My MPA Experience Archives

January 19, 2021

What are you currently doing, professionally and/or personally?
Right now, I’m on a gap year after graduating from Carleton College in June 2020 and attending Stanford Law School in August 2021. During this time, I’ve been working for Panther Club at MPA, volunteering for the ACLU-MN, and clerking for Judge Edward T. Wahl, Fourth Judicial District.

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?
Honestly, I’m still having trouble figuring out how and why everything ended up falling together so nicely for me this year. It’s probably some mix of networking (with both MPA and Carleton contacts), persistence, and a healthy dose of good luck. Being able to intern at legal advocacy organizations and firms was a big help for not just making contacts but also getting some real-world confirmation that this career path is a good fit for me. Read More

Boeder Risner Family Featured in Lake Elmo Magazine

January 7, 2021

Check out this wonderful feature on the Boeder Risner Family in the December 2020 edition of Lake Elmo Living Magazine! Adi Boeder Risner graduated from MPA in 2002, and after meeting her husband Kyle in Colorado, returned to Minnesota so that her children could attend MPA! “We wanted Luke and Levi to attend the same K-12 (now Pre-K-12) that I attended during my childhood. We chose Lake Elmo because of the unique homes, the privacy, history, and South Lake Elmo is located right between Mounds Park Academy in St. Paul and my parents’ place in Hudson,” she says. Article by Allison Lund-Zalewski, photos by Hilda Berdie Photography. Read More

Meet Assistant Director of Admission for Middle and Upper School Alli Capasso

January 5, 2021

How long have you been at MPA?
I have been at MPA for just under one year.

What do you love about MPA?
I love everything about MPA. I love that we are a community that looks out for each other and takes care of one another. I love that I hear conversations every day about how to best teach children. I love that our definition of success includes being a kind and decent human being who thinks critically about their role in the world.

How does MPA inspire students who dream big and do right?
MPA inspires students to dream big and do right by teaching them problem solving and allowing them to encounter failure. We give them the skills to look critically at the world around them and have the confidence to know that they can change it. I think one of the most impressive examples I have seen of our mission in practice was within our Social Conscience Club and Racial Justice and Equity Club this past spring and summer. After the murder of George Floyd, these two clubs came together hosting meetings and organizing guest speakers for the community. They then moved beyond talk into action by helping register voters within the community surrounding MPA. I was incredibly moved and inspired by their passion, tenacity and, frankly, their guts. Read More

Meet Assistant Director of Admission for Lower School Robyn Hare

January 5, 2021

How long have you been at MPA?
I have been at MPA for 10 months.

What do you love about MPA?
I love seeing how my son Charlie’s perspective on school has changed. To say it has been transformational would not be an exaggeration. He loves coming to MPA every single day!

How does MPA inspire students who dream big and do right?
I think there are so many ways that we do this. My son comes home and wants to research interesting topics he learned in school. He’s so curious and interested in everything, whether it is learning new ball handling skills in PE, humming new songs he’s learning in music, or researching more about science topics he has been introduced to. It’s so fun to see his eyes opened to all the possibilities ahead of him! Read More

Meet Director of Admission and Communication Natalie Waters Seum

January 5, 2021

Favorite teacher to strike up a conversation with walking down the hallway?
Ms. Peterson, kindergarten teacher, because she always has a creative project underway, often with a social justice or service focus. And her energy is contagious!

How long have you been at MPA?
I have been an MPA parent in the Class of 2023 for 11 years and on staff for almost five. My history here extends even further back as my mother-in-law was a faculty member and Upper School administrator for many years prior. I’ve known and loved MPA for nearly 25 years.

If you have worked at another school, how has your experience at MPA been different?
During and after college, I worked at an educational cooperative that served both students who were struggling and students who were excelling. The faculty there were particularly adept at hands-on, experiential learning, especially service-learning, similar to MPA. It was there where my passion for serving children and families was born. I could see that even from the administrative office, my work could have a direct impact on students, families, and teachers. If I couldn’t be a teacher (we were already putting my husband through graduate school), this was the next best thing. From there, I went on to the consulting world serving education-related nonprofits, so that I could be home more with my son. I had my eye on the director of communications position at MPA and when the call came from Dr. Hudson, the timing was perfect. In the fall of 2019, I added admission to my scope. There’s nowhere else I’d rather spend my life, both as an administrator and as a parent.

