The International School of Minnesota (ISM) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

, coeducational,

nonsectarian Nonsectarian institutions are secular institutions or other organizations not affiliated with or restricted to a particular religious group. Academic sphere Many North American universities identify themselves as being nonsectarian, such as B ...

PS–12 college preparatory residential and day school, established in 1985. ISM is located on a 55-acre campus in

Eden Prairie, MN Eden Prairie is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. It had a population of 64,198 at the 2020 census, making it the 16th-largest city in Minnesota. The city is adjacent to the north bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from ...

, southwest of the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

(

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

) area of

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

.Welcome – The International School of Minnesota
Retrieved April 21, 2016.

History

ISM's history dates back to when The SABIS Network began in 1886 when the International School of Choueifat was founded in the village of Choueifat, Lebanon. There, the founders, Reverend Tanios Saad and Ms. Louisa Proctor wanted to provide basic education for Lebanese girls. The school later became co-educational. The

International School of Choueifat International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

grew and expanded outside Lebanon in the mid-1970s. This evolved into a global network consisting of schools in 16 countries on four continents. Today, the SABIS Network is managed by individuals and overseen by three independent corporations headquartered in the U.S., Lebanon, and the U.A.E. SABIS is also expanding to Latin and South America, with plans to open schools in Panama in March 2017 and Brazil in 2018. After its incorporation in 1985, SABIS Educational Systems, INC. established a range of schools in the United States starting in the private sector and expanding into the public sector. The first of these schools was The International School of Minnesota. The establishment of ISM was followed by the founding of many charter schools in the U.S.

Academics

Overview

The International School of MN is a private academic institution that is a member of the SABIS School Network. Since 1985, ISM has been providing students a college-preparatory education. They have a rich cultural diversity and students and staff represent over 40 countries and 30 languages. ISM's students receive daily instruction in world Languages taught by native speakers. By graduation, ISM students master at least one world language in addition to English. Students participate in standardized tests such as the National

Educational Records Bureau Educational Records Bureau (ERB) is a private, American educational nonprofit organization that provides standardized tests for both admissions (entrance exams) and annual assessments for 2,000 private and selective public schools during pre-K ...

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere ...

, ACT, ACT Aspire, and

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and Test score, scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test ...

tests and consistently score in the upper percentiles which helps them to have a 100% college acceptance rate. Many ISM graduates have been accepted into U.S. colleges such as

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-denominational all-male institutio ...

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

, and

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

as well as colleges outside the U.S. such as

Tokyo International University Tokyo International University (TIU) (東京国際大学, ''Tōkyō Kokusai Daigaku'') is a private, research-oriented liberal arts university which was founded in 1965. Its main campus is located in Toshima, Tokyo, where it moved from its origin ...

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

and

Thammasat University Thammasat University (TU; ; , ) is a public university, public research university in Thailand with campuses in the Tha Phra Chan area of Bangkok, Rangsit, Pattaya and Lampang Province. , Thammasat University has over 39,000 students enrolled in ...

, and

The American University of Paris The American University of Paris (AUP) is a private university in Paris, France. Founded in 1962, the university is one of the oldest American institutions of higher education in Europe, and the first to be established in France. The university ...

. In 2015 and 2016, ISM was ranked as the top private school in Minnesota as well as the most challenging school in the state of Minnesota.

World Language

All students at ISM have daily World Language instruction given by native speakers and they have the opportunity to take AP courses in Language and Literature for World Languages. ISM offers Spanish, French, and Chinese to their students and students who are not native-English speakers are provided ELL Language Courses. Students in grades 4–8 are able to attend

Concordia Language Villages Concordia Language Villages (CLV), previously the International Language Villages, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Moorhead, Minnesota which operates a language immersion, language and cultural immersion program, sponsored by the Co ...

for each language, if they choose. * Spanish students can participate in the

National Spanish Examinations The National Spanish Examinations are online, standardized assessment tools given voluntarily by over 3000 teachers throughout the United States to measure proficiency and achievement of students who are studying Spanish as a second language. The ...

