a virtual networking event taking place on both Monday, January 11 and Tuesday, January 12. Switching to a virtual program proved successful for attendance with almost 90 percent of our mentors being able to participate. Mentors logged in from all over the country and the world.

A large thank you to our 63 mentors for their commitment, dedication and kindness to our seniors during this year’s mentorship program. We are grateful for your time and devotion to MPA!

If you have interest in joining the mentorship program in the next school year please contact Ashley Goetzke, Assistant Director of Development at agoetzke@moundsparkacademy.org.