Middle School Archives

February 20, 2020

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

My mother had cataracts surgery today. Although I’ve known about the condition for years, I found myself researching its causes and treatment, happy to find that the procedure is both common and safe. In conversations with my mother, I asked how it affected her and the way she sees the world, the challenges she faces navigating her daily routine, and the limitations of poor sight. I am grateful for the doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers who care for my mother so that she can once again see the world with clarity.

I have long believed that the power of education is to help young people see the world in new ways. Inspiring literature, the beauty of mathematics, the magnificence of science, and the beauty and depth of the arts, provide students multiple ways of seeing themselves, others, and the world around them. Education is much more complex than simply imparting knowledge and skills. It is accompanying students through a challenging and sometimes uncomfortable process of fostering a growing awareness of themselves and their own agency. Read More

MPA Board Of Trustees Seeking Nominations

February 19, 2020

MPA’s Board of Trustees collaborates with the Head of School to guide the school’s strategic direction, to protect its mission, to support the school’s development efforts and to safeguard the school’s financial stability.

Nominations for Trustees
We are pleased to share that the Governance Committee of the Board is launching its annual process to identify potential trustees.

If you, or someone you know, could be a strong contributor to the MPA Board of Trustees, please provide the name of your nominee and a short description of their experience and background, directly to Wendy Marko Odeen, Trustee and Governance Chair, MPA Board of Trustees at wendy.odeen@ellester.com.

In addition to strong leadership skills, nominees will bring a broad diversity of experience and backgrounds, and a passion to advance the mission of MPA. Areas of desired professional experience include: finance, accounting, investment, banking, business, communications, construction, education, law, governance, scientific training, the arts, IT, human resources, strategic planning, development, marketing, and community service, among others. Read More

The 2020 Book Festival Wants Your Help!

February 19, 2020

Save the date! The MPA Book Festival is April 20-22 this year, and is open to all students and families. Book Festival Family Night will be held April 22, 3-6 PM. Come join us for an evening of crafts, activities, dinner, and of course an opportunity for book buying! Our theme is “MPA ComicCon.” What that means is that in addition to having a wide variety and assortment of books for sale, we will also have a specific focus on Graphic Novels and Comics. Did you know that a Graphic Novel won the Newberry Awards for the 2020 for the first time ever? And we chose our theme way back in 2019!

Get in on the ground flow to determine how we manifest this theme across the school! Contact Erin Dimopoulos at erindimopoulos@gmail.com. We are looking for volunteers to help with crafts, activities and decor. Help spread the joy of reading!

To Care Is To Confirm

February 13, 2020

by Jenn Milam, Ph.D., Middle School director

Editor’s Note: Each month, you will find a guest Head’s Message here from one of MPA’s division directors. We hope you enjoy reading their thoughts and reflections about life at MPA.

“When we confirm someone, we identify a better self and encourage its development. To do this, we must know the other reasonably well. Otherwise we cannot see what the other is really striving for, what ideal he or she may long to make real.” –Nel Noddings

Philosophy. Philosophy, quite literally derived from the Greek word philosophia, meaning “love of wisdom” is the study of knowledge(s). As we round the week toward Valentine’s Day, I thought I might share a little bit about the importance of love, of care, of confirmation in education. I invite you to wander with me a bit in my thinking. Read More

Our Legacy Society Story

February 13, 2020

Nan Etzwiler, Dan O’Neill, and Laura O’Neill

Since our daughter, Laura, started at MPA in 2005 in its first PreK class, MPA has been joyful, enriching, and stimulating for her—and for us! From pillowcase poems to building 3-D digestive systems, from memorizing Chaucer to crafting a competitive speech, we are grateful to the incredibly skilled and caring faculty we have known in each division. As parents, we have also had the opportunity to volunteer at MPA in various capacities and have seen close-up how thoughtfully the mission of the school is borne out through curriculum, character-building, and extracurricular activities. MPA is a place that speaks to the both the ‘head’ and the ‘heart’ of everyone who passes through it.

In recognition of the rich mission of the school, and its strong leadership and staff, we have included MPA in our estate plans for three reasons. Most important, MPA has played a critical role and had a sustained presence in
our lives for many years—and its impact on our family will continue for decades to come. Second, prioritizing our giving and including MPA in our estate planning have been ways for us to talk with our daughter about not only the importance of giving, but the joy of it. She has a growing appreciation for the fun and importance of leaving something behind for others.

Finally, through tax planning we have been able to maximize the impact of our gifts today and later. Working with MPA’s Development Office to denote MPA as an estate beneficiary was easy and quick. We hope one day that our legacy gift can help sustain MPA so that generations of students to come might thrive and soar just as our daughter has. We encourage you to reach out to MPA’s Development Office to consider including MPA in your legacy planning, too.

