WS Chronicle

On Monday, Aug. 26, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County students at Paisley IB Magnet, Lowrance Middle, and Konnoak Elementary Schools will start the year in brand new facilities. Paisley and Lowrance share a new campus on the site of the old Paisley High School. Konnoak’s new building is adjacent to the former school. The construction of the new schools marks the completion of the first major construction projects included in the 2016 Bonds.

Here are some quick facts about the new schools:

Lowrance – Paisley:

*Total project cost = $47 million

*224,000 square feet of space

*Contains 12,500 cubic yards of concrete (enough to install almost 3.5 miles of highway).

*Contains 340,000 bricks and 335,000 concrete blocks.

*Building includes seven tons of structural steel,

*Sits on the fields previously used for PE and athletics. The classroom wings occupy the area of the former Paisley HS.

*The new school integrates the populations of Lowrance Middle School (formerly housed at Atkins High School) and Paisley.IB Magnet School. The two schools will be under one roof, sharing common areas like dining, circulation, and office space.

*A 320-seat auditorium will allow Paisley to highlight its Arts program.

*Paisley and Lowrance each have their own gym for PE instruction.

*Lowrance serves special-needs middle school students and offers a course dedicated to learning how to live independently. To accommodate this, the new school features a fully furnished apartment that includes a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom.

Konnoak Elementary:

*Total project cost = $19 million

*102,000 square feet of space

*3,000 cubic yards of concrete (almost 1 ½ miles of highway).

*325,000 bricks and 120,000 blocks.

*420 tons of steel

*1,950 electrical outlets

*185 restroom plumbing fixtures

*Many classrooms contain demountable walls that allow teachers to use full height marker boards and magnetic panels.

*Along with the new building, the project includes renovation of space constructed in 1999.

*Collaboration areas for each grade level.

Lowrance Middle School will host an open house for students and parents on Monday, Aug. 19, from 4-7 p.m.

Paisley IB Magnet School will host an open house on Tuesday, Aug. 20, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Konnoak Elementary School will host an open house on Thursday, Aug. 22, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Other than Lowrance, all WS/FCS middle schools will host open houses on Tuesday, Aug. 20. High schools host open houses on Wednesday, Aug. 21, and elementary schools will host open houses on Aug. 22. The Career Center will also have an open house on Thursday, Aug. 22.  All open houses will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m.