TheEdisonAcademy

The Edison Academy is one of six academies in the Fairfax County Public School system. It is located at Thomas A. Edison High School in Alexandria, Virginia. The Edison Academy offers advanced, technical and specialized courses that primarily focus on career fields in the curriculum cluster of International Studies, Business, Engineering or Scientific Technology.

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Register Now, See Your Counselor!
Edison Academy Registration forms are available here: Enrollment Application. The application includes directions and the required forms in electonic format. Fill out the forms and take them to your base school counselor. Your counselor will provide a transcript and copy of this year's attendance to include with your application.  Your base school counselor will then forward the application to the Edison Academy. A detailed student application process including the application can be found here.

If you have questions please call 703-924-8100 or you can email any staff member.

The Edison Academy is one of five academies in the Fairfax County Public School system. It is located at Thomas A. Edison High School in Alexandria, Virginia. The Edison Academy offers advanced, technical and specialized courses that primarily focus on career fields in the curriculum cluster of International Studies, Business, Engineering or Scientific Technology. Most classes are a year long, the IT classes are the exception, they are offered by semester or every other day for the year. Most programs will prepare students to earn national certifications of proficiency in their career related studies. Academy programs will emphasize career experiences with Springfield and Alexandria based businesses. Students take four classes at their home school and earn one, two or three credits at the Academy. Three sessions are taught each day, AM classes, Midday classes and PM classes.

The Academy is strategically located in Alexandria Virginia a short drive from the major business centers of metropolitan Washington D.C. Our students have advanced academic knowledge and are working toward advanced competency levels in their academic coursework. The Academy offers the local business community a unique opportunity to become involved in the process of educating students to meet the industry needs of our workforce.

Transportation may be provided within limitations for students attending classes at the Academy at no charge. Students are shuttled from their home schools. Shuttle schedules are arranged for each of the three sessions of classes. Student parking is permitted at Edison Academy when appropriate parking permits have been obtained. Academy Bus Schedule.

You Can Get a Head Start on Your Future at Edison Academy Through the Dual Enrollment Agreement with NVCC! If you're looking for ways to cut the costs of a college education even BEFORE you graduate from high school, a great opportunity is available through the Northern Virginia Community College dual enrollment program.  High School students, who are at least 16 years of age, may simultaneously earn high school and college credit by taking Culinary Arts, Automotive Technology, Oracle or Heating Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration classes here at Edison Academy. 

A reduced NVCC tuition rate may be charged for participation in a dual enrolled course, but successful completion rewards the student with credits earned to satisfy both high school graduation AND earn a NVCC college transcript. Course credits may even be transferable to other institutions in Virginia depending upon the course taken and the college degree program which the student is pursuing.

For more information about NVCC go here.

CyberSecurity Camp

Chantilly Academy and Northrop Grumman will present a CyberSecurity Camp, August 6 – 10 at Chantilly High School.
Registration is open to all FCPS students in grades 9-12. The 2012 Summer Camp program will register 60 students – Register Early!
Northrop Grumman Cyber Experts will teach Computer Forensics, CyberSecurity Fundamentals, and provide information on Internships and Careers. The week-long program will close with a CyberSecurity Grand Challenge competition!
For more information, contact: Joan Ozdogan, Chantilly Academy at 703.222.7464 or Email jeozdogan@fcps.edu
Camp Information | Camp Flyer | Camp Registration

Scholarships Awarded!

Congratulations to Nabil I, Abraham N, and Steven R from Edison Academy's Electrical Construction and Engineering class and to Mohammad B from the Automotive Technology class, for being awarded local FATE scholarships to assist them with pursuing their after high school educational goals. Nabil, Mohammad, and Abraham received the Foundation for Applied Technical Education (FATE) Scholarship and Steven was awarded the FATE Realtor scholarship.

