Blog Archives

October 1, 2020

by Ishika Muppidi, MPA senior

Ishika spent her summer with Breakthrough Twin Cities (BTC), a local organization closely partnered with MPA. Breakthrough is a challenging academic enrichment program for highly motivated, under-resourced students, where all the teachers are high school and college students.

I chose to get involved with Breakthrough for a number of reasons, one being that I had heard of it from a variety of different people. I thought it would be a good way for me to see what being a teacher felt like, as that’s always been something I’ve been interested in. I’ve had such good experiences at MPA with my teachers and I wanted to be able to give similar experiences and support to other students. When I was in Mexico, my options were limited because I wasn’t fluent in Spanish, so I couldn’t really join any programs that allowed me to help younger students, and I often just ended up helping my peers. I had a lot of fun, but when I came back and heard of Breakthrough, it was an opportunity for me to do what I hadn’t been able to do before. I’ve always loved helping people, even with the smallest of things, and Breakthrough allows me to do that with those who really need it. Read More

Fostering Essential, Independent Thinkers

October 1, 2020

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

I recently stepped into a third-grade classroom and taught a lesson on fractured fairy tales. Students were learning about the essential elements of good writing—the setting of the story, the plot, and point of view. By placing the traditional fairy tale of the “Three Little Pigs” in the context of the culture and geography of the Southwest, students critically analyzed the text and discussed the writer’s choices. By asking questions such as the significance of a house made of tumbleweed instead of straw, saguaro instead of sticks, or an adobe house instead of a brick house, they also were learning the important skill of critical thinking.

Over the last several weeks, I’ve written on two particular weighty issues: antiracism and civil discourse. What is common to both topics is critical thinking. The work of dismantling racism depends on the ability to think critically about what laws, cultural norms, and policies perpetuate racism. Likewise, critical thinking is fundamental to civil discourse by insisting that ideas, opinions, and beliefs are both intellectually grounded and evidence-based. Read More

RSVP To Discover Something Remarkable

September 28, 2020

You and your entire family are warmly invited to attend the MPA Preview on Sunday, November 8 at 2 PM.

Though virtual, this event will provide prospective families with an opportunity to truly discover the type of remarkable hands on learning that MPA students do each day.

You will rotate among several classes, taught by expert faculty. These will be interactive, experiential sessions that are actually abbreviated versions of real MPA lessons, modified to be appropriate for all ages.

Prospective families will also have an opportunity to take a virtual tour and experience 17 of our state-of-the-art spaces.
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Brave Space

September 24, 2020

At this moment in our nation’s history and in the midst of vitriol and violence, I’ve found inspiration in poet Micky ScottBey Jones in her call to create “brave space” where healing can take place in the midst of caring community. At MPA, we seek to build a brave place where students are known and valued and together create a space where we treat each other with kindness and respect. In brave space, students learn to truly value one another and work together to make room for diverse perspectives.

At the same time, we are bombarded day and night on social media and the news with the bitterness of socially and politically charged messages that rend rather than mend the fabric of our society. The political and cultural polarization, already exponentially widening, has only been accentuated by the pandemic. Searing language and personal attacks that characterize contemporary political debate, are words contrary to our school culture. In the lexicon of our Lower School, they certainly would not be CHAMP behavior.

Respectful and constructive civil discourse is at the heart of our democracy. Students develop knowledge, skills, and civic responsibility when they are invited into conversations that are emotionally engaging, intellectually challenging, and relevant to their own lives. As the election heats up and the first debate among presidential candidates approaches, we must recommit to ensuring brave space by grounding ourselves anew in our long-standing school policies of respect and respectful discourse that flow directly from our mission and values. Read More

Antiracism Action Group Established At MPA

September 17, 2020

On the morning of Saturday, May 30, I awoke very early, with only a few hours of sleep and with great sadness. The explosion of anger and frustration manifesting in peaceful protests juxtaposed with the violence and destruction across Minneapolis and the nation the night before was hard for me to fathom. In the months since then, the murder of George Floyd and other Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have prompted both dangerous civil unrest and peaceful protest and brought to the forefront systemic racism embedded in our society.

In my Panther Post message the following Thursday titled “Turn To The Voices Of Our Students,” I wrote about the inspiration I found in our students, particularly then-junior Salmah Elmasry. Elmasry issued a call for action, “We are in a particular position that requires us to be active and not to be reluctant. To advocate against these issues publicly. If we display any reluctance, we will only continue with the status quo and allow all of these issues to perpetuate.” I spent much of the summer struggling with my personal role in fighting for racial justice and, as leader of an institution, what MPA must do to dismantle systemic racism in our school and in our society. Read More

MPA Talks Features Garseng Wong ’11

September 14, 2020

Meet MPA Talks speaker Garseng Wong ’11! Garseng attended MPA from grades 4-12 and went on to study Human Biology at Stanford University. He concentrated on nutrition and chronic disease management and initially thought about working as a primary care physician to continue this interest, but during his time in medical school at NYU, pivoted to psychiatry because the field afforded him more time to get to know patients deeply and personally. He is currently a resident psychiatrist at NYU and hopes to specialize in child-adolescent psychiatry, focusing his work with queer youth and young adults long-term. Get to know more about Garseng before MPA Talks on September 30 with the Q&A below!

