Summer 2025
Palo Alto Writing Academy
July 7 - 11th
July 14 - 18th
The High School Essay Workshop:
Who Should Attend?
Learning to write well in preparation for college and careers is more important than ever. In this era of texting, AI writing and social media commenting, teenagers are imprinting the wrong habits. Summer is the perfect time to make a difference.
Whether your student approaches writing with reluctance or loves to write and is unchallenged in English class, the High School Essay Workshop offers differentiated, personalized instruction for a range of learners. Rising 8th graders to more advanced AP students will be challenged to reach new levels of writing. All participants will receive a deep library of texts, a range of teaching videos and handouts along with precise, targeted and ongoing feedback on their writing throughout the week.
2025 Summer Schedule
July 7 - 11 or
July 14 - 18 (morning class almost full!)
Morning (9 - 12 p.m.) or Afternoon (12:30 - 3:30 p.m)
All classes online
Falling Literacy Rates
Students must know how to read and write effectively in order to compete in today’s changing world. Yet according to the National Assessment of Educational progress (NAEP), literacy scores for eighth graders (the iPhone generation) are declining across almost all demographics.
Get Ahead This Summer
In the Essay Writing Workshop, students turn off their phones and turn on their brains to the world of reading, writing and critical thinking. The Workshop is an intensive one-week summer program designed to help students master the components of reading comprehension and analytical essay writing.
Real Teaching, Not Tutoring
Now in its 15th year and taught by a veteran high school educator, the essay workshop is based on years of real classroom experience about how teenagers actually learn the language arts.
Register Below
Classes fill quickly! Please register below with your date and time preference and I will respond as soon as possible. Thank you.
Curriculum
Attendees will master how to think through and write:
analysis that moves beyond plot summary and includes a close reading of complex texts
synthesis of main ideas, showcasing the ability to trace patterns, a key skill in critical thinking
concise and targeted thesis statements that demonstrate cause and effect reasoning
opening arguments that cogently communicate a roadmap of evidence
the perfect paragraph with relevant points
logical, grammatically correct sentences
Your student will receive precise and ongoing feedback on their writing throughout the week. They will also read and analyze a range of engaging, challenging and diverse texts.
Repeat students will be given new texts each year!
About the Instructor
Lucy Filppu is a published, tenured Teacher of English, AP Seminar and Creative Writing at Palo Alto High School. She has taught a range of complex texts and writing strategies to every grade level, in addition to launching two new English electives. She is trained in blended online content delivery and her writing has been published in Flash Fiction Forum, Bright Magazine and The New York Times. She earned a B.A. in Communications from UCLA; a M.A. in Creative Writing and Literature from NYU; and attended Columbia Teacher’s College and San Jose State University for her teaching credential.
Parent Testimonials
“Our son loved Ms. Filppu’s enthusiasm, and the way she teaches reading and writing. He was more than ready for 9th grade.”
“My student returned three times to write with Ms. Filppu. Her techniques are outstanding.”
“I have three solid college essay drafts going into Senior year. Thank you Ms. Filppu!”
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