Alumni Archives

December 14, 2017

MPA alum Rose Miller ’06 received a special honor at the Animal Humane Society called the Values Award. This recognition celebrates individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the organization and exemplify the Animal Humane Society’s organizational values: be good to animals, partner with people, and lead responsibly with compassion.

Rose is the social media producer for AHS, turning the organization’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat profiles into resources for supporters. Rose has helped grow the loyal audience to more than 120,000 followers. She exceeds in her role as the voice of AHS and takes it very seriously. She uses her skills and storytelling tools to post thoughtfully and engagingly, developing her content and organization tactics far in advance. Read More

Seeking Nominees for the MPA Board of Trustees

December 7, 2017

MPA’s Board of Trustees is a self-generative body of about 18–22 trustees, each of whom serves up to two 3-year terms. The Governance Committee of the Board solicits, evaluates, interviews, and recommends to the full Board, for its consideration, potential candidates to serve as trustees.

Over the upcoming weeks, the Board’s Governance Committee is commencing its annual process of identifying, evaluating, and interviewing a slate of potential trustee candidates. Candidates will be presented to the full Board at its May meeting, and candidates who are selected to serve will begin their first 3-year term in July 2018.

MPA Alum Receives Student Film Production Award

December 7, 2017

Erin Law, Class of 2012, received a Crystal Pillar Award at the the Chicago-Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences last weekend! The Crystal Pillar is NATAS’ highest award for student productions.

Erin is in her second year of graduate studies, mastering in digital media and storytelling. Erin’s documentary, created with Megan McKinley of California, was “Dress For Success.” The mission of Dress For Success is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

Congratulations, Erin! We love how you are dreaming big and doing right!

Jacob Schwartz ’09 Named Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach

November 16, 2017

Mounds Park Academy Boys Basketball is thrilled to announce Jacob Schwartz ’09 as head varsity coach! He is taking over for Dan Haase, who moved into the role of Athletic Director after 16 years coaching basketball at MPA. Previously, Jacob coached MPA’s Junior Varsity team while also acting as an assistant coach on the Varsity bench.

“I’m most excited about working with the kids in our program,” said Jacob. “I’ve built some great relationships with them over the years and to see their progression has been terrific. I’m excited to help them achieve both team and individual success as we strive to take MPA basketball to the next level.”

Evan Ferlic ’15 Receives Big Ten Sportsmanship Award

November 3, 2017

Congratulations to Evan Ferlic ’15 for receiving the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the University of Minnesota Men’s Cross Country Team!

The Big Ten Conference honors athletes who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. Athletes must be in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.

As a Panther, Ferlic helped lead MPA to a second place finish at the 2013 MSHSL State Cross Country Meet and anchored the 2015 Class A State Champion 4x800m relay team in Track and Field.

Congratulations, Evan!

Laurel Schwartz’s World Premiere

October 20, 2017

Laurel Schwartz ’11 began creating video content about chronic illness when she was just 12 years old through her work with Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. Now 24, her documentary “Running Breathless” will world premiere at the Twin Cities Film Festival October 21 (tomorrow!) at 12:10 PM.

This is her directorial, editorial, and acting festival debut. Having spent the last two years as a producer at Leo Burnett’s internal production company, Greenhouse, she is now returning to school to pursue social work at Columbia University. In grad school, Schwartz hopes to explore uses for digital communication in chronic illness management and advocacy. She hopes to use her passion for film and digital media to share stories about chronic illness often left out of popular media.

Meet Erik Sand ’03

September 29, 2017

Ph.D. student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Joanne Olson 13-Year Club Member

What do you love about MPA?
Academic rigor isn’t the only thing that matters. MPA is an environment that is infused with values like acceptance, respect, and tolerance. I know this emphasis is not found at all schools and it helped shape who I am today.

How were you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
I served our country in active duty with the Navy for eight years, completed my undergraduate degree at Harvard University, and am currently a Ph.D. student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology studying political science and international relations. All of the important skills I needed for graduate school, I learned in 10th grade at MPA. I was taught how to teach myself and to learn for the sake of learning.

What would you tell a parent considering MPA?
I was at MPA for 13 years and familiarity is something humans value tremendously. But for me, it’s more than just that. MPA will become part of who your child is. Read More

Get Your Love Your Melon and MPA Hat

September 28, 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 Love Your Melon hat at Homecoming, no fear! Several pop up shops are being planned until the hats sell out! On each of the following dates, hats will be available for purchase before school in the Lansing Lobby and after school at the South Entrance: October 31,
November 21, and December 19. In addition, they will be available at the Pancake Breakfast on December 6.

Nourishing Since 1982

September 28, 2017

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

I hope that you were caught up in the wave of school spirit last week during Homecoming. It was a fantastic week as students, parents, and alumni “came back” to celebrate the special place that MPA holds in their hearts. Newly retired athletic director Joe Kordosky remarked that the turnout for Saturday’s events was the largest he could remember. As I moved from event to event, I reveled in the strong school spirit and morale.

We had a wonderful showing of alumni for a happy hour Friday night and a more formal reunion on Saturday evening. Several alums participated in a tour of the school that I led on Saturday morning. Interacting with alumni is an aspect of my job that I really enjoy. You’ve probably come to know that I love to hear people’s stories. It is particularly rewarding to listen to the stories that alumni tell about the influence MPA has had on their lives. Many say that it was, in fact, “life-changing.” For instance: Read More

Alumni In The News

September 14, 2017

Erik Sand ’08
Check out this feature on Erik Sand ’08 as he pursues his PhD at MIT. Investigating the dynamics of war and peace, Erik Sand brings a perspective shaped by eight years of service in the U.S. Navy to his doctoral studies. read the article >

Mason Ferlic ’11
MPA alum Mason Ferlic ’11 was selected as the USATF Minnesota August Athlete of the Month! Congratulations Mason! read the article >