WT Quickly
The School
Established in 1887. Independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school.
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
Critical thinking; integrity; empathy; community; diversity.
Grades
Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12.
Enrollment
639 -- the highest enrollment in the school's 123-year history
Two Campuses
City Campus, Shadyside (PK - 12)
Enrollment: 550
Campus features two buildings: Upper School, opened in 2006; Main Building, with dedicated Lower and Middle School learning communities. Facilities include Garland Field, Falk Auditorium, Hilda Willis multipurpose room, solarium, three libraries, dance studio, art gallery, and gymnasium.
North Hills Campus, Allison Park (PK - 5)
Enrollment: 89
Campus features four buildings: Classroom Building; Campus Center, opened in 2005; pond house; and PK farmhouse. Facilities include a multipurpose room/gymnasium; library and computer lab; spring-fed pond with dock and outdoor science center; natural woodlands and butterfly garden.
Average Class Size
16
The School Day
School begins at 8:15 a.m. and concludes at 3:07 p.m. for grades K - 12, PK concludes at 2:30 p.m. We offer extended day from 7:30 a.m. until 8:15 a.m. and from 2:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Local and National Recognition
Winchester Thurston is celebrating national recognition as one of only 4 schools to receive a 2009 Edward E. Ford Foundation Leadership Grant in recognition and for expansion of City as Our Campus.
In 2007, Winchester Thurston School was one of only 3 schools nationally to receive a $2 million grant and be named a Malone Scholars School in recognition of our work with gifted and talented students.
WT is the only school in the nation to have been named a Malone Scholars School and to have received the E.E. Ford Leadership Grant.
Winchester Thurston School was named "Parents Choice" among Pennsylvania private schools for 2009 by Great Schools.com and Business Week magazine.
Students are accepted to the most well regarded colleges across the nation year after year...
- 73% of the Class of 2009 are attending their first-choice school.
- 84% are attending "Very," "Highly," or "Most Competitive" schools.
- Students in the Class of 2009 were offered more than $1,000,000 in scholarships and grants.
Some of the colleges attended by WT alums from the classes of 2004-2009:
Brandeis University
Brown University
Carnegie Mellon University
University of Chicago
Colgate University
The George Washington University
Harvard University
Haverford College
Johns Hopkins University
MIT
University of Michigan
New York University
Oberlin College
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
Princeton University
Smith College
Stanford University
Swarthmore College
Tufts University
Vassar College
Yale University
Lower School Highlights ...
- Lower School continues to focus on the Responsive Classroom® approach, which has been shown through University of Virginia research to improve reading and math test scores, social skills and assertiveness, and enjoyment of school.
- Lower School's Academic and Enrichment Challenge Program (AEC) challenges students to their highest ability in math and language arts.
- In 2008-2009, overall performance of North Hills Campus students on the ERB test was above the national independent school average in both the verbal and math sections.
- Lower and Middle Schools are introducing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in 2009-2010. This comprehensive program has been found to reduce bullying and improve the social climate.
- Karen Gaul, City Campus third grade teacher, was invited by the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia to travel to Asia for three weeks in the summer of 2009.
- Lab science begins in first grade and carries through to graduation, culminating with opportunities to pursue independent research in the Upper School's state-of-the-art science facilities and Student Research Lab, and through internships.
- The WT Girls in Science program invites girls to participate in a lunchtime lecture series by women scientists from Carnegie Mellon, PPG, Duquesne University, Children's Hospital, UPMC, and others.
- The Lower School technology curriculum incorporates robotics, which is also available as an After School program. Fourth- and fifth-graders are among the youngest to participate in the FIRST LEGO League competition annually at the National Robotics and Engineering Consortium (NREC). WT has had a Lower School and Middle School team at this event for four consecutive years.
- Third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders walked or ran over 1,000 miles in the WT Running/Walking club in 2008-2009.
Middle School Highlights ...
- Winchester Thurston's Middle School MathCounts team placed first in Allegheny County and third in Pennsylvania in 2008-2009.
- In 2008-2009, the Middle School has added a section of Geometry to the curriculum to meet the needs of accelerated math students.
