AAPS summer programs help students build skills, confidence, and connections

Middle and high school students are strengthening academics through engaging summer learning and credit recovery opportunities.

Ann Arbor Public Schools’ summer programs at Tappan Middle School are creating opportunities for students to strengthen skills, build relationships, and gain confidence ahead of the new school year. Running from late June through July, separate programs for middle school and high school students provide structured academic support alongside meals and transportation, ensuring access for all participants.

For middle school students, the focus has been on both academic and personal growth.

Tyese Parnell, principal of the Middle School Summer Program, said the past several weeks have been filled with “lots of learning,” particularly in math and reading. She noted that students are building foundational skills that may have been missing during the school year, while also forming new connections with teachers, peers, and University of Michigan interns supporting the program.

“We’ve had a great summer thus far, learning and growing,” Parnell said. “Students have increased in areas of math and reading, and they’ve been able to establish some foundations they may have been missing.”

She emphasized that one of the most important outcomes is helping students feel safe and supported at school.

“The biggest part is making sure they know that school is a place where they can learn, grow, have fun, and feel safe—and know that people are here and care for them.”

The middle school program, serving approximately 200–250 rising fifth through seventh grade students, provides targeted math and ELA intervention along with meals and transportation, helping remove barriers so students can fully engage.

At the high school level, the summer program centers on credit recovery, with a strong emphasis on individualized support. Tracey Stevenson, principal of the 392-student High School Summer Program, said success comes from meeting students where they are and doing “whatever it takes” to help them reach the finish line.

“Summer school is about working with students who may have struggled during the school year, so we have to be different and unique in what we do,” Stevenson said. “It’s about whatever it takes to get them across that final step to earn the credits they need.”

That support can take many forms—from greeting students as they arrive in the morning to having one-on-one conversations about what they need to succeed, she noted.

Some students in both the middle school and high school programs are taking courses online rather than in person.

Stevenson said the goal is not only helping students recover credits, but also opening doors for the future.

“We’re there to listen and talk with them about what we can do to support them,” she said, adding that the program also helps students “find new opportunities for the upcoming school year.”