Thistletalk Summer 2010 - Winchester Thurston School

wt todayPledging AllegianceCity Campus third graders visitedPittsburgh City Council in Januaryto lead the Pledge of Allegiancebefore Council’s regular meeting.The students had a tour of CouncilChambers and met many of themembers, including newly electedCity Council president Darlene Harrisand WT Advisory Board memberPatrick Dowd.Inspired byMLKFour Upper School students wroteaward winning essays for the citywideMartin Luther King, Jr. WritingAwards sponsored by Carnegie MellonUniversity. Since itsinception in 1999,the competitioncalls for poems orpersonal narrativesthat reflect thelegacy of Dr.King. WinchesterThurston studentshave participatedin the contest since2004, winningawards every yearsince.Visiting AuthorWinchester Thurston hosted KimberlyWillis Holt—winner of the NationalBook Award for Young People’sLiterature for When Zachary Beaver Came to Town—as a visiting author. Holt spenta day with students in grades PK–6. Through the use of personal photos and storiesshe explained to students where her ideas for her books come from—often personalexperiences. She talked about her writing and seemingly endless revising process,and the importance of working hard and following your dreams.´EXPOSE This year’s EighthGrade Research Expo covered a wide rangeof topics, including the My Lai Massacre,U.S. healthcare, identity theft, globalwarming, photography techniques, andaddiction to fast food. Students chose theirown topics, which they presented in March.The presentations incorporated the useof homemade videos, YouTube clips, andsophisticated PowerPoint slides.Filipino-AmericanStudent of the YearSenior Nathan Ong has been named the 2010 OutstandingFilipino-American Student of the Year by the AsianAmerican Heritage Committee of the Federal ExecutiveBoard of Pittsburgh. According to the Committee,“These dedicated students are setting the pace for our high schools in academics,extracurricular activities, and community service. It is fitting that we honorthese future leaders and call public attention to their success, which stems fromdedication, strong family ties and support, which are part of the Asian Culture.”Wild, Wild West! WT North students and facultydonned their bandanas and cowboy hats, and saddled up for fabulous field day fun.A highlight of the day: a relay race on “horseback!”w w w . w i n c h e s t e r t h u r s t o n . o r g17