Keegan Brown
Sports Editor
Within the upper grades of R.J. Reynolds High School, a few students have come from Paisley IB Magnet School, and have brought a lot along with them as they finish out their high school years at RJR. Three senior students, Payton Britt, Eliza Price, and Alyssa Snider partook in Paisley’s five-year program to earn an International Baccalaureate (IB) certificate and then came to RJR after their sophomore year to have a dual high school experience.
Paisley offers a multitude of things that have impacted students as they continue in classrooms outside of its four walls.
“Paisley taught me many skills that I have really used when taking these AP classes,” Snider said. “The workload was similar and was easy to get into because the IB and AP classes have a similar structure.”
Paisley was able to influence its students by creating an environment where students were able to create relationships with their teachers easily.
“It offers a really intimate learning experience,” Britt said. “You get a lot of one-on-one time with teachers in super small classes.”
Being able to have time with teachers allows for bonds to form between students and teachers that help create a more accommodating learning space as teachers get to know their students better.
“Paisley is a very small school where everyone knows everyone,” Snider said. “The teachers that taught the two years of high school, you have them multiple times which lets you form a closer relationship with all of them.”
This allows teachers to know what their student’s learning style is by being able to connect with them for multiple years, which helps them to be able to achieve their goals easier.
“We had a lot of freedom there,” Price said. “The teachers trusted us to get our work done on our own time, and allowed us to work outside, in flex spaces, or in other classrooms if we focused better there.”
Not only did Paisley give advantages to these fifth-year students with skills and relationships but also a special diploma.
“Going through the fifth-year lets you graduate their program with an IB certificate, and sets you ahead for the rest of your high school years,” Snider said.
RJR enticed these students to come after their sophomore year to be able to be exposed to new things.
“I wanted to go to Reynolds to finish my high school career at a normal high school just for that experience, as well as to meet new people,” Snider said.
Students from Paisley faced challenges when switching to a new school as it is very different from Paisley’s setup academically and socially.
“It’s made me grow socially and mentally,” Britt said. “I’ve gotten all my friends from here and I just love the energy here in the halls.”
On top of being able to meet tons of new people, they were able to keep close contact with friends made at Paisley.
“Paisley helped me make close friends that I was able to have classes with at Reynolds which allowed us to grow our friendship,” Price said.
RJR offers different classes and sports than Paisley did which is a nice change of scenery for those wanting something new.
“Reynolds has given me so many new opportunities in high school like trying sports and going through AP classes,” Snider said
When attending Paisley High School, athletes can play sports for RJR if it’s their homeschool. This is a nice way for students who want to attend RJR in the future to go ahead and be familiarized with the school and students.
“I played soccer for Reynolds all of my [high school] years and I just love it here,” Britt said.
Each high school offers different advantages but Reynolds sports as well as clubs are special to its students.
“I really enjoy the larger social circle that RJR has to offer and the variety of extracurricular activities to choose from,” Price said.
Although doing the joint high school approach can be hard, there are definitely advantages to having gone to two schools under your belt in your high school years.
“It definitely was a big transition from a small school to a larger school,” Price said. “But, overall I enjoyed attending both schools and gaining different experiences from each.”
Going to each school allows students to obtain the benefits from not only one high school but both. The gained relationships, skills, and experience from two different schools let students flourish.