WS Chronicle

Photo by Tevin Stinson

BY TEVIN STINSON 

THE CHRONICLE 

Earlier this week, the local school board took the first steps toward combining Lowrance Middle School and Paisley IB Magnet School.

Since the 2015-2016 school year, Lowrance, which provides services for children with disabilities, has been housed at Atkins High School on Old Greensboro Road. Lowrance shared a campus with Hanes Magnet School on Indiana Avenue until test results at the site showed high levels of underground contamination. Last year, voters approved a project to build a new Lowrance on the campus of Paisley, a magnet International Baccalaureate middle/high school at 1400 Grant Ave.

The project included in the $350 million bond referendum is expected to cost $30,237,286 and increase the school’s capacity from 627 students to 1,027. During the school board meeting on Tuesday, April 25, the school board unanimously voted to rename the schools John W. Paisley International Baccalaureate School and Annie L. Lowrance Middle School.

Paisley served as a school principal at the old Oak Wood School, which would eventually become Kimberley Park School, for 25 years. A graduate of Slater Normal School, now Winston-Salem State University, he brought new ideas to the school system throughout his career.

Lowrance, a graduate of Greensboro College, served as the principal of Fairview School in Greensboro for 22 years. She enjoyed serving children who needed additional counseling.

The motion to rename the school was made by board vice chair Robert Barr and seconded by Victor Johnson.  According to the budget plan posted on the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools website, construction is scheduled to begin this year. The estimated end date is set for the spring of 2019. Building and Grounds Committee chair Lida Calvert-Hayes said she will be meeting with residents in who live near Paisley to discuss the future of the school on Monday, May 15.