Parent Education: How To Listen To Your Kids

February 12, 2020

Mounds Park Academy is sponsoring the workshop “How to Listen to Your Kids: Learn skills that encourage your kids to tell you everything” to help parents create better communication with their kids. Led by life purpose coach Paul Boehnke, it is open to all parents, whether your children attend MPA or not. The workshop is free and coffee, tea, fruit, and pastries will be provided. Join us Friday, February 21 from 8-9:30 AM in the Porter Conference Room at MPA, 2051 Larpenteur Avenue east, St. Paul, MN.

“Do you ever have power struggles? Do you wonder what’s really going on at school? Wish you had better relationships with your children? The skills I learned as a professional coach completely changed how I related to my own son. Now I’ll share those same skills with you so you can experience the openness, honesty and love you’ve always envisioned,” says Paul.

“I’ve led this workshop in a number of places and attendees have given it rave reviews. You’ll learn skills usually only professionals learn and have a chance to practice these skills before you try them out in the wild, at home.”

Maker Fest 2020: Eloise

February 12, 2020

We’re interviewing the Makers you’ll meet at at Maker Fest 2020 on Saturday, February 22! Eloise is a Lower School student who spends her time building, making, drawing, and experimenting with all kinds of materials. She is also passionate about animals and the environment.

What (or who) inspires you to make?
I like making things out of different materials. I also like to make things to be kind to others. My dad and mom and sister help me sometimes. My dad helps me use the scroll saw. My sister lets me paint with her and my mom helps with projects.

What do you enjoy making?
I like to draw jellyfish and sea turtles. I also like to make things out of paper, cardboard, tape, ribbon, and wood. I like to make jewelry out of paper and mobiles out of wood, paper, tape, and ribbon. Read More

Meet Nate Bander ’09

February 11, 2020

Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Nate Bander ’09!

MPA Class of 2009 alum Nate Bander is MPA’s admission outreach coordinator and Upper School admission coordinator at Mounds Park Academy. He also coaches boys basketball and the varsity track and field and cross country teams at MPA. After attending MPA K-12 and the University of Minnesota, where he majored in Communications Studies with a Spanish Studies minor, Nate moved to Baza, Spain and worked in an adult language academy as an English teacher.

“The single biggest impact that my MPA experience had on me was inspiring me to learn about the world. MPA is a wonderful, diverse community of parents, students and educators who place a high value on education. I feel prepared to speak about the greater world, travel to faraway places, digest complex theories and thrive as a global citizen. MPA connected me to the broader world.”

But Nate’s MPA moments did not stop as a student and alumni. In fact, he didn’t make one of his fondest memories until coaching in 2019.

Nate recalls, “I first met Yahya Madar (Class of 2019) when he came out for my ninth grade basketball team. That season, I benched him in a game and he almost quit the team.” But, Yahya persevered and in 10th grade, he came back out for the basketball team. He also tried high jumping in track and field for the first time, and something clicked. Read More

Alumni Mentorship Making A Lifelong Impact

February 11, 2020

More pairs of MPA seniors and alumni mentors have been eager to share their positive experiences and connections through the MPA Mentorship Program and how it has continued to inspire them. In just its second year, a historic number of alumni participated, outnumbering the current senior class! Mentees and mentors were matched based on interests, hobbies, career goals, and college choice. See all of the photos from the networking event here!

“MPA’s mentorship program has given me a chance to learn so much information about my dream of becoming a pilot that I cannot get from the internet. I cannot describe how excited and happy I was on the first day of the mentorship program,” said MPA senior Lyndon Lyu ’20. “We started to write an email to our mentors, and I was so lucky to be paired up with Matt, who is a professional pilot. Being a pilot has been my dream since I can remember. When I was told that I was paired with a real pilot, I was like a little boy seeing his hero. In the many emails between Matt and me, mine were always so long because I had so many questions about aviation. I knew I could ask Matt anything because he knows almost everything about my dream, and for this reason, our email progress was always far ahead of the program required timeline. Thank you to MPA for arranging the mentor meeting in our new Family Commons. Meeting with Matt might be the best thing that has happened to me this year. Matt was very nice and helpful, and he told me every step that I need to do in order to be a pilot in the future. He is even willing to introduce me to some airlines after I get my pilot’s license. For all of these reasons, I am so thankful to MPA’s mentorship program, and I really appreciate Matt’s help and the time that he spent with me on this program.” Read More

Understanding School Types & Finding The Best Fit

February 10, 2020

As consumers, we have the option of customizing virtually any purchase–education included. Parents can select from a wide range of school types, each with their own structure and approach. Making the best choice for your child starts with understanding the common characteristics of each kind of school: public and charter, private and independent, and religious and parochial.

Public and Charter Schools
As described by author Alex Caffee in her Niche blog, traditional public schools are tied to school districts and set their curriculums based on state education standards. Charter schools are public schools that are independent of school districts and have contracts with state or local boards.

“The basic concept of charter schools is that they exercise increased autonomy in return for greater accountability,” says Caffee. “As public schools, charter schools are open to all children, do not require entrance exams, cannot charge tuition, and must participate in state testing and federal accountability programs. The schools draw up their own ‘charter’ which is a set of rules and performance standards that they are held accountable to.” Read More