What is the Thomas Edison Technology Program?

Have you ever wondered what happens to the kids who get called to the “Edison bus” at 11:00 right before Eubie TV? The Thomas Edison High School of Technology, as you may or may not know, is a program that Montgomery County offers to high school students. Need to learn about Edison? I got you!

 The schedule of Edison students starts with them attending their four morning classes at Blake. Then they leave early from fourth period to get lunch and catch the bus leaving Blake. Once these students arrive at Edison, they attend one class that is three periods long and get dismissed at 1:50. They hop on the bus, ride back to Blake, and then drive, ride the bus home, or stay after school for clubs, sports, or extracurricular activities.

Edison is a program where students can focus on their desired career and experience what life after high school will be like, in addition to preparing for those fields by learning, practicing, and earning certificates. The Blake Beat sat down with some Edison students to hear about their experience in the program.

Edison student Samantha Johnson is a senior and is in her second year of Health Professions. She stated, “When doing a program at Edison you will also have a certification for it when you take the tests meaning when you are certified you can work anywhere in Maryland in that profession at only 16 or 17.” 

Is juggling Blake and Edison classes easy or difficult? Fathiha Sherrif, an Edison student who is currently in the Graphic Design program, says, “Since I only have four classes which [is a] half-day schedule it’s not too bad. Less classes mean less work even though it can still be overwhelming sometimes.” 

The hands-on activities at the Edison program include the pep rallies for each program there. Sherrif and her peers participate in a competition for an organization called We Are SkillsUSA, where students from different tech schools showcase the skills they’ve learned from their programs. Johnson and her classmates in the Health Professions get the opportunity to do blood drawing, injections, weight/height measurements, calculating normal values, blood pressures, and ambulating patients in the classroom! These hands-on activities are good because they get you familiar with stuff that you might be doing in later professions. 

To sum everything up, Edison is a great program to get involved in. If you are interested in any of the classes they offer, you should definitely consider joining next year!