Stratford High School (Goose Creek, South Carolina)
Stratford High School is a high school located in Goose Creek, South Carolina.
| Stratford High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
|
951 Crowfield Blvd. Goose Creek, South Carolina USA | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public High School |
| Established | 1983 |
| School district | Berkeley County School District |
| Principal | Heather Taylor |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | approx 2,300 |
| Campus type | Suburb |
| Color(s) | red and black |
| Mascot | Knight |
| Nickname | The Knights |
| Yearbook | Excalibur |
| Website | http://www.berkeley.k12.sc.us/Stratford.cfm |
Stratford serves grades 9 through 12, and is a part of the Berkeley County School District. Stratford High School was originally built in 1981 and opened in 1983 with approximately 1100 students. An addition was added in 1998 to increase the physical capacity to 1600 students. At present we serve over 1800 students who are housed in 113 classrooms in the main building and 16 portable classrooms outside the main building. Currently Stratford's Principal is Heather Taylor.
Staffing
| Facility Type | # of Facility |
|---|---|
| Principal | 1 |
| Assistant Principals | 5 |
| Classroom Teachers | 123 |
| English as a Second Language (ESOL) Teacher | 1 |
| Guidance Director | 1 |
| Guidance Counselors | 5 |
| Mental Health Counselor | 5 |
| Media Specialists | 2 |
| Student Interventionist Specialist | 1 |
| School Psychologist | 1 |
| Social Worker | 1 |
| Instructional Assistants | 6 |
| Special Education Instructional Assistants | 12 |
| Clerical Staff | 17 |
| Custodians | 18 |
| Food Service Staff | 13 |
Principals
- George McCrackin: 1983-2003
- Henry Spencer: 2003-2009
- Conrad Lopes: 2009–2013
- Heather Taylor: 2013-present
Notable Alumni
- Harold Green 1986, football player
- Justin Smoak 2005, baseball player
- Matt Wieters 2004, baseball player
Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story
Starting with the 1988 school year, Stratford was chosen to be the filming location of Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story. The movie is about a northern California High School football coach, Charlie Wedemeyer, who contracts Lou Gehrig’s disease in 1978 while serving as head coach at Los Gatos High School. Filming took place on the campus over a period of three months. The movie starred Pam Dawber, Michael Nouri, Noble Willingham, Stephen Dorff, Dan Lauria, Reginald VelJohnson, and Bess Meyer. Notable local personality sports caster Warren Peper had a cameo in the film's final scene.
Drug Raid At Stratford High School
The November 5, 2003 police raid of Stratford High School was recorded by both the school’s surveillance cameras and a police camera. The tapes show students as young as 14 forced to the ground as officers in SWAT team uniforms and bulletproof vests with guns drawn lead a drug dog to search their book bags. Only a few students were restrained. The ACLU represented 20 of the nearly 120 students caught up in the raid in a later lawsuit.
The raid was brought about by discussion between the school’s principal at the time, George McCrackin, and the City of Goose Creek police department. Principal McCrackin had been involved with Stratford High School from its beginning, with many saying he viewed the high school as his baby. When video evidence of hallway drug deals began to surface, Principal McCrackin requested the police department to take action. Due to threats and many placing the blame for the raid on him, McCrackin resigned shortly after the tapes surfaced on national television. The raid was authorized based on the principal’s suspicion that several students were dealing marijuana, but was not organized or planned by McCrackin or the school's administration. No drugs or weapons were found during the raid. Additionally, no charges were filed. However, evidence of drug residue was found among several students. Local residents speculated that a leak had tipped off drug dealers which allowed them to dispose of the evidence or leave the school before the raid.
As 16-year-old Joshua Ody, one of the students caught up in the raid, put it, “I felt like I had less rights than other people that day”.
On July 10, 2006, a settlement was reached that awarded $1.6 million to the students in the lawsuit, of which $1.2 million was divided among the students, and the remaining $400,000 to be used in legal fees.[1]
ACLU Lawsuit
Following the raid, the ACLU brought a lawsuit on behalf of students’ families charging police and school officials with violating the students’ right to be free from unlawful search and seizure and use of excessive force. The lawsuit demanded a court order declaring the raid unconstitutional and blocking the future use of such tactics, as well as damages on behalf of the students.
In addition to recognizing students’ rights to be free from unconstitutional search and seizure and restricting police tactics, the settlement establishes a $1.6 million fund to compensate the students and help cover medical and counseling costs from the incident.
The cost of the settlement will be paid by the city of Goose Creek, the Goose Creek Police Department, and the Berkeley County School District where the school is located, with assistance from their respective insurance companies.
It is not yet known exactly how many of the nearly 120 students will accept the settlement. The offer came in response to a class-action lawsuit on behalf of 53 students, of which the ACLU’s lawsuit is a part. While both sides have agreed to the terms of the settlement, it will be technically final in July 2006, when it is expected to receive judicial approval.
The essential terms of the settlement may be viewed at here.
Final Settlement documents may be found here.
References
External links
- Stratford High School Police Raid, A school surveillance video of the raid with narration by Principal McCrackin
- Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story at IMDB.com
Coordinates: 33°00′46″N 80°05′09″W / 33.0126715°N 80.0859218°W