{"id":11349,"date":"2018-10-15T13:59:45","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T18:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/?p=11349"},"modified":"2018-10-16T10:50:46","modified_gmt":"2018-10-16T15:50:46","slug":"your-gifts-make-transformational-learning-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/2018\/10\/15\/your-gifts-make-transformational-learning-possible\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Gifts Make Transformational Learning Possible"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"studentThis article is the first in a series called \u201cThe Fall Campaign Stories of Impact: Five Weeks, Five Stories, Five Reasons to Give.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

At MPA, we know that educational aha moments aren\u2019t limited to the school day or the four walls of a classroom. That\u2019s why experiential learning off campus is built into the curriculum, allowing students to grow and explore in a variety of settings that cultivate a genuine joy of learning.<\/p>\n

For Bridgette Shannon\u2019s eighth grade son DJ, attending this fall\u2019s Eagle Bluff overnight was truly transformational. \u201cHe came back a different person, with a different perspective on life,\u201d she says. The Eagle Bluff experiments around ecology and conservation continued to make an impact at home, long after the trip ended. \u201cComing out of Eagle Bluff, he doesn\u2019t want to be wasteful or careless,\u201d says Bridgette, \u201cfrom not stepping on a bug to cleaning his room!\u201d<\/p>\n

Relationships were another powerful part of the Eagle Bluff experience for DJ, which was especially important as a student new to MPA. \u201cThey hiked in the woods and had to navigate their way back, work together as a group, and really bond,\u201d Bridgette explains. \u201cThere was a student who was uneasy about being away from home, and DJ was able to support his friend, and help him build confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bridgette has seen MPA\u2019s faculty create that same positive environment for students on campus as well. \u201cThey are so encouraging and responsive. One night at home recently, DJ had a homework question and emailed his teacher. He was amazed to get an almost immediate response and felt terrific about how his teacher was there to help him. It feels like one big family at MPA.\u201d<\/p>\n

MPA\u2019s variety of approaches to learning, from woodland hikes to papers and projects, has also impressed Bridgette. \u201cThe curriculum here is structured differently and includes textbooks, lessons, and practical assignments. Teachers are using real world tactics to show students how learning is applied, which is something that benefits them not only in school, but in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because of philanthropy at MPA, enrichment activities like experiential learning off campus expand the educational experience for our students. Consider making a donation to the MPA Fund during the Fall Campaign by visiting moundsparkacademy.org\/donate<\/a> or contacting Susan Robertson, Annual Giving & Alumni Relations Manager, at 651-748-5531. Together, we will raise $300,000 to bridge the gap between tuition and the total cost of educating a student at MPA.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article is the first in a series called \u201cThe Fall Campaign Stories of Impact: Five Weeks, Five Stories, Five Reasons to Give.\u201d At MPA, we know that educational aha moments aren\u2019t limited to the school day or the four walls of a classroom. That\u2019s why experiential learning off campus is built into the curriculum, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":11351,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,28,24,29,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-current-families","category-featured-posts","category-homepage","category-special-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11349"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11353,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11349\/revisions\/11353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}