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Four MPA Artists Selected for High School Visual Arts Exhibition

March 28, 2024

Please join us in celebrating the four MPA artists who had their artwork selected for inclusion in the annual juried High School Visual Arts Exhibition at White Bear Center for the Arts: Lia Sonka ’24, Clara Deneault ’25, Piper Hubert ’26, and Nom-Ujin Byambatsogt ‘26.

Lia was selected for her two ceramic pieces, “Cacti” and “Lotus and Lily”; Clara will have her drawing “Fragmented Still Life” and painting “Color Bubble Koi Fish”; Nom-Ujin has painting “Bubbles and Bones” and drawing “The Mori Tower,” while Piper is to be represented by her drawing, “Ribbon.”

Their work will be part of an exhibition that runs from April 15 to May 22, with an awards reception on Thursday, April 25. All are welcome to attend the reception to honor young artists from the region. We are so proud of Lia, Clara, Piper, and Nom-Ujin!

Attend HeadSpace With Dr. Bill Hudson!

March 28, 2024

Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School, launched HeadSpace as a way to connect with families around big-picture topics relevant to today’s world. Please join him for the next and last informal conversation of the year about a topic that matters, a topic that is worth grappling over. You’ll walk away feeling enlightened, connected, and empowered.

Mental Health Crisis
Tuesday, April 9 | 3:15 PM
Martin Lenz Harrison Library

If you have any questions about HeadSpace, please contact Cherie Honan, assistant to the head of school, at chonan@moundsparkacademy.org.

Welcome to MPA, Giselle Wynia!

March 28, 2024

Welcome to MPA, Giselle Wynia! Giselle joins us as a Middle School science and design teacher. We are so excited to introduce her to our community!

What school/organization are you coming from?
I previously worked for St. Odilia School.

Tell us about your education and past experience.
Prior to teaching middle school science, I taught courses at the University of Minnesota including human anatomy and worked in the anatomy bequest program. I have a Masters of instruction in human anatomy and physiology. I left the University of Minnesota to teach middle school science, and it is the most fun I have had during my teaching career. I have experience in public and private schools, and I am currently finishing up the year at St. Odilia. I have a passion for lifelong learning and I am excited to share that with the students at MPA.

What did you find appealing about MPA?
The sense of community and belonging was evident from the time I walked in the door. I really enjoyed my time teaching in Mr. Milam’s room as the students were eager to participate and a joy to interact with. Read More

Caitlin Lock Coomes ’01, 2023 Hall of Fame Inductee

September 8, 2023

Launched earlier this year as a way to celebrate MPA’s rich athletic tradition, MPA is proud to announce the 2023 Hall of Fame inductees: Joe Kordosky, athletic director and coach, Bev Docherty, teacher and coach, Mason Ferlic ’11, alum athlete, and Caitlin Lock Coomes ’01, alum athlete. Please take a moment to read thoughts from Caitlin below!

What is your happiest memory of 13 years at MPA?
Sitting on the steps outside the Upper School, putting on shin guards and cleats with my friends and teammates before soccer practice on fall afternoons. Or maybe the anticipation of preseason practices, the excitement of being back together again? Or Back To School Night when we got to meet our new teachers each year. Sitting on the carpet as Ms. Lage read pictures books to us in the library. Pie at Baker’s Square after choir concerts. The Heritage Fair in the cafeteria. Too many happy memories to choose just one!

How did your time at MPA shape your future?
The most important things I got out of my time at MPA were enthusiasm for learning and school, and the deep-rooted sense of self that continues to guide me. The supportive, positive environment MPA provided during those early years created a stable foundation for everything that came after.

In what ways did the school support you during your time at MPA?
I remember how good it felt to have teachers congratulate me after the soccer team had a good game, or after a track meet went well—to know that these adults really cared. The school was also supportive and flexible about our family living in rural Chile for three months during my sophomore year. My teachers adapted their curriculums to help me make the most of that unique life experience.

Who at MPA had the greatest influence on you?
I can’t say enough about the positive impact of the soccer and track coaches, Mike Scinto, Al Greimel, and Bev Docherty. Their encouragement and confidence in me allowed me to be myself and grow in the most joyful way possible. I can only hope that my own kids find coaches/human beings of the same caliber to nurture them in the same way. In fact, I can say the same thing about every single one of my teachers and coaches at MPA.

What is something about you or your time at MPA that few people know?
The morning of my first day of kindergarten, I woke up at 3 AM, put on my uniform and my backpack, and woke my parents up to let them know I was ready to go to school.

Innovating Our Future

January 6, 2022

from Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

Happy new year! I hope that you and your family had an enjoyable break, spending quality time with friends and loved ones.

It was journalist and author William Vaughan who said, “An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” I suppose I am neither as I was in bed by 10:30 PM on New Year’s Eve. However, I do consider myself an optimist and while as a family we experienced tremendous loss in 2021, I do recognize the many good things that happened. As head of school of Mounds Park Academy, I am grateful that we were safely in-person and on campus for the majority of the year. The dedication and hard work of our amazing faculty and staff, a strong partnership with parents, and the resiliency of our students are certainly to be celebrated.

