Fort Dorchester High School

Infobox Secondary school
name =Fort Dorchester High School
native_name =
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established = 1992
city =North Charleston
state =South Carolina
country =United States
campus = Suburb
type =Public High School
principal = E. James Atkinson
faculty =
enrollment = approx. 3,300
grades =9-12
district =Dorchester School District 2
mascot =Patriots
colors =Red, Silver, and Blue
newspaper =
yearbook ="Patriot Yearbook"
rivals = Summerville, Stratford, and Wando (with Summerville being the largest)
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website =
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Fort Dorchester High School is a public high school located in North Charleston, South Carolina and is a part of Dorchester School District Two.

History

Fort Dorchester was created in 1992, when Summerville High School became overcrowded and students in North Charleston had to travel long distances to arrive at the high school.Fort Dorchester is named after the old Fort at Colonial Dorchester where Patriots at this fort fought off the British. The principal is Jim Atkinson who recently transferred from Windsor Hill Elementary School. Atkinson was the first principal of Fort Dorchester before his eleven year hiatus and return in 2007. Fort Dorchester is the second high school in Dorchester District Two, the first being Summerville High School. Fort Dorchester is known for its academics, in particular its International Baccalaureate (IB) program and its Advanced Placement program. The school currently holds roughly 3,300 students making it one of the Big 16 in South Carolina.

Mascot, Athletics, and Patriot Pride

Fort Dorchester's mascot is the Patriot. Their colors consist of the Red, Blue, and Silver. Their top rivals are Summerville High School and Stratford High School. Fort Dorchester has a long standing rivalry with Summerville High in almost every sport and extracurricular activity. Students are encouraged to use their "Patriot Pride" in their school for everything they do, including schoolwork, extracurricular activities, visual and performing arts, and athletics. The varsity football team is currently coached by Steve LaPrad. The team went with a record of nine wins and four losses in their combined 2007-2008 season. However, the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) forced the Patriots to forfeit all of their games because of an ineligible player on their team. Though many complaints had been filed, Fort had done the responsible action in doing what the SCHSL had requested. Fort Dorchester's stadium is named after former head coach John Bagwell, who coached from the school's opening until his death in 2002.Fort is also known for its outstanding wrestling team, coached by B.D. LaPrad. The team were state champions for the 2006-2007 season, defeating rival Summerville High School.

Problems encountered

Fort Dorchester was originally mapped out to hold around 1,500 students. However, because of the exponential growth in the North Charleston area, Fort Dorchester's facility now holds almost twice as much as the school's projected enrollment. A new hallway and many trailers have been added to hold classes for the overcrowded school, but this has not changed the undeniable proof that the school either needed to be rebuilt or a new high school must be established. A new high school known as Ashley Ridge High opened in order to decrease the roll of students in both Fort Dorchester and Summerville High. However, there is some fault in this plan, as some people see that a major portion of Summerville High will be taken out, but only a small portion of Fort may only be removed.

Demographics

Alma mater

The alma mater was written by a student from its first graduating class. The lyrics are as follows:

Our trust and values,

Brotherhood and pride

Ring in the spirit Patriots,

Dare not hide,

Hail the red, silver,

And everlasting blue!

To the Fort Salute thee,

Our loyalty to you.

External links

* [http://fdhs.ddtwo.org fdhs.ddtwo.org] Official Webpage