The air is getting warmer, the grass greener and the sounds of birds chirping in early May give a preview of summer.
Ten weeks of leisure time allow students to participate in numerous summer activities. Some travel, play sports or work, while others enroll in summer programs. With all kinds of summer programs available, students at SPA have a variety of subjects and specializations to choose from that will best suit their skills and interests.
Ninth-grader Eric Zhang has one specific program with which he has built up multiple years of familiarity. Being predominantly interested in math, Zhang took an online math course called Awesome Math and plans to continue with it this summer alongside his friends to better prepare them for math competitions.
“Recently, I took the AMC 10 and the AME, and my scores have improved from the previous year,” Zhang said. The AMC 10 is a 25-question math competition designed for students in grades 10 or below, while the AME is a more challenging competition for students who perform well in the AMC 10.
Meanwhile, sophomore Asha Peckosh participated in a French high school credit program at Concordia Language Villages during summer 2024. The goal of this program is to learn a year’s worth of French in just one month, which enabled Peckosh to skip a level of the language at school.
“I really love French, and so I think it was a really great way for me to improve, especially conversation skills,” she said.

Not only was the program an exceptional way to gain more experience surrounding the French language and culture, but Peckosh also loved the social aspect.

“I made some really good friends, I’m still super close with all of them,” she said.

Many students choose summer programs to work toward goals or explore potential future paths, while others are drawn to experiences that offer fun and personal growth, such as trying new activities with new people to form long-lasting friendships.

Setting specific goals that work towards desired achievements has helped students like Zhang and Peckosh to choose the right learning environment for them. Although they already had an idea of how their programs could benefit their futures, many students do not have a set intention when entering summer programs. Nevertheless, participating only requires intrigue.

“I would recommend [AwesomeMath] if you are interested in competition math,” Zhang said.
Whether it’s advancing in a subject they love, preparing for competitions or simply diving into new interests, SPA students continue to make the most of their summers, transforming time off into time well spent outside of the classroom.