Morgan Park Academy Hosts Winter Open House This Saturday

CHICAGO — Morgan Park Academy will host its annual Winter Open House on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 10 a.m., giving students and parents the chance to learn more about the top-ranked school in the Chicago Southland region.

Attendees will be able to meet the admission team, hear from current students, parents, and faculty, tour the college-like campus, and learn about MPA’s record of educating independent thinkers and global leaders since 1873.

The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Please visit morganparkacademy.org or call 773-881-6700 to RSVP.

Celebrating more than 150 years of educational excellence, Morgan Park Academy is an independent college preparatory school in Chicago’s Morgan Park-Beverly neighborhood, enrolling 450 students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12.

Built around small class sizes and strong teacher-student relationships, the MPA experience invites students to develop a worldview rooted in their own culture while broadening and deepening their thinking beyond the boundaries of campus, city, and country.

With a ratio of one teacher for every eight students, Morgan Park Academy students not only have the opportunity to speak up and stand out in the classroom, on stage, and on the athletic field, but also to develop genuine, personal relationships with teachers that foster academic achievement and create a sense of community.

The result is the top educational experience in the Southland area, according to recent school rankings by Chicago magazine, Newsweek, and the research and reviews website Niche.com, which awarded an overall A+ grade.

Graduates emerge as confident young adults, original thinkers, and creative problem solvers. They progress into the next stages of their lives well-prepared for advanced college coursework and poised to meet and exceed the high expectations that they refined at MPA.

The school’s core focus, Head of School Mercedes Z. Sheppard said, is its mission to engage the whole child, inspire the independent learner, and prepare the global leader of tomorrow to make a positive difference in the world.

“We want students to leave MPA understanding that their neighborhood and their city aren't everything, that we are part of a larger world that we have a responsibility to,” Sheppard said.

Ranked among the state’s most diverse private schools by Niche.com, Morgan Park Academy fosters a community that reflects Chicago’s diversity in ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic background, with students, families, and faculty coming from 45-plus Chicagoland zip codes and several international countries.

Infused into the curriculum throughout the school year, the study of language and culture, service to others, and environmental sustainability comes into sharpest focus during Global Week each March. High school and middle school students and teachers share a broad range of learning experiences off campus, while early childhood and elementary students explore the world's countries and cultures closer to home.

Recent high school experiences included trips to Japan, Greece, Italy, South Korea, Germany, Costa Rica, Iceland, Puerto Rico, Yellowstone National Park, and Silicon Valley in California.

“Our goal is to help students widen their perspective,” Sheppard said. “We show them the world and challenge them to step outside their comfort zones and their zip codes.”

Small class sizes also allow MPA students to receive individualized attention from the director of college counseling beginning freshman year, ensuring that students find the right fit in their college searches and are ready for advanced college coursework once they get there.

In the past 15 years, Morgan Park Academy seniors have gained admission at 49 of the nation’s top 50 colleges and universities, as ranked by US News & World Report.

In science and math, highlights include strong math and academic bowl teams and a recent platinum rating on the College Board’s School Honor Roll for Advancement Placement participation and test scores.

The Thrall Family Maker Space is a space for collaborative and hands-on learning, building, and designing that features a state-of-the-art multimedia production lab; workshops for engineering, robotics, and woodworking; an experimental science kitchen; and a new computer lab.

The curriculum also includes a robust world languages department featuring Mandarin and Spanish, which encourages the appreciation of language learning while enhancing students’ understanding of other cultures and history. Several Upper School students annually earn membership in the languages’ respective national honor societies.

“MPA allowed me to grow not only as a student but as a person overall,” said recent graduate Angela Cabrera.

“Every teacher has a genuine, real love for their students and will do anything it takes to see them succeed, not only academically, but in your development as a person. They teach you to be globally aware, to approach life with an open mind, and to not be afraid to challenge your own ideas.”

For more information, please contact the Office of Admission at 773-881-6700 or visit morganparkacademy.org.