June 29, 2023
Picture yourself in the position of a parent of a PreK or kindergartener, perhaps anxiously, but jovially, beginning your school search. If you are looking at a school like Mounds Park Academy, you want your child to grow into a free spirit, a risk taker, a right maker, a dreamer, and a doer. You want an independent thinker. You want your child to be known. You want your child to love school. Your role, as the parent in the school search process, will determine the foundational years of your child’s education. It seems that for parents of the Class of 2023 Lifers, the memory remains clear as day.
Parents of MPA Lifers, the students whose entire K-12 or PreK-12 journey has taken place here at MPA, made a choice for their students and continued to choose MPA every year for all 13 years of their education. Right before they graduated from MPA, we interviewed the Class of 2023 Lifers in a group reflection on their MPA journeys. Their responses and recollections, punctuated with gratitude, nostalgia, and undeniably helpful feedback, led us to further expand on the conversation. We decided we needed to hear from the Lifer parents, as well.
An MPA education emphasizes the value of purposeful academic rigor in a hands-on, experiential, college-prep environment with the goal of instilling a lifelong love for learning. So we asked:
How has MPA accomplished this for your children, helping them find personal and academic success?
Christine (Anthony ’23): Anthony’s a quiet kid, more on the introverted side. And I think one of the things, from preparing personally, is being somewhere this many years and really knowing people and having those longitudinal relationships with teachers, classmates, and other staff at school. It has really been beneficial for him as far as building confidence and being comfortable–coming out of his shell a little bit. The first time he came here, he was 10 days old, so by the time he came as a student, he was super comfortable and felt like it was somewhere that he was familiar with. I definitely think that’s made a difference for him.
John (Freya ’23): When it comes to Freya, one thing that I think has been beneficial for her academic success is the small size of the school and the exceptional students that she’s with. And some of those kids being so exceptional and doing such exceptional work has forced her to become a better student.
Natalie (Henry S. ’23): I couldn’t agree more. One thing I’ve been really pleased about and so proud of is the diversity that Henry’s experienced here. It’s something he was looking for in his college search, which I was just so profoundly impacted by. He’d say, “mom, that’s just not what I’m used to, and I’m looking for a school with more diversity.” That is MPA. I love that. Read More
Eighth grade students in Mr. Milam’s class showcased their talent for STEM through challenging yet fulfilling independent research projects. Students were empowered to select any STEM-related topic and dedicate approximately 15 hours to focused research. These Middle School scientists were also required to connect and communicate with an expert in their chosen field, allowing students to glean profound insights and information about their topic from another person. Josephine M. explained, “I studied preservation in archaeology for four weeks. I learned about some of the most famous artifacts and places ever found, like King Tutankhamun’s tomb and the Dead Sea Scrolls. These historic artifacts greatly impacted our knowledge of what happened thousands of years ago, and they all have extremely interesting preservation stories. In my display, you may also learn about the expert I contacted who gave me information about her job in Zimbabwe.”
from Bill Hudson, head of school
from Jenn Milam, Middle School director
All-School St. Paul Saints Game!
What position will you be holding at MPA?
What position will you be holding at MPA?
from Bill Hudson, head of school
All-School St. Paul Saints Game!