It was a momentous Monday night for Girls Basketball!

Senior Ayanna Townsend became WT's all-time leading basketball scorer – she has scored 1,300 points in her career. And, fellow senior Gia Thorpe earned her 1,000th point, becoming the fourth player in Girls Basketball at WT to earn 1,000 points in WPIAL action.

Both milestones were achieved in a triumph over Imani Christian in Mellon Gymnasium.

Cheer on the Bears as they close out the regular season – visit winchesterthurston.org/athletics for the full Athletics schedule.

Congratulations, Gia and Ayanna!

Twelve Upper School students received 21 awards across six different categories in the 2018 Pittsburgh Regional Scholastic Writing Awards.

Congratulations to the following awardees:

Elizabeth 'Ellie' Stenson, Class of 2021, Honorable Mention in the Short Story Category for "The Trials of Humanity"

Rivers Leche, Class of 2020, Silver Key in Poetry for "An Appeal to America, Pause, To the Old Man on the Bus" and an Honorable Mention in the Critical Essay Category for "The Multifaceted Intricacies of She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron"

Zoe Soteres, Class of 2020, Honorable Mention in the Critical Essay category for "The Misconceptions of Honor Killing," an Honorable Mention in the Personal Essay/Memoir category for "Tampons: the Best Kind of Beauty Product," and two Honorable Mentions in Poetry for "The Children Of..." and for "Princess Lightfeather"

Margaret Balich, Class of 2020, Gold Key in Poetry for "I Miss You When It's Quiet," a Silver Key in Poetry for "What You Leave Behind," and an Honorable Mention in Flash Fiction for "Not Just Dust"

Nicole Shigiltchoff, Class of 2020, Silver Key in Science Fiction/Fantasy for "Charlotte and The Freak Cafe, or, The Night Magic"

Esmeralda 'Esme' Bessor-Foreman, Class of 2020, Silver Key in the Short Story category for "Storm Girls"

Meredith Warden, Class of 2019, Gold Key in the Critical Essay category for "The Impossibility of the American Dream in Literature"

Katharine 'Kate' Chaillet, Class of 2019, Silver Key in Personal Essay/Memoir for "One Plus One"

Zihe 'Catherine' Tian, Class of 2019, Silver Key in Personal Essay/Memoir for "From the very Beginning"

Evanna 'Evie' Jin, Class of 2019, Gold Key in Short Story for "The Keeper," a Silver Key in Short Story for "When The Light is Gone," an Honorable Mention in Short Story for "If We Were Young," and an Honorable Mention in Poetry for "do you remember when we used to"

Nadine Oury, Class of 2019, Honorable Mention in Poetry for "Dear Dragon Blood Tree"

Emily Pollock, Class of 2018, Honorable Mention in Poetry for "Eulogy"

Winners will be honored at the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, February 24 from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. at the Frick Fine Arts Center at the University of Pittsburgh.

Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized the vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation's youth, and provided opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated.

The Western Pennsylvania Writing Project, is a non-profit, teacher-centered, professional development program serving area schools and students since 1982, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education, a long-standing affiliate of the National Writing Project, and host for the Pittsburgh Region of the Scholastic Writing Awards.

For the second consecutive year, Girls Basketball is headed back to the WPIAL Class A Championship!

After decisively defeating the Sewickley Academy Panthers 56 - 40 in semifinals, the Bears will take on the West Greene Pioneers at 3:00 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center this Friday, March 2, in the WPIAL Championship.

Tickets can be purchased in the WT Athletics Department until Friday at noon. Tickets will be $5 for students and $10 for adults. Student tickets will not be sold at the gate. The gates open at 2:00 p.m., and since the Bears are the designated home team, WT fans will sit in sections 102-113.

Be sure to review the Petersen Event Center website for prohibited items before Friday's game.

Visit winchesterthurston.org/athletics for the full Athletics schedule.

Upper School students will have the opportunity to show their clay pieces in an exhibit with professional potters from around the country. Touching Earth: Women Creating Communities will be at the Carnegie Coffee Company from March 3 – 17, 2018, thanks to Upper School Visual Arts teacher and alumna Mary Martin '88.

Martin has invited Upper School seniors Sophia Lebiere, Isel Pollock, and Erika Sogawa to join her in exhibiting pieces along with six other artists, Maria DeCastro, Priscilla Hollingsworth, Erin McGuiness, Nita Schwartz, Nancy McNary Smith, Ceil Sturdevant, and Cheryl Tall.

