For students entering grades 9-12

The Panther Speed & Strength Program is a dynamic summer training opportunity available to all MPA athletes. The 2024 program is seven weeks long and will consist of 21 training sessions beginning on June 11 and ending on August 1 (no events during the first week of July).

All training will take place at Mounds Park Academy using the Kordosky/McGaha Fitness Center, the Lansing Sports Center, and the McKeown Track. Panther Speed and Strength is designed to develop all elements of sport performance including strength, speed, power, conditioning, and mobility as well as to reduce the risk of injury. Our strength and performance coaches, led by Coach Ryther, are committed to providing a safe and effective training environment for all athletes to pursue their goals.

Participants will receive a t-shirt. On the first day, please report to the Lansing Sports Center (Court 1). Athletic clothes and appropriate footwear are required and personal water bottles are highly recommended.

For MPA Students rising into 9th Grade

“Good writing is good thinking, and it takes pondering an idea.  If you don’t know what to write immediately, that’s normal and doesn’t mean you aren’t good at it.  All writing takes revision and thinking that takes time.” 

                      - Sara Mohn, MPA Upper School English Faculty

In this summer offering, students will learn habits, strategies, and skills aimed at setting them up to hit the ground running on day one of their English 9 class this fall. In a high-energy classroom, students will be asked to write responses to a variety of prompts. This course aims to utilize exercises and engagement with literature to develop analytical writing skills and mechanics. The structure and material were developed with input from members of the current Upper School English faculty at MPA.

Some specific skills include:

•       Reading with intention, annotating, and preparing to write      
• Outlining      
• Thesis development and refinement      
• Topic sentences and support of an argument      
• Finding and incorporating evidence      
• Introductions, conclusions, and transitions      
• Concision and precision      
• Revision–not just “fixing”      
• Grammatical work: passive voice, sentence structure, and fluency