Body of athletic director found near Flat Rock Middle School
Paul Aaron Wilkins, 35
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The body of the athletic director at Flat Rock Middle School was found near the school Thursday morning, authorities said.
The body of Paul Aaron Wilkins, 35, of Seminole Court, was found in a wooded area on private property behind the school at 4648 Ebert Road, according to Chris Runge of Forsyth County Schools.
Forsyth County EMS arrived on scene and determined Wilkins was deceased.
According to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, preliminary information indicates Wilkins was in the wooded area preparing a tree stand for hunting purposes later in the year.
“We are very shocked and saddened by this news. Our main concern is Wilkins’ immediate family and his larger family at Flat Rock Middle,” Runge said on behalf of the school system.
“He was a well-respected and well-liked employee that will be missed,” said Runge.
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing and an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.
No other information was provided.
Wilkins was hired as a teacher at Hanes Middle School in July 2000, said Chris Runge, a spokesman for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. He became a teacher at Walkertown Middle School in August 2005.
He started his job as a physical education teacher and the athletic director at Flat Rock Middle School in August 2009, said Chris Runge, a spokesman for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
Becky Hodges, the principal of Flat Rock Middle School, said Wilkins was a phenomenal teacher, athletic trainer and an all-around good man.
She said Hodges was dedicated to Flat Rock Middle School and the staff, students and parents respected and loved him.
“He would come up on weekends and evenings, sometimes with his four boys in tow, just to check on the gym and clean up a bit,” she said, in a statement. “His personality was one of the things we loved the most about him. He was and is a precious person to Flat Rock and he will be truly missed by all.”
Wilkins’ children were ages 8,7 and a pair of 2-year-old twins.