FATE, the Foundation for Applied Technical Education, who sponsors these scholarships consists of representatives from a wide range of business and professional organizations dedicated to providing resources, support, and career opportunities to students enrolled in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. The FATE-sponsored CTE instructional programs facilitate active student learning through the use of contextual teaching whereby students discover meaningful relationships between abstract ideas and practical applications in the context of the real world. Furthermore, student risk-taking in collaborative learning environments and participation in work-based learning are reinforced.
Students are encouraged to become thoughtful, self-directed, life-long learners with a strong commitment to becoming participative members of society and the workforce.

Projected Job Growth Related to Academy Classes

The Bueau of Labor Statistics has projected job trends from 2012-2020. Here are some statistics for jobs related to classes offered at the Edison Academy which have high projected growth through 2020.

Class	Job	Hourly	Annual	Growth
A+	Computer Support Specialist	$22	$44,000	18%
Animal Science	Veterinarian	$39	$82,000	36%
Animal Science	Veterinary Assistant	$10	$22,000	14%
Electrical Construction & Engineering	Electrician	$23	$48,000	23%
Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC)	HVAC Mechanic/Installer	$20	$42,000	34%
Network Administration	Network and Computer Systems Administrator	$33	$69,000	28%
Oracle	Database Administrator	$35	$73,000	31%
Oracle	Software Developer	$43	$90,000	30%

*NOTE: Bureau of Labor numbers are based on national averages. Salaries in the Washington DC area are normally higher.

SkillsUSA State Results

Congratulations to the following students who placed in the top 5 or better at the State SkillsUSA Competitions help April 20-22 in Hampton, Virginia!
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. Students participate in competitions and leadership development activities sponsored by such businesses as at the local, district, state and national level. Additionally outstanding students from the USA may compete at the international level at the World Skills competitions. The mission of the SkillsUSA organization is to help its members become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens.

Name	Class	Competition	Place
Jonathan C	Automotive Technology & Landscape Architecture	Power Equipment Technology	3rd place
Daniel P	Culinary Arts	Quiz Bowl	5th place
Micheal H	Culinary Arts	Quiz Bowl	4th place
Molly S	Culinary Arts	Quiz Bowl	5th place
Reilly P	Culinary Arts	Quiz Bowl	5th place
Sadaf S	Cosmetology	Customer Service	2nd place
Joanna P	Animal Science	Animal Science	5th place
Sara S	Animal Science	Animal Science	4th place
Justin B	Landscape Architecture	Job Skills Demonstration	5th place
Amy C	Animal Science	Community Service	4th place
Cliff B	Animal Science	Community Service	4th place
Mayra G	Animal Science	Community Service	4th place
James M	Landscape Architecture	Action Skills	5th place
Leo X	Culinary Arts	Food and Beverage Service	3rd place
Amy K	Culinary Arts	Food and Beverage Service	2nd place
Tiffany S	Culinary Arts	Commercial Baking	5th place

FBLA State Results

Congratulations to the following student who placed in the top 5 at the State FBLA Competitions help April 13 in Reston, Virginia!

Name	Class	Competition	Place
Richard C	Oracle	Database Design and Applications	5th place

GMs Mentor Edison Academy Hotel Marketing Students

More than 70 General Managers from Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton and Embassy Suites displayed their commitment to Travel with Purpose yesterday by mentoring local high school students, including the students from Edison Academy Hotel Marketing program, as part of the General Managers Brand Training for the Americas region. The students spent the morning learning about the Hilton brands and hotel departments, working alongside the GMs to solve real-life scenarios and participating in mock interviews. An etiquette lunch at the Hilton McLean rounded out their educational day.
"This is the second time we've included this as part of the GM training and it remains inspiring to see our General Managers working so closely with the community by encouraging rising hospitality talent."
Ellen Gonda
Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Communications

Edison Academy Hosts Mock Interview Day with Local Business and Community Leaders

73 Edison Academy students and 19 business and community leaders from the Springfield and Alexandria Rotary Clubs, The Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Suntrust Bank, and other business and trade associations related to the Academy student's studies, took part in the Mock Interview Day Event at Edison Academy on Friday April the thirteenth. Students were interviewed, their resumes were critiqued, and interviewers provided feedback in individual coaching sessions at the conclusion of each interview. Interviewers also provided pointers to the students on how to improve their resumes as many prepare to seek real interviews for summer employment and/or entry level positions to start their careers in their trade or industry.

