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Winchester Thurston School North Hills Campus

School Overview:

School Notes:

• 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 Mi
• ddle 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 ... at our City Campus in Shadyside
• 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... at our City Campus in Shadyside
• 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.
• Profile last updated: 10/02/2009

In the News:

• Obituaries for October 1, 2009 (Sewickley Herald)
  posted on October 1, 2009 at 07:27:04 am
   read more »
• Seven homes on Shadyside Tour (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
  posted on September 12, 2009 at 04:20:10 am
  Seven houses ranging from restored Victorians to an unrestored stone mansion to contemporary townhouses will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 4 for the Shadyside House Tour.
• Pittsburgh house tours aim to strike right note (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
  posted on September 10, 2009 at 09:02:06 pm
  Fourteen homes will be on the 40th Mexican War Streets House & Garden Tour, which is the oldest house tour in the City of Pittsburgh.
• Dateline Pittsburgh: 8/23/09 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
  posted on August 23, 2009 at 04:22:29 am
  People on the Move
• Shadyside school gets arts grant to expand program (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
  posted on June 8, 2009 at 04:01:43 am
  Winchester Thurston School in Shadyside has received a $250,000 matching grant from a Maine foundation to expand its City as Our Campus program.

View all past news stories

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