Paisley Magnet School

John W. Paisley Magnet School is a Middle school/High school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is home to the International Baccalaureate Middle Years program for students in grades six through ten. Paisley is a part of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools system. In 2007, Paisley was recognized as a Magnet School of excellence; one of five in North Carolina and only fifty in the United States. Paisley has been an accredited IB/MYP school since 2004. Dr. Marion Pittman-Couch was principal during Paisley's process to become recognized by the IBO and retired in 2007. Paisley houses approximately 700 students, from around Forsyth County and the region. Students must complete a magnet school application for admission to Paisley if they are not a resident in Paisley's home school zone. The eleventh and twelfth grade IB Diploma Programme is housed at Parkland High School. The IB Primary Years Programme begins at Ashley Elementary School for grades K through fifth.

Current Administration

Dr. Gary C. Cone - Principal
Mr. Nathan Burton - Asst. Principal
Mrs. Sarah Fletcher - Asst. Principal
Mr. Donald Lail - IB/MYP Coordinator
Dr. Tamara Greenwood - Curriculum Coordinator/Technologist

Study Abroad Trips

To complement the rigorous international focus of the IB Middle Years Programme, the school has for several years now organized an international trip abroad annually. IB Coordinator Don Lail is in charge of these trips, which are organized by EF Tours, and are not technically a "school-sanctioned" event. Eighth, ninth, and tenth grade students at Paisley are invited to travel. Below is a brief overview of the school's destinations over the years:

2004: trip to England, Scotland, and Wales
2005: 9-day trip to Italy (Rome, Florence), France (Paris)
2006: 10-day trip to Germany (Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Munich, Heidelberg), Austria (Innsbruck), Italy (Venice, Verona), and Switzerland (Lucerne)
2007: 9-day trip to Italy (Rome, Pompeii, Bari), and Greece (Olympia, Tolo, Mycenae, Corinth, Delphi); plus a 4-day extension cruise around the Greek Isles. On this particular trip, 77 students who opted for the 4-day cruise extension were aboard the M/S Sea Diamond, which sank off the coast of the Greek island of Santorini on the last stop of the cruise. All 77 students were safely evacuated from the ship, but the crew abandoned the sinking ship first. The students and teachers saved many people that day.
2008: trip to Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales
2009: trip to the Yucatán in Mexico in the spring and then Peru in the summer

External links

* [http://winstonsalem.nc.schoolwebpages.com/education/school/school.php?sectionid=153&sc_id=1180106164 Paisley IB World Magnet School home page]
* [http://www.wsfcsmagnets.net/paisley-home.asp WS/FCS Magnet Website - Paisley Feature]