From P.E. tennis classes to acts of courage: Back-to-school news and feature stories
With the 2026-27 school year approaching, USTA Missouri Valley showcases the people and programs helping grow the game among students and young athletes. Learn more about bringing tennis into schools by clicking here.
🎾 Dowling Catholic High School tennis player Marek Dessimoz showed extraordinary courage when he helped rescue a woman from a burning home on Mother's Day. Read more about his life-saving act of heroism by viewing this story.
🏫 Westminster Christian Academy is giving the St. Louis tennis community a boost by resurfacing all 12 of its courts with support from USTA Tennis Venue Services funding. The upgraded facility will continue serving student-athletes, local players and USTA events. View more here.
🎾 Branson High School tennis coach Sean Kembell is growing tennis throughout the city known for tourism via youth and adult programs. His family is heavily involved in the sport as well, with Kembell having a "dream" opportunity to play alongside his daughter. Read more here.
🏫 Hundreds of Oklahoma City elementary students are getting their first taste of tennis through First Serve OKC's P.E. Takeover Days. The program transforms school gyms into tennis courts while introducing students to the sport in a fun, engaging way. Read the full story here.
🤝 Breakpoint Tennis & Life Skills Academy helped bring seven freshly resurfaced tennis courts to under-resourced St. Louis neighborhoods, expanding access to the sport. Find out how the USTA contributed in a major way to these upgrades here.
Marek Dessimoz — a high school tennis player from Des Moines, Iowa — saved a woman from a burning home.
The 12 tennis courts at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis are being resurfaced thanks in part to USTA Tennis Venue Services funding.
Sean Kembell (left) is making a major impact at Branson High School and in the broader community through his tennis teaching.
Hundreds of Oklahoma City elementary students are discovering tennis through First Serve OKC's P.E. Takeover Days program.
Ben Gildehaus (left) and Breakpoint Tennis & Life Skills Academy in St. Louis led the charge for seven tennis courts across three facilities to be resurfaced.
Nearly 90 elementary-aged kids learned tennis at a Bellevue, Neb., summer camp supported by a USTA grant.
A total of 224 high school girls' tennis players will travel to southwest Missouri to compete in the Joplin Interstate Championships.
- Marek Dessimoz — a high school tennis player from Des Moines, Iowa — saved a woman from a burning home.
- The 12 tennis courts at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis are being resurfaced thanks in part to USTA Tennis Venue Services funding.
- Sean Kembell (left) is making a major impact at Branson High School and in the broader community through his tennis teaching.
- Hundreds of Oklahoma City elementary students are discovering tennis through First Serve OKC's P.E. Takeover Days program.
- Ben Gildehaus (left) and Breakpoint Tennis & Life Skills Academy in St. Louis led the charge for seven tennis courts across three facilities to be resurfaced.
- Nearly 90 elementary-aged kids learned tennis at a Bellevue, Neb., summer camp supported by a USTA grant.
- A total of 224 high school girls' tennis players will travel to southwest Missouri to compete in the Joplin Interstate Championships.
☀️ Nearly 90 elementary-aged kids learned tennis, built confidence and had fun at a summer camp in Bellevue, Neb., led by local high school coaches and supported by a USTA grant. See how high school volunteers took the camp to the next level by clicking here.
🏆 A total of 32 high school girls' tennis teams from Missouri, Illinois and Arkansas will compete in the Joplin Interstate Championships, a unique early-season event that gives players fresh competition and coaches strategic lineup decisions. Learn more about the huge tourney in Joplin, Mo., here.
🤝 A partnership between USTA Heart of America and Synergy Services is helping children experiencing housing instability find fun, friendship and growth through weekly tennis. Read more about how this program is introducing kids to the sport here.
☀️ A summer pilot program led by Larry Newton gave juniors in Omaha, Neb., more match-play opportunities. The initiative could expand to high schools across the state in the coming years to elevate the level of tennis in Nebraska. Learn more here.
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