Paisley students take poetry competition by storm!

Kamille Graham Wins in Poet Laureate Competition

 

Year IV student Kamille Graham won third place in the annual district Poet Laureate Competition that ended Thursday, 16 April, with a public poetry slam. Ms. Graham won for her poem “Eloquence.”

Her medal extends Paisley’s winning streak to five out of the six events since the competition was inaugurated in 2009. The event, “Fresh Voices Rising” is jointly sponsored by the district and Forsyth Education Partnership (FEP).

Also representing Paisley in the competition was Stephanie Evans, a Year IV student.

The competition judges secured by FEP first are given the poems to read. The final selections are made through the competition at which the student poets perform their works. Winners receive a medal and monetary prize. The poems are published in a “chapbook,” a formal collection of the all the entries. Schools receive special notebooks with blank pages intended for student writers.

Paisley at YAG 2015

This weekend twenty four of our own Paisley Panther High School students went to the Youth and Government Conference, in Raleigh North Carolina. The conference is based upon a mock legislature of North Carolina. Students could choose between the judicial, and legislative branch, or they could run for an officer position. This year, students participated in freshman Forum, ” Freshman forum helped me prepare for what is yet to come in my future years at YAG”  student Kamille Graham said. Freshman forum was a way for the freshman delegation members to practice learning the parliamentary procedure used in the regular chambers and committees. In the other branch, Judicial, students can argue cases and even participate in mock trail criminal cases. ”  Judicial is fun because there is a winner, so you know what you can do to improve upon for next conference. the justices are also really helpful with your cases. Paisley’s delegation is small, so we are a much tighter community. However Judicial is typically the forgotten branch, yet we are always the best.” student Sydney Wall says about her favorite branch, Judicial. Every year all the members of YAG come together and vote on the future officers for next year’s conference. they elect the next Governor of YAG, and all of the future presiding officers. Paisley students also had a fun time at Friday Fun Night, where the theme was Hippie and Hipsters, as well as at the Governor’s Gala on Saturday night.

the YAG bill docket for chamber C

delegation members Kamille Graham and Jahmila Bex getting ready for the gala

Delegation members gather round for a quick photo before Friday Fun Night.

Paisley girls get dressed up for Friday Fun Night.

Paisley Panthers Basketball game February 10, 2015

Last night the Paisley panther’s basketball teams played at Paisley. The eighth grade boys team won 50-46 against Medowlark. The eighth grade girls team lost 35- 20, however they were missing several key players. Great job to both

German Ball 2015

The German club recently had a dance to celebrate carnival. This dance was a masquerade ball to celebrate the German form of formal dance, and to make an effort to bring students from other high schools in the area together. The masquerade ball was held in the Salem College ballroom. The ball was not only open to German club but to the years 3, 4, and 5 as well. Also the German teacher, Ms. Janis Overlock, opened the dance to the high schools that offer the German language class. Ms. Overlock also offered the dance to her Salem College students, who hosted the dance.
Many of the students who attended the ball,mingled with students from other schools. The carnival was held from seven to eleven PM on Saturday January 30, and all the hours were filled with songs, dancing, as well as songs preformed from some of the German students. The carnival had such a large turnout that the Paisley German program plans to hold the carnival next year.  Photos of the ball will be posted shortly

Congratulations to all the Paisley IB students that took part in the 2015 district Science Fair! We would like to congratulate all of the Paisley high-school students that placed or won in their division.

McKinley Treakle and Sydney Wall placed best overall in the high-school division for their project on smell and memory.

Joey Neuhauser and Tony Hardy placed 2nd in the physical science division with their project o the speed of light.

Vanessa Guerra placed second in the technology division for her project on the light spectrum!

Paisley students take science fair by storm

Congratulations to our Paisley high school students who placed in the Forsyth district science fair 2015!

Vanessa Guerra placed 2nd in technology division

Tony Hardy and Joey Neuhauser for placing 2nd in physical science

McKinley Treakle and Sydney Wall for placing 2nd in biology B and best overall high school project!

Paisley journalism staff dress down for pijamma day

Teacher of the Year 2014

Known for his comical personality, Kevin Barnard has won the Teacher of the Year award for the second time. Kevin Barnard, aka Beautiful Barnard, was born in Farmville, Virginia. He has taught at Paisley for twenty-eight years, teaching a variety of subjects related to science and math.  These have  included aerodynamics, robotics, algebra, and health. Mr. Barnard currently teaches ninth grade biology and tenth grade chemistry. He has a bachelor’s degree in science and biology with a teaching certificate. He also has a M.E.D. in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on technology.

Barnard says the favorite parts of his job are his students. To keep them engaged, he  enjoys being creative with his lessons. “I try to change things all the time to make it more interesting for the students.”  Barnard tries to break up the class groups so that he can teach the way that each student learns best. He says while some students need structured notes or powerpoints, others need to have picture or other visual to understand the concept fully.

When asked about how he feels about winning this award, he said “It is nice to be honored and recognized by faculty.”  He has won Teacher of the Year previously while he was at Paisley.

2014 Teacher of the Year

Paisley’s 2014 teacher of the year, Kevin Barnard, teaches biology and chemistry to his high school students. Barnard has taught at Paisley for almost 30 years.

Space Camp 2014

All of the Paisley Panthers who went to Alabama were excited about their experiences on the November trip to Space Camp, Space Academy, and Advanced Space Academy. Paisley students have been in Huntsville, Alabama at Space Camp.

The program was a five-day event in which trainees live at the center and learn about space and astronauts through science, technology, math, and engineering. Twelve through fourteen-year-olds (or seventh through ninth grade) participate in the Space Academy.

This academy focuses on teamwork and critical thinking and allows kids to feel what it is like to be an astronaut. Trainees preform a variety of activities throughout the week. These include spacecraft flight simulators, learning about the history of space exploration, simulated science experiments on the International Space Station, and view IMAX or digital movies.

The program also offers a track for older students (fifteen to eighteen years-old), the Advanced Space Academy. Here trainees learn about the mental and physical demands of astronauts through multiple activities. Anyone enrolled in this program is also eligible for a twelve-day camp. The camp is highly selective, and completing the program earns one an hour of college credit for freshman-level general sciences from University of Alabama, Huntsville.

“I am more interested in astronomy now.” says current Year II student, Emma Gauthier. She and her sister, Rachel, agreed their favorite activity at Space Camp was the one-sixth gravity chair. The suspension chair simulates the gravitational pull of the moon, which is one-sixth of that on Earth.

Year I students Dillon McGuire, 12, and Jackson Scott, 11, both expressed delight in the trip. Dillon says that he was interested in learning about the different space shuttles and the various astronaut programs. “Space is interesting to me because of the way everything is done.” he said. Both Year I students also enjoyed Space Shot, a drop tower attraction, where seats shoot up the tower, and lifts the riders weight as they switch to move back down.

Lilly Scott, 13, and Alex Nagy, 14, were both inspired by family members to go to space camp. Both of Lilly Scott’s parents are science teachers, helping the Year III student focus on the science of space travel. Alex Nagy’s older sister, Sarah Nagy, previously attended to space camp as a Paisley student, which inspired Alex and experience the program himself. Nagy said acting as the commander of the space shuttle ‘Orbiter’ was his most enjoyable experience.

For more information, visit www.spacecamp.com