. * French students can participate in Le Grand Concours each year as well as A Vous la Parole (a French-speaking contest) at The

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. * Chinese students organize an annual

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...

celebration.

SABIS Student Life Organization

ISM has The SABIS Student Life Organization as a part of the SABIS Educational System that emphasizes real-life experiences and skills. It is a student-led society that participates in every day roles and tasks to teach responsibility and accountability. It also emphasizes organizational, managerial, academic, and leadership skills and how to balance all of those together while participating in academic and non-academic activities. For example: peer tutoring, planning events, community service projects, school newspaper and yearbook.

Advanced Placement

ISM offers eighteen Advanced Placement Courses listed here: Art History, Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chinese Language & Culture, Computer Science Principles, English Language & Composition, English Literature & Composition, European History, French Language & Culture, Government & Politics: United States, Human Geography, Music Theory, Physics C, Spanish Language, Spanish Literature & Culture, Statistics, and Studio Art: Drawing. On average, students at ISM complete seven AP courses by graduation; during the 2014–15 school year, fourteen AP scholars, two AP scholars with Honor, twelve AP scholars with Distinction, and three National AP scholars. Over 92% of AP Exams received scores of 3 or higher.

Accreditations

* Accreditation International *

National Council for Private School Accreditation The National Council for Private School Accreditation (NCPSA) is a Privately held company, private organization dedicated to accrediting United States, American private schools on a national level. It was created in 1993 to form at-large standards ...

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, also referred to as the Middle States Association or MSA, is an accreditor in the United States. Historically, it has accredited schools in the Mid-Atlantic states region of the northeas ...

* Middle States Association – Commissions on Elementary & Secondary Education

Residence hall

ISM opened a

residence hall A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

in the Fall of 2014. It is and 3 stories tall. Since its opening, it has housed students from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Residence Hall managers plan weekly outings for the students who reside in the Residence Hall. It houses up to thirty-two students; it has a theater, recreation center,

laundry room A laundry room or utility room is a room (architecture), room where clothes are washed, and sometimes also drying room, dried. In a modern home, laundry rooms are often equipped with an automatic washing machine and clothes dryer, and often a l ...

, study areas, and a

fitness center A health club (also known as a fitness club, fitness center, health spa, weight room and commonly referred to as a gym) is a place that houses exercise equipment for the purpose of physical exercise. In recent years, the number of fitness an ...

Athletics

ISM offers fall, winter, and spring sports including: *

Fall Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemispher ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

, and cross country. *

Winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

. *

Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

and

ultimate frisbee Ultimate frisbee (officially simply called ultimate) is a non-contact team sport played with a disc flung by hand. Ultimate was developed in 1968 by Joel Silver, Buzzy Hellring, and Jonny Hines in Maplewood, New Jersey. Although ultimate rese ...

. School teams participate in the

Minnesota State High School League The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) is a voluntary, non-profit association for the support and governance of interscholastic activities at high schools in Minnesota, United States. The association supports interscholastic athletics a ...

(MSHSL), Minnesota Classic Athletic Association (MCAA), and/or

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

. Each year, they have a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

in the Fall and an all-school

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

in the Spring. In past years, they have done musicals such as

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

Shrek The Musical ''Shrek the Musical'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. It is based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film ''Shrek'', along with elements of its sequels: ''Shrek 2'', '' Shrek Forever After' ...