In the words of the artists, "Sadly it is all too often the case that people with different ideologies and backgrounds find themselves at odds with one another. What we strive to achieve in Touching Earth: Women Creating Communities is to come together celebrating our differences as individuals and uniting through the empowerment that comes with being women, being artists, being ceramicists."

Admission is free. The show hours are Monday – Saturday, 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., and on Sundays from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. A reception will be held for Touching Earth: Women Creating Communities Friday, March 16, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Carnegie Coffee Company.

This exhibition will also be included as part of the National Council of Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Conference, which will take place in Pittsburgh at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center March 14 – 17, 2018.

Read more about Mary Martin's work.

Sophia Lebiere, Compartmentalization, 7" x 14" x 12", Ceramic, Clear Glaze, NFS
"This piece was made in my Intro to East Asian Pottery class. It was inspired by the bust figures of Chinese artist, Ah Xian. Each student was assigned to create their own interpretation of a bust that expressed their own cultural identity. My father is a Belgian immigrant, so I made mine in the style of one of the most famous Belgian artists, the surrealist painter, René Magritte. Specifically it was inspired by the Magritte painting "The Face of Genius," which shows a head with blocks removed in what appears to be a forest. For my interpretation, the head is hollow and the forest is inside the head."

Isel Pollock, Wild Things, 11" x 6" x 7", Ceramic, Covered with bark, lichens, and live mosses, Low Fire, NFS
"A wolf head with open jaws, sculpted with ceramic, acts as a vessel on which all manner of forest plants thrive. Lichens, bracket fungus, bark and flourishing moss cover the muzzle, face and ears. Inspired by the variety and diversity of plants and animals and the interconnectedness of life on earth, this sculpture incorporates living plants into ceramics to make a living work of art."

Erika Sogawa, Fides, 9" x 7" x 5", Ceramic, Low fire, NFS
"This teapot was made in my Handbuilding class. As the assignment was to create a teapot with a specific theme, I embraced the challenge to create a teapot in the shape of spiraling coiled snakes while undertoning the piece with the theme of nature. The earth colored glazes and underglaze was used to create a surface texture that looked like various intertwined serpents. The scales of the snakes were created with a stamped texture using clay tools. Finally the handle was modeled after vines in the shape of an "S." Incidentally, the word "fides" means faith, loyalty, and trust in Latin to represent the bonds between the snakes and their relationship with nature."

Girls Basketball has done it again!

On Friday, March 2, Girls Basketball became the Class A WPIAL Champions for the second consecutive year, after an historic 2017 season in which the Bears earned WT's first ever WPIAL title, Section Championship, and #1 State ranking for Girls Basketball.

The Bears took an early lead and dominated throughout the game to earn the 76-57 victory over the West Greene Pioneers. Gia Thorpe, Class of 2018, led the Bears to victory with a triple-double of 36 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 steals. Other notable contributions came from Nya Nicholson, Class of 2021, who earned 18 points and seven rebounds, and Ayanna Townsend, Class of 2018, who scored nine points and made nine rebounds.

The Bears will take on Elk County Catholic in the first round of the PIAA State Championships at Canon-McMillan High School on Saturday, March 10, at 3:00 p.m.

WT is on the national stage once again, thanks to Administrators Maura Farrell and Adam Nye!

Maura Farrell, Associate Head for Strategic and External Affairs, recently led a workshop at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Conference. In this design-thinking workshop, "Create your School's Future with Customer Insights and Mission/Business Model Mapping," attendees learned processes to unite faculty, administrators, and trustees in thinking about the future.

At the SXSW EDU Conference, Adam Nye, Director of City as Our Campus, coached educators to reimagine learning spaces at the conference's "Learn by Design" competition. The competition featured solutions that enhance physical learning environments for students of all ages.

The Bears are off to a great start at States!

On Saturday, March 10, the Bears defeated Elk County Catholic 50-31 in the first round of the PIAA 1A Girls Basketball Championship.

The Bears will take on Bishop Carroll High School at Plum High School, this Wednesday, March 14, at 6:00 p.m. in the second round of the championship.

Tickets can be purchased in the WT Athletics Department Office until Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Student tickets are $3 and adult tickets are $6. Student tickets will not be sold at the gate.

Join the WT Community in supporting the Bears!

Visit winchesterthurston.org/athletics for the full Athletics schedule.

