Our School

Today is another day to be a Hermitage Viking
Being a proud Viking, today I promise
To do my best and be considerate of others.

• Hermitage Elementary was the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified elementary school in the Commonwealth of Virginia
• Dr. Aaron Spence, Virginia Beach Schools' Superintendent, is a Hermitage Viking
• School Mascot: The Friendly Viking
• School Colors: Royal Blue and Gold

School Logo

Established

The original Hermitage Elementary opened its doors in November 1964 on 19 acres donated by the federal government. At that time, 970 students in 6th and 7th grade attended school in the unfinished building for the remainder of the term. In the fall of 1965, the completed building opened to serve students in first through seventh grade. In 1967, four special education classes added to the student population.

Expanded

By 1974, Hermitage had grown so much that eight additional classrooms were added, but we were not among the 1980's renovations elsewhere in the school system. Hermitage had a multipurpose "gymatorium" used as a gymnasium, cafeteria, and auditorium until 1995, when a new gym was added.

Relocated

The last few months of the 2002-2003 school year were busy ones as staff prepared for the impending demolition of the old to make way for the new. In Fall 2003, Hermitage students and staff found a temporary home in the "old Kemps Landing building" at 501 Kempsville Road. For about a year and a half, Kindergarten and pre-school special needs classes became part of Shelton Park Elementary while first through fifth graders brought new life to the aging building.

Rebuilt

In the summer of 2003, most of the original Hermitage Elementary structure was destroyed and ground broken for the new and improved school. Students moved in to the new Hermitage in April 2005 after Spring Break. Hermitage Elementary, a green school, boasts several environmentally savvy amenities, including special filters and air flow requirements to promote energy efficiency, recycled building materials, low water usage restroom facilities, higher insulation values, and a structural design that promotes abundant sunlight throughout the building. In addition, construction materials like paints and floor adhesives boasted minimal odor. The gym from the 1995 addition was "recycled" and subdivided into three areas: a music room, an art room, and a multipurpose room. The dedication ceremony for the newly opened $9.7 million school was held on November 15, 2005.