Favorite space on campus?
It is hard to choose just one, but I’d have to say the Benz Courtyard because I love seeing Upper School students enjoying recess. Read More

Meet Sammie Garrity ’23

December 22, 2020

How many years have you been a student at MPA?
I started at MPA in the fall of my ninth grade year, so I have been here for a year and a half.

What do you love about MPA?
I love so many things, but two really stick out. The first is the community, and the second is how my teachers push me to be the best I can be.

How are you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
I am encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA because of my teachers. They expect a lot out of me, and that makes it rigorous, but in the long run, it’s making me a better student.

Why do you believe your teachers teach the way they do?
The moment I walked into MPA, I immediately saw that my teachers knew what they are doing. They have so many amazing stories and it’s clear that their teaching style is based on all of their many years of experience. Read More

Meet Boys Basketball Coaches Rich Harris, Nate Bander, and Matt Bander

November 24, 2020

Meet Boys Varsity Basketball Coach Rich Harris

What was your playing career like?
I played four years in high school in Oklahoma and was the starting point guard my senior year. I then played point guard at Southwestern College, an NAIA school in Winfield, Kansas, graduating in 1996.

What coaching experience do you bring to MPA?
After finishing my college career, I stayed on for one year as a student assistant. Since, I have coached a variety of different levels of basketball and many schools. Some highlights include coaching the freshman boys team at Southeast High School in Wichita, coaching JV boys and then Varsity boys at the American School of Doha in Qatar (we went undefeated in 2011), assistant coaching girls Varsity and then boys Varsity at American School in London, coaching Middle School and High School boys at the International Schools Groups in Saudi Arabia (we went 21-4 record and won the conference championship during the 2018-19 season), and coaching girls JV here at MPA. The girls at MPA taught me compassion and commitment and I will never forget that.

What is it about MPA that makes it a great place to coach?
The kids! MPA has such wonderful students who want to succeed. Also, the faculty and staff has been very supportive. Read More

Meet Cassie Atkinson ’23

November 23, 2020

Cassie Atkinson joined the Mounds Park Academy community in December 2019.

What do you love about MPA?
MPA allows me to be who I am and doesn’t judge me for it. MPA isn’t in the business of choosing what they like best about me or molding me to “society’s expectations.” They encourage me to do what I like best and help me with whatever I may need to be successful.

How are you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
Just having a judgement-free zone helps me dream big and do right. MPA wants to help me, not shape me into what they think I am meant to be. When I shared that I loved art and being creative, I was introduced and shown many opportunities on campus including classes, plays, studios, events, and galleries.

Why do you believe your teachers teach the way they do?
Mounds Park Academy teachers want the best for me. They don’t give up on me and always are looking out for me. Their challenges only help me to grow, rather than trying to knock me down. Read More

Meet Simone LaBonté ’06

November 9, 2020

Simone LaBonté ’06 is in her sixth year as the Director of Person Centered Practices at New Directions Inc. Under her leadership, New Directions Inc. partnered with local organization Woodbury Thrives to construct a community garden at a New Directions Inc. residential home in Woodbury, creating a resource for the home’s residents and the greater community.

Tell us more about your community garden project and your work with New Directions. How did the garden come to be?

I work for New Directions Inc., a small company that helps people with developmental disabilities lead fulfilling lives. People with disabilities are often isolated or segregated from their neighbors. The community garden is one of the ways New Directions is trying to change that and create connections with the local community.

Three of the men that New Directions serves and I partnered with Woodbury Thrives, a community building organization, and applied for a Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) grant through Washington County. They ultimately funded the first year of a community garden project in the pre-Covid era (spring of 2019). The garden was hosted by the three guys–it was built and planted in their yard. We invited neighbors to a community get-together by going door to door to introduce ourselves and our idea. We also hung flyers and handwritten notes on people’s doorknobs. Read More

Meet Justin Choi ’23

October 27, 2020

Justin Choi ’23 and his family relocated to MPA from Hong Kong. He began at MPA in ninth grade in the fall of 2019.

What do you love about MPA?
I love the support I have received from absolutely everyone here.

How are you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
I have a choice and a voice in what I do. There’s a large variety of electives, sports and clubs and I have chosen to get involved in a lot.

Why do you believe your teachers teach the way they do?
Teachers teach in this way because they want me to succeed. They are helping me to find something that I truly love doing. Read More