At WT, faculty and students alike do what they love and love why they do it.

Across many disciplines, WT was integral to Upper School Performing Arts teacher John Maione's latest release, Heart Songs. From the cover design to an ensemble performance on one of the tracks, WT's mark is woven throughout the album.

Students in Digital Art presented proposals for the cover design. The winning design, by sophomore Margaret Balich, incorporated photos of Maione and his grandchildren, Gianna and Alexander, and their artwork. Because Maione's granddaughter Gianna played such an important role in the album, Margaret thoughtfully proposed that the CD title, song numbers, and titles be in Gianna's handwriting, which Margaret then incorporated into the design.

Maione also incorporated his students into several other parts of the album-making process through City as Our Campus experiences. The 2012-2013 Jazz Band is featured on "Who is that Bob Guy?," which was recorded at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild.

In addition, students in Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), an Upper School Performing Arts elective, observed John's recording of "Rainbow Sherbert Kisses," "Miracle Boy," "Good Morning, Bright Eyes," "Good Boogie," and "Or What?" at Mr. Small's Recording Studio last year. During one session, sophomore Leon Sleator recorded piano and percussion parts to add to his computer compositions.

Ultimately, these City as Our Campus experiences led to a new elective, Music, Technology, and the Recording Experience. In this elective, students learn to use the computer and piano keyboard to compose, notate, analyze, and improvise music, and gain hands-on experience in a major recording studio.

To learn more about City as Our Campus, visit winchesterthurston.org/cityasourcampus.

Congratulations to Alexandra Friedlander, Class of 2020, on her acceptance to the Seeds of Peace U.S. Leadership Program at the Seeds of Peace Camp in Otisfield, Maine.

Alexandra will join hundreds of other teens and educators, as they engage in serious dialogue across lines of conflict while sharing meals, living spaces, and learning experiences in a traditional summer camp program. From this experience, participants will be inspired to work for social, economic, and political change at home where students have the opportunity to partake in local leadership development programs.

Alexandra was selected for this program because of her leadership capabilities and her commitment to making a positive difference at WT and in the community.

Seniors Julia A. Bulova, Yijia Chen, Emma Parker Francis, Tim Ganger, Griffin Torchia Gordon, Jonathan Hansen-Kemp, Brenda Theresa Hayes, Lynne Irvin, Sophia Lebiere, Jivak Harbans Nischal, Emily K. Pollock, and Hefei Tu were inducted into the Cum Laude Society on April 6, 2018. To be eligible for membership in the Cum Laude Society, students must be in the top 20% of their class academically and exhibit commendable character.

The WT community celebrated the inductees in an Upper School community-wide ceremony featuring remarks from Head of School Gary Niels, Director of College Counseling Pam Pratt-Galik, and the inductee-selected keynote speaker, History Department Chair Dr. Michael Naragon.

"For our 12 inductees it is no small achievement to be identified as having grades that place you at the very top of your class in a school that is among the best in the nation," said Head of School Gary J. Niels, who in his opening remarks, reflected on the rigor of a WT education and the twelve inductees' achievements and contributions to WT. "Perhaps most importantly you've been an inspiration by how you've strived and overcome challenges," he said to them. "You are good people who hold your values in high regard."

Congratulations to all!

The Cum Laude Society was founded in 1906 and is dedicated to honoring scholastic achievement in secondary schools.

Congratulations to seniors Gia Thorpe and Ayanna Townsend, and sophomore Dusan Krivokapic for being named to the WPIAL and City League All-Section basketball teams!

The All-Section teams were selected by WPIAL and City League coaches who were asked to pick a six-player team in order of preference. The top five players were selected, and coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

In addition to their individual accolades, Gia and Ayanna led the charge to the Girls Basketball team's second consecutive WPIAL title, while Dusan led the Boys Basketball team – who made a first-round WPIAL playoff appearance – in points and rebounds per game.

WT students are encouraged to be who they are – smart, artistic, athletic, community-driven – all at the highest level. The latest Bear to shine? Daniel Taimanov, Class of 2021. We're proud to share that Daniel earned two gold medals in Ice Dancing at the Golden Blades Championship of Pittsburgh.

Congratulations, Daniel!

Nine students from Middle and Upper School earned awards at this year's Covestro Pittsburgh Regional Science & Engineering Fair (PRSEF). At the fair, competitors present projects in science, mathematics, and engineering. WT Students competed with sixth – twelfth graders from Western Pennsylvania and Garrett County, Maryland.