HVAC Increases Employment Opportunities

Edison Academy offers the only 2 year HVAC program in the region for high school students.  To learn more about the outstanding career options in the HVAC industry check out this video, or this webpage.

Edison Academy Employment Opportunities

Students of Edison Academy. Did you know that part-time and full-time employment opportunities that are relevant to your academy studies are often posted for you in Blackboard under the "Job Opportunities" button of "Career Experiences At Edison Academy" ? You may also find current job postings on the Edison Academy Facebook page for Edison Academy, Fairfax County Public Schools or by clicking on the Facebook page link on this website. If you want assistance with preparing resumes to apply for job openings, Ms. Williford, Career Experience Specialist, in the Edison Academy office is available to help you.

Edison Academy is an official Microsoft IT Academy Pilot High School Center

The Virginia Department of Education has designated The Edison Academy as an official Microsoft IT Academy Pilot High School Center. This membership provides access to some of the latest Microsoft training resources and Microsoft Certification exams free of charge to students.

Vocational Tech Grads Buck the Jobs Trend

CBS News did a story about Vocational Grads, check it out here.

Landscape Design Partners With Clermont Elementary

The Edison Academy Landscape Design and Turf Management Class has partnered with Clermont Elementary School to provide elementary students with supplemental hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) lessons and activities for fourth and fifth graders to teach lessons in ecology, planting, and green gardening concepts. Elementary students have learned how to conduct a soil ph test, how to discern weeds from viable plants, the proper way to clean a garden plot for healthy organic gardening, how to make organic compost and amending soil for better plant growth.  The Academy students will continue to work with Clermont Elementary throughout the year to oversee the planting of spring crops and to teach further lessons on soil and plant preservation and water conservation which will include the installation of rain barrels and irrigation systems for the Clermont gardens.  Students will also mentor minority students at the elementary school to provide role models and to help build self esteem.

Animal Science Program Featured on NBC 4

Students Give Up Saturday Mornings for Rescued Dogs

A group of Edison High students gathers in an animal sciences classroom Saturdays to help rescued dogs find families.
Watch the story on NBC4's website here.

 

Electrical Engineering and Construction Students Wire House

Students in the Electrical Engineering and Construction program at Edison Academy are really wired about their experiences assisting in the construction of a house listed on the market for $788K in Springfield, Virginia. The house is one of 18 homes built in Fairfax County by students from the FCPS residential construction program through a partnership with the Foundation for Applied Technical Education (FATE).More than 40 students from the Edison Academy electrical construction and engineering program worked on the house under the supervision of a licensed master electrician. Students installed the entire house’s electrical system  including low-voltage lighting, a whole-house intercom and stereo system, multiple TV-cable-data connections, all lighting, light fixtures, and outlets, as well as appliance preparation.

Cosmetology/Key Center Partnership

The Academy Cosmetology program has a great partnership with the Key Center which allows students to interact benefiting both schools. Watch the video.

 

 

 

 

Archived Academy News

Chris Castillo a past student from Oracle - Database Design had this to say about his experience in the class.
" My computer science professors are surprised when I tell them that I have an SQL certification from Oracle. From their experience in teaching, high school students are not taught SQL or even receive an SQL certification. That is left to the upper level college students. I consider myself lucky that I was given the opportunity to take such an important class at such a young age. Very few high schools offer their students Oracle or a similar class. I would have never guessed that taking the Oracle class would make me decide to pursue a career in technology.  I am a Computer Science major at the University of Mary Washington. I am using the skills I learned in the Oracle class and applying them to everyday computer science classes here. Without the Oracle class, I would not feel as confident and be as efficient in any computer science class as I am today."