What will we learn from your MPA Talk?
In my MPA talk, I would like to compare and contrast mental health as it is portrayed in the media and discussed in the lay public versus our conceptualizations as a profession. I hope to offer a space to discuss and de-stigmatize mental health, and introduce skills and ideas for maintaining mental health as students progress through school and develop as young, independent adults.

What do you believe will be the greatest challenge our current students will face in their lifetimes and how do you see MPA equipping them to face that challenge?
Our society has become extremely polarized to the point where communication between people of opposing ideologies often become shouting matches without any exchange of ideas. This is worsened by the growing sentiment against evidence and the blurring of “truth.” Our students will have to become effective communicators with those who do not share their point of view in order to advance in their lives and careers, especially for those who hope to tackle our nation’s (or world’s) great challenges. I see MPA equipping students for this future by introducing them to big, controversial ideas early and asking them to consider issues from multiple perspectives. Read More

Finding Community Outside Of Our Comfort Zones

September 10, 2020

by Safa Madar, Class of 2022

Being a teaching fellow at Breakthrough Twin Cities (BTC) this past summer was one of the most challenging things I have ever done but also the most rewarding. I learned so much about myself and pushed myself way outside of my comfort zone. I made lesson plans, PowerPoints, worked alongside seniors in college, and through it all, I realized that I could accomplish anything I put my mind to. Breakthrough exposed me to a fantastic community filled with kind, passionate, and encouraging people who taught me so much. However, the best part was working with students. I was able to teach a wonderful group of seventh graders who truly changed my perspective on life and allowed me to grow a different kind of appreciation for my teachers.

One of my favorite memories was our seventh-grade west morning meetings. Morning meetings happened every day, where all of the students and teachers gathered for announcements and an energizer. Our energizer games and random debates we would have with the students never failed to make me laugh. Indeed the best way to start the day. Read More

All Hands On Deck

September 10, 2020

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

“All hands on deck,” barked my father when he wanted to get our attention in an emergency. Perhaps it was his years in the Navy, (although his service was on an airplane, not a ship!) but it was a frequently used phrase in our household growing up. We knew it was an imperative that necessitated that we immediately drop anything we were doing to help out in whatever way was required. As most of us do, we eventually become our parents, and I find myself using that same phrase, especially these days.

“All hands on deck” is one aspect of our COVID-19 reality. With our focus on the health and safety of our community and prioritizing students being on campus as much as possible, there is a fluidity of new and additional roles and responsibilities for faculty and staff. For example, because Lower School students are eating lunch in classrooms and their teachers need their own lunch break, I can add Lower School recess supervisor to my resume. Read More

On Being Kind

September 3, 2020

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

What is the first word that comes to mind that begins with the letter K? Ask any MPA kindergarten student and they will quickly tell you, “Kindness!” I had barely left my post at the front door Monday morning when a kindergartner presented me a bouquet of Black-eyed Susans from our own school garden. Several weeks ago, an MPA parent sent me a handwritten note in the mail thanking me for my leadership after noticing I looked like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders during one of our Town Halls. New sixth grade student, Ari R., gushed about how nice everyone is at MPA, especially the teachers, on his first day of school.

Watching the news these days or the postings on social media can be depressing. We are confronted with images and stories of violence, civil unrest, vitriol, and discord. One could believe that our world is bereft of kindness and goodwill in this time of crisis. In reality, we often fail to notice or celebrate the daily occurrences that advance the idea of humanity’s innate goodness. A visit to the site of George Floyd’s murder this summer brought tears to my eyes. The outpouring of kindness overwhelmed me as I observed donations of everyday supplies that filled sidewalks and bottled water and food was offered freely. Read More

Relationships Matter

August 27, 2020

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

Yesterday was amazing! After months apart, it was heartwarming to welcome our students to a new school year, in person. Excitement and joy were evident throughout the day, from drop off to dismissal. Although there were no hugs due to our health and safety measures, I observed an abundance of virtual hugs, pretend high fives, and no-contact fist “bumps.” As someone who worked in an empty building for the last six months, the joy and laughter emanating from our students lifted my spirits and soothed my soul.

In the midst of a pandemic and opening school in a wholly different way, it’s comforting to see that this crisis isn’t driving people apart, it is bringing them together. As a part of my summer reading, I was struck by the timeliness of “Humankind: A Hopeful History,” a new book by historian Rutger Bregman. Bregman set out to prove “that humans are hardwired for kindness, geared towards cooperative rather than competition, and more inclined to trust one another than distrust one another.”

Bregman posits that, at our core, humans are decidedly good. In fact, is the very trait of friendliness that gives us an evolutionary advantage over other species. One of the most fascinating insights from modern anthropology and biology is that human beings have been selected over the history of our evolution to be friendly. Throughout history, it was actually the friendliest among us who had the most kids, and so had the best chance of passing on their genes to the next generation.