Congratulations to the following awardees:

Kush Bandi and Jackson Zemek, Harvester Robot
Engineering/Robotics - Intermediate Division, First Place
Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation Sponsor Award
NASA Earth System Science Affiliate Award

Jonah Keller and Matthew Shlomchik, Two Track Roller Coaster
U.S. Navy/U.S. Marine Corps (Office of Naval Research) Affiliate Award

Aria Narasimhan, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
University of Pittsburgh Sponsor Award

Ria Bazaz and Luka van de Venne, Electrolysis & 3D Printing for Coral Reefs
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Affiliate Award
The Webb Law Firm Sponsor Award

Aria Eppinger, Effects of Repeated Roundup Exposure on Antibiotic Resistance in Human Gut Bacteria
Medicine/Health/Microbiology - Senior Division, Fourth Place
Carnegie Mellon University Leonard Gelfand Center for Service Learning and Outreach Sponsor Award
Robert Morris University Sponsor Award

Nicole Shigiltchoff, Diffusion Through Biogels
La Roche College Scholarship

These students will also present their projects at the upcoming WT STEM Symposia. The Middle School Symposium will take place on May 10, and the Upper School STEM Symposium is on May 23.

The regional fair has been a Pittsburgh tradition since 1940. It is also the third oldest science fair in the United States under the affiliation of Society for Science and the Public, which facilitates the International Science and Engineering Fair.

Congratulations to Tristan Forsythe, a WPIAL scholarship recipient! Tristan will receive a $1,000 scholarship and will be honored with other winners at a luncheon on May 14.

Each year, student-athletes are nominated by WPIAL member schools, and a committee selects scholarship recipients. This year, 21 students were selected out of 136 applicants.

Tristan is only the second WT student to receive this honor. Tyler Coleman '16 was WT's first WPIAL scholarship awardee.

Photo: Christopher Horner, Tribune-Review

The Middle School Science Olympiad team will make their third straight appearance at the state competition on April 28. Fifteen students in grades 6 – 9 will represent WT in the competition.

Science Olympiad is a competition consisting of 23 rigorous, standards-based events in science, technology, and engineering (STEM). Some events require students to prepare for a test about a topic, or a test with specimens - even live animals - while others charge competitors with completing or designing experiments, and even others require students to build a roller coaster for a marble or a battery-powered car in advance of the event and other objects - like bridges and towers - on the spot.

Students began preparing at the beginning of the school year at team practices after school and on weekends.

At the Southwest Pennsylvania Regionals, which were held at California University of Pennsylvania on March 7, the team placed fourth overall. Students were awarded medals in seven categories, including Anatomy & Physiology, Herpetology, Hovercraft, Microbe Mission, and Thermodynamics, among others.

On May 1, senior Gia Thorpe, surrounded by family, coaches, faculty, and friends, signed a letter of intent to play Division I basketball at Howard University.

Gia led the charge to the Girls Basketball team's first WPIAL Championship win in school history in 2017, and to their repeat WPIAL Championship win in 2018. In the 2018 Championship game, Gia's triple-double of 36 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 steals led the way to victory. Her list of accolades is extensive. This year alone she has earned:

• Her 1,000th point in WPIAL action
• A spot on the All-Section and All-WPIAL teams
• Recognition as Class A Player of the year
• A spot on the Roundball Classic 1A/2A/3A team
• First-team all-state honors

Congratulations, Gia!

On May 3, WT Board President Jennifer Gonzalez McComb '89 presented The Gary J. Niels Chair for City as Our Campus at a Leadership Dinner honoring and thanking Niels for his 16 years of service as Head of School. The first endowed chair at Winchester Thurston, it was established with nearly $1.3 million in contributions.

The endowed chair honors Niels's service and leadership, recognizing that he was the longest tenured Head of Winchester Thurston School other than its two founders, Alice Maud Thurston and Mary A. Graham Mitchell. The Gary J. Niels Chair for City as Our Campus will be held by the Director of City as Our Campus at Winchester Thurston.

Niels's far-reaching legacy at Winchester Thurston includes many accomplishments, such as the transformation of our campuses, many years of record enrollment, enhancement and growth of important programs for students and faculty, and remarkable advances in philanthropy. But as they considered how they wanted to officially thank Niels, the Board of Trustees determined that the most significant and lasting impact of his Headship is the development of WT's signature innovation, City as Our Campus.

