Thomas Edison High School, an International Baccalaureate World School, welcomes you to a school of “Achieving Excellence,” where our students, the Tommies, “Belong. Believe. Become.” Our seven-period day provides an academic environment that ignites students’ imagination, engages them in learning and supports them in achieving their full potential. Pride and high expectations are demonstrated in everything we do. We have a talented team of teachers who use the most up-to-date technologies and bring experience, wisdom and passion to support the academic success of our students. Courses emphasize an international perspective and individualized, rigorous programming for all students. Our community is actively involved in leading our students to succeed at Edison. We are the second school in the nation to have a partnership with MGR Foundation’s GREEN Community Schools and environmental educator Jayni Chase.

School Tour:
For visits and tours of our school, please call Pamela Vertina at 612.668.1310.

Academic Focus Areas: (Click here for more information)

• American Studies
• Gilder Lehrman History Site
• Business Enterprise/Voyager
• Candidate International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP)
•  International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP)
• Personal Care & Therapeutic Services
• Technology & Multimedia

 Community Partnerships:

• AT&T
• Best Buy
• Copper Street Brass Quintet
• Deloitte Consulting
• General Mills
• Genesys Works
• Greater Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce
• Junior Achievement 
• M & I Bank
• Morris Park Players Community Theatre
• Northeast Chamber of Commerce
• Target Corporation
• Wells Fargo

College Partnerships:

• Dunwoody Institute
• Minneapolis Comm. & Technical College 
• St. Paul College
• University of Saint Thomas
• University of Minnesota

Dual Credit Opportunities/Articulations:

• Advanced Placement (AP)
• Career & Technical Education (CTE)
• College in the Schools (CIS)
• International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP)
• Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO)

Post-Graduate Plans (Class of 2011):

• 52% to four-year colleges
• 36% to two-year colleges
• 12% to military service/work/other

Scholarships:

• The class of 2011 was awarded $1,758,000 in scholarships.
• 9 Page Scholarship recipients totaling $52,000
• 1 City of Minneapolis/St. Thomas Schlarship recipient totaling $84,000
• 1 Dell Scholar Recipient totaling $20,000
• 1 Careleton Grant Recipient totaling $144,000
• 5 Gustavus Adolphus College Paul Ruker Scholarship recipients totaling $72,000
• 6 Gustavus Adolphus Dean’s Scholarship recipients totaling $164,000
• 4 Wallin Foundation Scholarship Recipients totaling $64,000

English Learner (EL) Supports:

• Bilingual program assistants for Somali
• College in the Schools writing class of juniors and seniors who have completed level 4 ESL
• Content-based English as a Second Language (five levels of proficiency: orientation levels 1-4)
• Mainstream teacher training to better serve EL students

Citywide Special Education Programs: (Click here for more information)

• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Developmental Cognitive Disability
• Life Skills

Other Student Support Programs:

• Admission Possible: college access program
• Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID): a post-seconday college readiness system designed to increase school-wide learning and performance ––Check and Connect: school engagement program with a focus on mentoring and attendance
• Mini Clinic
• Project Success: youth development organization –Upward Bound

Awards/Kudos:

• 3 KARE 11 Academic All-Stars
• Shirley Poelstra was chosen as the Junior Achievement High School Teacher of the year for 2010
• Placed fourth in National Junior Achievement Competition
• Student’s essay places in the top 10 in Nationwide Gilder Lehrman contest
• 3 IB art students receive Scholastic Art Awards
• 9th- and 10th-grade humanities class was presented with the first annual Youth in Action Award
• Visual arts program produced Tracy Scholarship and Village Scholars winners
• Mike Minnema, varsity boys’ football coach, named as coach of the week by the MN Vikings team.

Unique Extra Curricular Opportunities:

• Cooking Club
• Drama Club, Spoken Word Club
• Green Council
• eStudios: photography studios for senior portraits
• High Tech Boys/Girls Society
• Junior Achievement Entrepreneur Club 
• National Art Honor Society Club
•  International Clubs: Japanese, Somali,