January 11, 2018
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
Today, Middle School students met in mixed-grade level groups to explore the character trait of perseverance, a core pillar of our Middle School Character Education Program. Each group collaborated to complete two separate challenges related to fostering perseverance and then processed their experience with their teachers. Learning from failure, working together, developing skills such as persistence and tenacity were all a part of the lesson, but in the spirit of MPA, there was also a lot of joyful learning taking place.
Character education is but one part of an overall Mounds Park Academy wellness program. The MPA Strategic Plan, Momentum 2020, has as its first goal, “Empower students to live, learn, and thrive in the 21st century globalized society.” Academic and career success are important and MPA provides students a rigorous and relevant curriculum. But as a school committed to educating the whole child, we also understand that in order to reach one’s full potential, students must also have the knowledge and skills necessary live lives of health and wholeness.
Mental illness and anxiety among young people are on the rise. For instance, by the age of 18, 15-25 percent of adolescents will have experienced a major depressive episode. We also know that suicide is the second leading cause of death for Americans ages 15-34. A recent New York Times article quoted research from the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA that found the percentage of college freshmen reporting feeling overwhelmed rose from 18 percent in 1985 to 29 percent in 2010 and surged to 41 percent last year. These facts paint a grave picture—one that illustrates clearly how critical our work is in this area.
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
Upper School
Upper School student Cloris Lin established MPA’s Design Club this year as a creative outlet beyond the classroom. The Makerspace became home to the club, hosting their meetings officiated by Ms. Koen. The meetings, which take place every Monday during lunch and after school, begin with one simple question: “What do you want to make?”
The MPA Upper School Debate team competed at the State Debate Tournament last weekend, placing third overall! The varsity team of Pranay Somayajula and Meg Wilkening were semifinalists, losing on an extremely close decision. As a senior, Pranay was both proud and nostalgic as the tournament came to a close.
MPA juniors Karan Jain, Toby Sullivan, and Jose Varela came in second in the Great Oaks National Invitational Regatta in New Orleans!
Congratulations to Solveig Svennevig-Brosi (Class 2020) and Jordan Akers (Class of 2020) who auditioned online and were selected to be members of the 9-10 ACDA-MN State Honor Choirs!
How much time does your child spend looking at screens? On average, children spend six and a half hours a day on screens, and that’s not including in the classroom or while doing homework. Do you think violent video games desensitize people to violence? Have you experienced people using screens to avoid face-to-face interactions? Does your child ever make comments online that he or she wouldn’t make in person? These are all questions that every parent struggles with and MPA would like to help better equip you to navigate this important issue.
Mounds Park Academy Boys Basketball is thrilled to announce Jacob Schwartz ’09 as head varsity coach! He is taking over for Dan Haase, who moved into the role of Athletic Director after 16 years coaching basketball at MPA. Previously, Jacob coached MPA’s Junior Varsity team while also acting as an assistant coach on the Varsity bench.
Visit campus to walk through “Two Perspectives,” a beautiful and expressive tandem photo exhibition by MPA Upper School students Alex Esch and Siri Vorvick! The display opened November 6 in the Gallery. Both students are working toward their Certificates of Distinction and describe their art as purposeful, exploratory, and adventurous.