Once a nascent idea embedded in a strategic plan, today City as Our Campus is the defining identity of Winchester Thurston; it is the way in which students and faculty live the mission of "active engagement." It is the way that rigor and relevance are married in a dynamic educational program that not only expands each student's intellect, but also imbues him or her with important values. It is the locus of opportunity, of civic engagement, of research, of invention, and of problem solving.

Moreover, through his wise guidance and leadership, Gary has positioned WT in the national spotlight as an example of progressive education for our 21st century students, and placed us in the company of some of the most highly regarded independent schools in the U.S. Winchester Thurston was the first school in the nation to receive both the Malone Family Foundation Malone Scholars grant and the Edward E. Ford Foundation Leadership Grant, and held that accolade for six years. Today, City as Our Campus serves as a model for other schools, and has been celebrated and promoted by the National Association of Independent Schools as an example of innovation that set it apart from other institutions. The program has attracted more than $4 million in philanthropic support, and is named by WT parents as a key differentiator in the educational experience offered to WT students.

"This endowed chair indicates the extraordinary esteem in which we hold Gary, not only as a leader who has brought our school to an unprecedented level of success, but also as an educator with absolute dedication to students and teachers, who has acted always with the school's Mission and credo at the center of every decision," said McComb. "Endowing the City as Our Campus chair in Gary's name is the highest honor we can bestow, as it will ensure we recognize his leadership and legacy in perpetuity."

Along with the endowed chair, the Board also unveiled A Celebration of City as Our Campus, an interactive digital installation that will showcase the history, projects, and impact of real-world learning at WT, as well as thank Niels for his leadership.

Congratulations to Rishi Mukherjee, Class of 2023, whose National History Day Contest project, "Truce in the Trenches: Testament to Faith and Compromise During the Brutal Conflict of WWI," made it to the Deliberation Round at the State Competition.

Rishi earned an impressive second place finish in the individual exhibition category at the Regional Competition.

Special thanks to Middle School social studies teacher Jared Gervais, who began the National History Day program at WT, and under whose guidance students, like Rishi, have researched and created successful projects.

The National History Day Contest encourages more than half a million students around the world to conduct historical research on a topic of their choice.

It was a momentous day for WT's Coed Track team. Nine Bears competed at the WPIAL AA Championships, all nine competitors received medals –some even earned multiple medals – seven qualified for the PIAA State Championship, and two were WPIAL Champions.

Congratulations to the following student-athletes:

• Katharine 'Kate' Chaillet, Class of 2019, had a sixth place finish in the Girls 800 meter run
• Ayanna Townsend, Class of 2018, earned sixth place in the Girls Triple Jump
• Gordon Pollock, Class of 2018, became the Boys AA 800 meter WPIAL Champion and qualified for states in this event.
• The Boys 4X800 Relay team, Jack Robinson, Class of 2019, Scott Routledge, Class of 2020, Gus Robinson, Class of 2021, and Sean Heintzleman, Class of 2020, finished fifth and earned a spot at states.
• The Bears went 1-3-5 in the Boys 3200 meter event. Tristan Forysthe, Class of 2018, earned first place, Scott Routledge came in third, and Patrick Malone, Class of 2021, finished fifth. All three qualified for states.
• The Bears went 1-2-6 in the Boys 1600. Tristan took first again, becoming a back-to-back WPIAL Champion in this event, Gordon finished second, and Sean earned sixth place. Tristan and Gordon qualified for states.

In March, 45 WT students in grades 1 – 7 competed in Math Kangaroo, a worldwide math competition. Recently, ten of those students were recognized for their performance at the national level, and one student received state-level recognition.

The following students placed in the Top 20 Nationwide:

Class of 2029
Adrian Lutchansky

Adrian also placed first in the state for level one.*

Class of 2028
Henry Casher
Broden Spiegel
Alexander Tolon

Class of 2027
Boden Moraski

Class of 2026
Neeta Yechoor
Vincent Loh
Julia Monaco
John Koeppl

Class of 2024
Vivian Loh

Congratulations to all!

Math Kangaroo aims to encourage students to learn mathematics by presenting them with problems that are interesting. The competition consists of thought-provoking questions which stemmed from mathematical areas of knowledge including algebra, geometry, and logic. In 2018, approximately 30,000 American students participate along with several million other participants worldwide. The United States chapter of Math Kangaroo began in 1998.

*Levels correspond to grade levels.

Here are photos of some of the winners on competition day.