Mission and Values 

Winchester Thurston School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school with two campuses: a Pre-Kindergarten through grade five North Hills Campus in Allison Park and a Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 City Campus in Shadyside. 

History
The students, faculty and leadership at Winchester Thurston draw strength and guidance from more than a century of tradition and learning as we evolve and grow as a school community.

In 1935, Winchester Thurston School was formally created by a merger of the Winchester School (founded in 1902) and Thurston School (founded in 1887).

The school earned a national reputation for establishing and advancing the highest ideals for female intellectual, personal and athletic achievement. The Main Building at the City Campus opened in the fall of 1963 with 350 students. A new science wing opened in 1987. The North Hills Campus opened in 1988.

In 1991, the Board of Trustees recognized a growing body of research advocating co-educational environments in which neither boys nor girls are compromised by their gender. That initial class of 65 boys grew to gender parity within a decade.

Today, Winchester Thurston continues a plan of well-considered growth and expansion, recently completing the construction of a new Upper School facility at the City Campus, adjacent to the Main Building; an all-weather turf field behind the Main Building at the City Campus; and a new Campus Center at the North Hills Campus. Most importantly, our faculty and administrators remain at the forefront of educational innovation, ensuring a student-centered environment that draws forth the strengths, talents, and passions of each individual.

Mission
Winchester Thurston School actively engages each student in a challenging and inspiring learning process that develops the mind, motivates the passion to achieve and cultivates the character to serve.

Core Values
We activate our Mission by creating a learning environment that promotes and instills appreciation for these five Core Values:

Critical Thinking
Learning and self-discovery can only happen with critical thinking. Critical thinking is actively seeking knowledge and understanding with open-mindedness, evaluation, discernment, and reflection. The result is the blossoming of the intellect, self-awareness, and discovery of individual passions.

Integrity
Integrity starts with the ability to discern the best course of action when faced with a difficult moral or ethical challenge. It requires taking the initiative and having the courage and strength to act on conviction and embrace responsibility.

Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand the experiences and feelings of others. We foster the development of a healthy self-respect that energizes respect and compassion for others.

Community
We are an interdependent learning community that relies on the full participation of every member. We foster strong relationships, demonstrated through acceptance, respect, mutual support, and collaboration that enhances the lives of others.

Diversity
We recognize and respect difference - in ideas, beliefs, culture, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. We maintain an inclusive learning environment that prepares each student to be a fully effective citizen in an increasingly complex world.

Credo
Think also of the comfort and the rights of others.

Motto
Candide Modo Fortiter Re
(Gentle in manner, strong in deed)