l a e r e th a student’s guide to grades 5–12
at Chicago’s independent school for real thinkers
Morgan Park Academy
What’s real about
Morgan Park Academy? It starts with us.
We’re from all over Chicago. Some of us have been here since we were three. Some of us went to big public schools before coming here. Others to smaller neighborhood schools that didn’t really challenge us. At MPA, we’re recognized for who we are, how we think, and what we can do. And that makes a big difference. We might just be students, but we’ve figured a few things out. This world tests you. This city tests you. Your school shouldn’t just be another test– it should prepare you for what ’s out there. And that’s what MPA does.
What else?
I wouldn’t want to go to school anywhere else in Chicago. Other schools seem too big, or too impersonal, or too stuffy, or too rigid. MPA fits me just right. And the academics are top-notch. You work hard here, and it pays off. I know I’m going to a good college because of what I’m learning at MPA. Not only that, but I know I can make a difference no matter where I go. MPA isn’t for everyone. Here’s who it is for: People who want to know their teachers, who like to learn together, who like to learn by doing, and who want to explore the world and make their mark. School should feel real. That’s why I’m at MPA.
Global MPA
With an experiential curriculum, Morgan Park Academy prepares every student for the very real world they live in.
What’s more, the perspectivewidening, global component allows our students to step outside their comfort zones and ZIP codes. Those experiences can be life changing. MPA graduates leave as confident young adults with the ability to apply fresh insights to unfamiliar contexts.
real-time learning There’s hardly a course that we can’t tie to this city around us. Imagine a history lesson on the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. And then riding the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier to get a better sense of the famous invention that brought millions of visitors to Chicago. My social studies class visited a soup kitchen when we looked at the root causes of poverty. You might head up to the Art Institute for a firsthand look at French Impressionists or check out the dolphin show at the Shedd Aquarium before a biology final. The Adler Planetarium, the Brookfield Zoo, and the Museum of Science and Industry. It’s all in our backyard.
MPA grades 5-8
real understanding Just being middle school aged is hard enough. We’re not “junior” versions of high school kids. My MPA teachers get that. And my classmates are my best friends. We work together on algebra problems, laugh like crazy out in the quad, and sometimes even surprise ourselves with how much we’re learning. But the real world is right out there. And we’re getting prepped to greet it head on. Not just by reading books (though we do read a lot of books!). But by wrapping our hands and minds around the subjects we’re studying. The MPA middle school seems to meet us right where we’re at, and get us ready for what’s up next.
MPA middle school faculty are specially trained to teach middle school students.
With all the physical and emotional changes embroiling within middleschool-aged children, adult role models may be more important than ever. Every day at MPA, middle school students attend teacher-led advisory groups. The results: tangible bonds of trust with their teachers and camaraderie with their classmates. When children feel cared for and respected, they put forth more effort in the classroom.
MPA FACULTY
About two thirds of MPA faculty members hold advanced degrees.
All of them teach because connecting with young minds is their passion. Students in math class calculate their height based on echoes in our library’s lobby. Shakespeare unfolds outdoors in the school garden. A history class performs a real-time mock trial.
Our student-to-teacher ratio is 8:1, which means just about every adult on campus knows each child extremely well and cares about his learning.
Our total enrollment is around 500 students, for preschool through 12th grade. Imagine how well each student knows MPA– and how well we know her– should she spend some 15 years here.
keeping it real Some of my favorite people at MPA are my teachers. They are real people. They’ve got these whole, complex lives outside of school. Sometimes you forget that, but it makes discussions with them really interesting. They draw on life experience when advising you about an essay or a research topic or how to balance your schoolwork with your athletic commitments. They have wisdom. You know they care about you and want you to succeed, so you try that much harder. Our teachers are always talking to each other about new ideas for projects and how to present material to us in a more interesting way. They understand what catches our attention, what’s going to inspire us to work harder and figure things out on our own. That means classes at MPA keep us on our toes.
OUR upper school:
MPA OUTCOMES
reality prep
I’ll admit it– I was pretty quiet when I first got here.
I didn’t really like the sound of my own voice, and I hardly ever spoke up in class. MPA changed all that.
