History and Traditions

In 1886 Miss Mary Pickard Winsor started a six-month school in Boston, beginning with eight girls in a private home on Beacon Hill. The school grew quickly and began sending graduates to college in 1895. Unlike many girls' schools of the era, Winsor persevered. Today it stands as a singular institution.

A New Home

In the early 1900s, a group of parents asked Miss Winsor to be director of the school they intended to build. They formed a corporation in 1907, bought land on the Fenway, and hired the Boston architect R. Clipston Sturgis to build "the most perfect schoolhouse." President Eliot of Harvard, an original incorporator and grandfather of two Winsor girls, suggested the motto that remains today: "A sound mind in a sound body."

"More than a century after Winsor's founding, its original goal—to develop 'competent, responsible, generous-minded women'—remains fresh, valid, and challenging."

- Mission Statement

In 1910 the Winsor School opened with 225 students. It included a library, science laboratories, art studios, and a gymnasium and swimming pool. At the dedication ceremony, a young 1901 graduate, Susan Hallowell Brooks, spoke not of a building but of how Winsor teachers nurtured "clear thinking and pure lives."

The Winsor Name

The school's name is thanks largely to the activism of Winsor girls. Up until the move, the school had been simply known as Miss Winsor's School. When leaders suggested The Winsor School as the name of the newly incorporated institution, Miss Winsor questioned why "this big enterprise" should be "tied to the name of one small individual." The issue was finally settled when 151 Winsor students petitioned the incorporators. They wrote, "As we associate the school with the name of Miss Winsor, we feel very strongly in favor of having the new school named for her, the Winsor School." And so it was.

Vision and Mission

Ahead of her time, Miss Winsor wanted to prepare women to be self-supporting, and hoped they would be competent, responsible and generous-minded. She continued as director until 1922, and showed continued interest in it until her death in 1950. Since 1886, the school has been led by seven directors, all women active and influential in the world of education. Miss Winsor's vision remains at the core of the mission.

The Present-Day Campus

The school has expanded its facilities over the years, adding a full gymnasium in the 1920s, a science wing in the 1980s, expanding the library and adding classrooms in the 1990s, and a new dining hall, classrooms, laboratories, and faculty work space in 2004. The latest renovations have refurbished the original 1910 building and upgraded technology facilities.

Today, Winsor remains a school with high aspirations and a clear sense of purpose, now living and evolving in a new century. It is a complex and active community, shaped by its history, its inspiring faculty, and its talented students.

Note: The Archives welcomes memorabilia of any kind, including reminiscences, written or oral. If you have something to share, please contact archivist . (617-912-1369).