Stratford High School (Goose Creek, South Carolina)
Encyclopedia
Stratford High School is a high school
located in Goose Creek, South Carolina
.
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 Conrad Lopes.
, 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 films final scene.
team uniforms and bulletproof vests lead a drug dog to search their book bags. Only a few students were restrained. The ACLU represents 20 of the nearly 120 students caught up in the raid.
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 from the beginning, and many said he viewed the high school as his baby. When video evidence of hallway drug deals began to mount, he told 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 and 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.
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 dollar 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.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Goose Creek, South Carolina
Goose Creek, South Carolina
Goose Creek is a city in Berkeley county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 35,938 at the 2010 census. Most of the Naval Weapons Station Charleston is in Goose Creek. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S...
.
Stratford serves grades 9 through 12, and is a part of the Berkeley County School District
Berkeley County School District
The Berkeley County School District is a school district within Berkeley County, South Carolina. It is based in Moncks Corner, South Carolina and serves all of Berkeley County including the portion of the City of Charleston on Daniel Island and the Cainhoy Peninsular....
. 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 Conrad Lopes.
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-present
Notable Alumni
- Harold Green 1986, football player
- Justin SmoakJustin SmoakJustin Kyle Smoak is an American Major League Baseball first baseman for the Seattle Mariners.-High school career:...
2005, baseball player - Matt WietersMatt WietersMatthew Richard Wieters is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Baltimore Orioles. Wieters was drafted 5th overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. Wieters played college baseball for Georgia Tech, and his agent is Scott Boras. Wieters is a tall athletic hitter, standing 6 feet...
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 southern California High School football coach, Charlie WedemeyerCharlie Wedemeyer
Charlie Wedemeyer was a high school teacher and football coach, famous for continuing to teach and coach after contracting Lou Gehrig’s disease. He died on June 3, 2010, from pneumonia, a complication caused by a recent surgery. He was 64 years old.Charlie was the last of nine children born to...
, who contracts Lou Gehrig’s disease in 1978 while serving as head coach at Los Gatos High School
Los Gatos High School
Los Gatos High School is a high school in Los Gatos, California, a small town near San Jose in the Silicon Valley. Los Gatos High School was founded in 1908 and is part of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District...
. Filming took place on the campus over a period of three months. The movie starred Pam Dawber
Pam Dawber
Pam Dawber is an American actress best known for her lead television sitcom roles as Mindy McConnell in Mork & Mindy and Samantha Russell in My Sister Sam .-Life and career:...
, Michael Nouri
Michael Nouri
Michael Nouri is an American television and film actor. He may be best known for his role as Nick Hurley, in the 1983 film Flashdance. He has had recurring roles in numerous television series, including NCIS as Eli David, the father of Mossad officer Ziva David, The O.C. as Dr...
, Noble Willingham
Noble Willingham
Noble Henry Willingham, Jr. was an American television and film actor.-Career:Willingham had appeared in more than thirty feature films, including Harry's War , Up Close and Personal , City Slickers , The Last Boy Scout , City Slickers II , Ace Ventura: Pet Detective , Chinatown...
, Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
, Dan Lauria
Dan Lauria
Daniel Joseph "Dan" Lauria is an American television and film actor.-Early life:Lauria, an Italian-American, was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Carmela and Joseph J. Lauria. He also lived in Lindenhurst, New York...
, Reginald VelJohnson
Reginald VelJohnson
Reginald VelJohnson is an American actor of film, stage and television, well known for his role as Carl Winslow on the sitcom Family Matters, where he was the only cast member to appear in every single episode. He also portrayed LAPD Sgt...
, and Bess Meyer. Notable local personality sports caster Warren Peper had a cameo in the films 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 SWATSWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
team uniforms and bulletproof vests lead a drug dog to search their book bags. Only a few students were restrained. The ACLU represents 20 of the nearly 120 students caught up in the raid.
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 from the beginning, and many said he viewed the high school as his baby. When video evidence of hallway drug deals began to mount, he told 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 and 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.
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 dollar 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.