- 70 Middle School and Upper School students earned national rankings on the 2009 National Spanish Examination, National Latin Examination, and Le Grand Concours - The National French Contest.
- Middle School academic electives allow students to customize their schedules to their interests and talents, with courses like Leadership & Ethics , Robotics, Girls in Science, Mock Trial, Asian Studies, Great Classics, Orchestra, and more.
- Through its partnership with the University of Pittsburgh, WT has introduced Chinese in the Middle and Upper Schools. One-third of this year's sixth grade class is studying Mandarin.
- Holly Hatcher-Frazier, Middle School Director, was invited by the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia to travel to China in the summer of 2009.
- The Middle School Leadership Academy teaches every student that leadership begins with character. Leadership Academy includes outdoor education experiences focusing on team building, self-reliance, and self-awareness, and student-driven community service and philanthropy projects.
- In 2008-2009, overall performance of Middle School students on the ERB test was above the national independent school average in both the verbal and math sections.
- Approximately 70% of all Middle School students participated in WT sports in 2008-2009.
- In 2008-2009, the Middle School Boys Soccer team finished the season with a 14-2-2 record.
- In 2008-2009, the Middle School Boys and Girls Lacrosse teams finished the season with records of 5-2.
Upper School Highlights...
- Students in the Upper School achieved these impressive AP results in 2008-2009:
- 80% of WT students who took the AP Physics and AP Chemistry exams scored a 4 or a 5. Nationally, 35% scored a 4 or 5.
- 100% of WT students who took the AP U.S. History exam scored a 4 or 5. Nationally, 27% scored a 4 or 5.
- 71% of WT students who took the AP European History exam earned a 4 or 5. Nationally, 26% earned a 4 or 5
- 69% of WT students who took the AP English Language and Literature exams earned a 4 or a 5 Nationally, 26% earned a 4 or a 5.
- Three WT students have been named AP Scholars with Distinction by the College Board, for scoring a minimum average of 4 on a minimum of 8 AP exams. Nine Upper School students have been named AP Scholars with Honor (for scoring a minimum average of 3.25 on a minimum of 4 exams), and 16 Upper School students have been named AP Scholars (for completing at least 3 exams with a score of 3 or higher.
- In 2009-2010, WT is offering 14 Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are college level courses culminating in a nationally standardized test on a 5-point grading scale.
- Winchester Thurston is home to Pittsburgh's American Regions Mathematics League (ARML) team, which placed 11th nationally in its division in 2008-2009.
- 2008-2009 Athletics Achievements:
- Approximately 70% of all Upper School students participated in WT sports.
- Upper School Girls Basketball team made it to the WPIAL playoffs, a first in WT history.
- Upper School Girls Tennis team made it to the WPIAL playoffs, a first in WT history.
- Junior Miranda Santucci earned a spot in the State Golf Championships.
- Nationally ranked sophomore D.J. Goldblum represented WT in the State Tennis finals after taking first place in the WPIAL Class A Boys Singles competition
- Sophomore Adam Eller competed in 2008 WPIAL Class AA 800m Track finals.
- 2007- 2008: Upper School Boys Lacrosse team made the WPIAL playoffs, for the third year in a row.
- 2006-2007: Upper School Boys Lacrosse team won the WPIAL Division II Championship.
- The school's strong performing and visual arts programs are enriched by partnerships with important cultural and artistic centers, including Manchester Craftsmen's Guild MCG-Jazz, The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, and The Carnegie Museum of Art.
- For the sixth year in a row, Upper School students won top awards in the 2009 Martin Luther King, Jr. essay competition at Carnegie Mellon University.
- In 2008, WT's literary magazine, Plaid, received a Silver Medal from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and a "Superior" rating from the National Council of Teachers of English.
- WT sophomore and first-time "Kelly Critic" Nico Satryan was honored with a 2009 Gene Kelly Award for his writing and reviewing skills.
Accreditation and Memberships
National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
College Entrance Examination Board
National Association for College Admission and Counseling
Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS)
Pittsburgh Area Independent School Teachers Association (PAISTA)
Pittsburgh Consortium of Independent Schools (PCIS)
Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education
Winchester Thurston School complies with the NACAC Statement of Principles of Good Practice.