Most upper school courses function like an open dialogue. My small classes at MPA taught me that my opinion mattered and thinking out loud could be rewarding. My teachers and classmates encouraged me. The more they listened, the more I put myself out there. Now I can walk into a college interview with confidence and strike up a conversation with just about anyone about almost anything.
It’s not the case at most schools, but at MPA, the coolest kids get the best grades. We’re really good writers, readers, scientists and inventors, and world travelers. You don’t have to conform to a certain role here. It’s like there’s a call for exploration. And we’re all really into it. I’m M O R E than ready for college.
College prep begins freshman year. Students plan their course load with their advisors and meet with our director of college counseling. Every MPA junior takes College 102, a course that helps them sort through their college options and complete their personal portfolio. Upper school students can choose from 14 AP courses and 10 honors courses.
The faculty is an enthusiastic blend of veteran and new teachers, eager to help students through their teenage years. Daily advisory groups continue throughout upper school, strengthening student-teacher bonds and building academic and interpersonal skills.
MPA extras
Co-curriculars form an integral part of the MPA experience, and we offer more than 70 clubs, teams, and groups that complement our academic curriculum. MPA fields varsity teams in 10 boys’ and girls’ sports: soccer, basketball, tennis, golf, softball, baseball, and volleyball.
Service learning has been a core value at MPA since 1873. Today, the tradition continues as MPA students volunteer regularly all across Chicago.
real opportunities to expand horizons There are real advantages to MPA being such a small school. Pretty much everyone here gets involved in sports, arts, clubs, and teams that keep us busy. Your typical MPA student is in the robotics club and takes trigonometry. The point guard on the basketball team is also the band’s trombone player. You might be the section leader in choir and someone who’s dominated the science fair since fourth grade. Or the guy with a guitar on the quad who’s also an ace on the tennis court.
MPA students showcase their creativity and hone their natural talents across a wide range of visual and performing arts, drama, and music.
It’s safe here to try new things. The point of high school at MPA is expanding your horizons and even discovering something completely random–like Model UN or mock trial– that catches your interest and you love doing.
Real learning at Morgan Park Academy means: small, discussion-based classes With an average class size of fewer than 15 students, we give every student the opportunity to speak up and stand out. approachable, relatable teachers Our teachers invite dialogue and forge meaningful connections with students because they know real learning takes real relationships.
a spacious, self-contained campus quad Our inward-facing quad creates outdoor space for study and play along with opportunities for regular interaction.
an experiential curriculum All students learn best when they apply concepts to real life. So we’ve designed our curriculum to take students outside the classroom to explore and experiment. ambitious, hard-working classmates We foster camaraderie more than competition, and MPA students infuse a contagious passion into serious academic studies and extracurricular activities.
a trusting, respectful school culture Our faculty members model what they teach: respect, consideration, honesty, and empathy. Together, our community listens to one another and acts with integrity. imaginative, disciplined arts We set students free to discover their own voices and talents through writing, music, and the visual and dramatic arts. Creative outlets improve academic focus and success.
competitive, inclusive athletics MPA athletes bring discipline, determination, and good sportsmanship to each competition and learn teamwork and leadership along the way. a perspective-widening focus We show our students the world. Scores of MPA students travel abroad each year, and on campus we interpret events and ideas in their larger, global context.
thorough, thoughtful college counseling The MPA experience readies students for advanced college coursework and also teaches them how to identify the type of college right for them.
Find your way at MPA Morgan Park Academy exists because families from across Chicagoland rely on us for a specific experience.
Located on the South Side, we’ve been around since 1873 to help pragmatic, down-to-earth students willing to work hard, find their voice, their strengths, and their highest purpose in school and in life. The best way to see yourself at MPA is to set up a tour or a shadow day. PreK-12 773-881-6700
TheRealMPA.org
What’s cool is we start with a city perspective and branch out to the nation and the world. I’ve been to Honduras and England on my last two project weeks. I ’m hoping to go to Nepal in the spring. And it’s hard to believe that it all started for me here at Morgan Park Academy. You should check it out.
We’re out on the quad solving trig problems, reciting Shakespeare.
2153 West 111th Street Chicago, IL 60643
TheRealMPA.org