, and

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

. They also have choral and instrumental

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

s spread throughout the year. Their All-School Musical in 2015 received "Outstanding" and "Honorable Mention" awards from The Hennepin Theater Trust, which recognizes performers across the state of Minnesota. ISM offers many course(s) in performing arts as well as non-performing. Some offered are concert choir,

show choir A show choir (previously known as a "swing choir") is a Ensemble (musical theatre), musical ensemble that combines choral singing with choreographed dance, often integrated into a narrative story or overarching theme. Origin Show choirs have been ...

vocal jazz Vocal jazz or jazz singing is a genre within jazz music where the voice is used as an instrument. Vocal jazz began in the early twentieth century. Jazz music has its roots in blues and ragtime and can also traced back to the Dixieland jazz, New Or ...

ensemble, band, strings, show choir band, theater workshop, and after-school music lessons. They also have some non-performing courses including music theory and music history.

Show choir A show choir (previously known as a "swing choir") is a Ensemble (musical theatre), musical ensemble that combines choral singing with choreographed dance, often integrated into a narrative story or overarching theme. Origin Show choirs have been ...

sings popular music and is choreographed and they go on a tour each year – they went to

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

in February 2016 and they also traveled to

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

to perform in 2015. Half of the student body participates in some sort of ensemble.

Extracurricular opportunities

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized cocurricular student organizations in American high schools, with 1.4 million members. The purpose of the NHS is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to ...

National Junior Honor Society The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is an American international student organization with chapters in middle schools. The NJHS was founded by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and today has chapters in the United Sta ...

* SABIS Student Life Organization *

FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition operated by ''FIRST''®. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work to build robots capable of competing in that year's game. Robots c ...

* Destination Imagination *

Math League Math League is a math competition for elementary school, elementary, middle school, middle, and high school students in the United States, Canada, and other countries. The Math League was founded in 1977 by two high school mathematics teachers, Ste ...

* Ski & Snowboard Club

Notable alumni

Doua Moua Doua Moua ( RPA: ''Duas Muas'', Pahawh: '; born February 7, 1987) is an American actor and writer best known for his roles as Spider in the 2008 film ''Gran Torino'' and Po in Disney's live-action ''Mulan''. Background Doua Moua was born in a re ...

– actorYuen, Laura.
Hmong get a mixed debut in new Eastwood film
" ''

Minnesota Public Radio Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is a public radio network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, KNOW-FM, News & Information, KSJN, YourClassical MPR and KCMP, The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper ...

''. December 18, 2008. Retrieved on March 18, 2012. *

Oliver Paine Oliver may refer to: Arts, entertainment and literature Books * ''Oliver the Western Engine'', volume 24 in ''The Railway Series'' by Rev. W. Awdry * ''Oliver Twist'', a novel by Charles Dickens Fictional characters * Ariadne Oliver ...

– Ukrainian refugeePaine, Oliver.
Russia-Ukraine war
" ''

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...

''. April 29, 2022. Retrieved on April 30, 2022. * Alejandro Mesa Dame – theoretical physicistDexter, Patty.
Graduate reflects on time with the International School of Minnesota in Eden Prairie
" '' SW News Media''. June 6, 2018. Retrieved on April 30, 2022. *

Spencer Hutchins Spencer W. Hutchins is an American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives for the 26th district. Elected in November 2022, he assumed office on January 9, 2023. Early life and education A ...

– alternative food scientistHutchins, Spencer.
AltMeatLab University of California Berkeley
" ''

''. June 8, 2021. Retrieved on April 30, 2022. * Aarya Batchu – child actorPreston, Rohan.
Regional premiere of Heather Raffo's 'Noura' paints surrealist picture at the Guthrie
" ''

The Minnesota Star Tribune ''The Minnesota Star Tribune'', formerly the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2023, it is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the List of newspapers in the United States, seventh- ...

''. January 21, 2020. Retrieved on October 8, 2024.

External links/social media

Official School WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:International School of Minnesota Private schools in Minnesota Eden Prairie, Minnesota Schools in Hennepin County, Minnesota Boarding schools in Minnesota Private elementary schools in Minnesota Private high schools in Minnesota Private middle schools in Minnesota 1985 establishments in Minnesota Educational institutions established in 1985