A new year brings new beginnings. A new year holds promise and opportunity. As a school, we begin the year with a new strategic plan, 2024ward. The new plan builds upon our former plan, Momentum 2020, and captures the energy to embrace the future with opportunity and enthusiasm. Strategic planning is one of the most important responsibilities of the MPA Board of Trustees.

Planning began in early 2019 by a constituent represented task force commissioned by the Board but was halted by the pandemic in the spring of 2020. Instead, the focus of the Board of Trustees and administration shifted from long-range strategic planning to the development a comprehensive scenario analysis and effort to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Given the demand on the school’s fiscal and human resources necessary to successfully navigate the ongoing pandemic, the board and head of school agreed to embark on an alternative, abbreviated approach. Read More

Providing A Joyful Light

August 26, 2021

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

Welcome home! I hope that you had a wonderful summer, filled with plenty of time with family and loved ones. Although I enjoyed the slower pace, I am thrilled to start a new school year. We begin the school year with 575 students, the highest enrollment in more than 10 years with 138 new students, several grade levels full, and others close to capacity. Our growing enrollment is surely an indication that “Dream Big. Do Right.” speaks resoundingly to the hearts and minds of a growing number of families in the Twin Cities. With confident humility, we acknowledge our place among the very best independent schools in the nation.

I love to read but find very little time during the school year to tackle a good novel while also staying abreast of journals, the most current educational research, and professional reading. During the summer, however, you can find me reading on the deck, the dock, the boat, or on long car trips (in the passenger seat, of course). Of all the books I read this summer, one stands out, the Pulitzer Prize winning “All the Light We Cannot See.” It is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read and is deeply, deeply moving.

As I was thinking about many reasons why MPA is a unique and special place and the tremendous growth of the school over the last several years, I was inspired by a line in the book:

“So how, children, does the brain, which lives without a spark of light, build for us a world full of light?”

The mission of MPA over the last 40 years, as captured by our school motto, “Dream Big. Do Right.” is dedicated to bringing light to a world that all too often seems darkened. Each child holds within them immense possibility and potential. By igniting and nurturing the light within each student, our students are better able to bring that light to the world. Through cultivating critical thinking, creative inquiry, and social responsibility, we inspire and empower our children to improve an ever-changing and sometimes, challenging world. We do that by truly knowing each student and though a rigorous, yet joyful, education delivered by an exceptional faculty and staff dedicated to fostering caring relationships with their students.

Thank you choosing MPA and entrusting your children to us. It is going to be a fantastic year!

Ross Kigner ’08: University of Minnesota Morris Football

June 11, 2021

Ross Kigner, like many in the MPA class of 2008, lived and breathed sports. As a Panther, Kigner played football and basketball. And, like many other MPA students, he also represented the school in a variety of ways beyond athletics, as an award winning debater.

On the gridiron, Kigner was the utility player who did it all, excelling especially on defense and special teams. He memorably went a perfect three for three on kicks in an overtime upset of Blake School as a senior, and won the coaches’ Love of the Game Award three times in his high school career. Read More

Sisley Ng ’15: University of Minnesota Duluth Soccer

June 11, 2021

Sisley Ng shined as the Panthers’ goalkeeper, playing on the girls varsity soccer team starting in seventh grade and subsequently earning five varsity letters. Her MPA soccer experience prepared her for playing at the next level because she was able to play multiple positions on the field. “Those experiences helped me understand the game and the positions a lot more,” she said.

Ng served as team captain, earned the Panthers’ defensive player of the year award and was named to the IMAC all-conference first team as a senior in 2014.

Ng’s favorite Panther soccer memory comes from a game that year against Minnehaha Academy when she set up a teammate perfectly for the game winning goal with nine seconds left, notching an assist in the 2-1 victory. Read More

Stephanie Aanenson ’11: Depauw University Golf

June 11, 2021

When Stephanie Aanenson ’11 looks back on her time at Mounds Park Academy, she is always drawn to her experience on the golf team. “Athletics were the highlight of my thirteen year career at MPA. When I think back to my years at MPA, the girl’s golf team is where my mind goes first.”

Aanenson played a critical role on the 2008 state champion team, MPA girls golf’s first state championship, and one of the most dominant MPA teams across any sport. Just a ninth grader, Aanenson’s fifth place finish at the state tournament helped secure the win. And that was just the beginning. A two time captain, she would help lead the Panthers to another state championship the following year, and then as a senior, finish second individually, losing by just one stroke. Read More

Taylor Washington ’10: University of Pittsburgh Tennis

June 11, 2021

By the time Taylor Washington ’10 started her senior season in the fall of 2009, she had already led MPA to a state championship in girls tennis. But winning just one didn’t sit well with her, especially when it came with an asterisk. That asterisk came in 2007. In the finals vs. Rochester Lourdes, Washington’s MPA Panthers won by default when it was discovered that Lourdes had made a lineup violation. In her final season at MPA, Washington wanted to add to her championship pedigree with an indisputable victory.

“We want a true win; we don’t want someone to have to make a mistake like that,” Washington told the Pioneer Press before the 2009 state championship. “It was great to win, but we actually want to be able to say we beat every single team, fair and square.” Read More