The following archival information has been collected and compiled in order to share the diverse history of Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
We acknowledge that although this information is accurate, it is not as complete as it could be. Should you have any documented information about Virginia Beach City Public Schools that you would like to share please e-mail sarah.aho@vbschools.com.
School superintendents that have served Princess Anne County and Virginia Beach are:
Steps Toward Public Education in Princess Anne County
February 1847 - A public meeting is held at Princess Anne Courthouse to consider whether the county will respond to the General Assembly option for localities to establish public school systems. William Roberts presides. The decision is made to generate a petition drive among voters to generate support for a public referendum.
Spring 1847 - Following a successful petition effort to get the issue on the ballot, voters approve the creation of a public school system, which will include the acquisition of school sites. Princess Anne County becomes one of only a dozen localities in all of Virginia to establish a public school system prior to the Civil War.
Mid-year 1848 - For the first time, annual Princess Anne County property tax statements include a line for common (public) school support.
December 1848 - The first deeds are recorded for the sale of school sites to school commissioners. The process continues into the 1850's. It is not clear just when schools began operation, but some, if not all, were functioning before the property transactions were recorded.
March 1849 - A newspaper account of a local political meeting refers to delegates from each of the county's 21 school districts.
April 1850 - Citizens presumably unhappy at the tax burden to support public education manage to get the issue placed on a local ballot. Voters uphold the public school concept, as they will three more times up to 1861.
Fall 1870 - Princess Anne public schools remain in operation to some extent throughout the Civil War. When the revised state constitution of 1867-68 takes effect in 1870, requiring all localities to begin public education, the existing Princess Anne County system becomes part of that statewide system. At that point, the Princess Anne structure is broadened to include several schools for African-American children, as required by the new constitution.
1885-1920- Mr. O. B. Mears came from a family of farmers on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. He was married to Sarepta Dozier of Princess Anne County. He brought the school system through the time of reconstruction, after the Civil War. Under his superintendency, the move from a one-room school house to multi-room concept occurred as well as the the first graduating high school class and the founding of the PTA. Mears has held the longest superintendency term in the history of Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
Records show that Mears once was the owner of the land where Kemps Landing School (Kempsville Road) was built. In fact, there was a one-room schoolhouse there originally and it was called the "O. B. Mears School." Behind the school property is a small "business park," and there is a street called "Oakmears Crescent."
Alanton Elementary
Alanton Elementary opened in 1968. It was built to alleviate the overcrowding at John B. Dey Elementary. Alanton's first principal was Mrs. Emily Parks. Dr. Brickell was the superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools. At that time Alanton contained grades 1-7th. After completing 7th grade at Alanton, most of the students went directly to First Colonial High School as eighth graders. Alanton was built before the neighborhood of Baycliff, which currently surrounds the campus of the school. It also was the first elementary school in Virginia Beach built with a gymnasium.
Today, Alanton Elementary educates Pre-School through 5th grade. Since it was first built in 1968, a new addition was built to add an extended library-media center, computer lab, art room and 10 classrooms.
Aragona Elementary
The school was established in 1957 and began classes on a half-day basis in Thalia Elementary School. In February 1958, when construction of the present building was completed, the faculty and students in grades one through eight, with their principal, Lee Land, moved into the permanent building. Aragona School has a history of geographic area changes and grade level changes. From its beginning of grades one through eight, a periodic gradual change of elimination of the highest grade has taken place; therefore, since the 1967-68 school term, grade five has been the senior level in the building. The changes of grades were necessary due to the enrollment increases at the various grade levels, especially the lower grades. The Primary Disabled Reading Program was transferred to the Aragona School in September 1972. Students enrolled in the special program are transported from the complete geographic area of the City of Virginia Beach. Kindergarten was the latest addition to the school curriculum and became an important part of the school in September 1973.
Arrowhead Elementary
The land for the site of Arrowhead Elementary School was purchased in 1963 with building construction completed for the 1964-65 school term with an average enrollment of 952 children in grades one through seven. The following school year, 1965-66, this 32 classroom school was "bulging at the seams" with an average enrollment of 1,136 students in grades one through seven. In 1966-67, to relieve the high enrollment, the sixth and seventh grade students were transferred to the Kemps Landing Intermediate School.
The name of Arrowhead Elementary School was derived from the fact that during the excavation for the school, an Indian mound was found, in which were buried many interesting artifacts, including arrowheads. The school is located on property totaling 22.9 acres. On June 23, 2003 a ground breaking was held for the construction of a new school and a building dedication was held on October 20, 2005.
Bayside Elementary
Bayside began as a log cabin school (also referred to as the Little Red School House) (1911-1941) on the grounds of Haygood United Methodist Church. This school was headed by Reverend Joseph H. Hall, who “read” and practiced medicine; was an ordained minister of the Methodist church and was a pastor for several years. He was also a scholar, a schoolteacher, a talented carpenter, and a politician. A wooden “spankin” paddle was found in the wall when the old school building was torn down. The paddle showed the initials ”J.J.H” carved in Spencerian script and underlined with a flourish. The original owner of the paddle was Reverend J.J. Hall. In 1911, the school moved to the W.E. Biddle School, a wooden building located on Independence Boulevard near its intersection with Haygood Road. The school was named in honor of the prominent citizen who was instrumental in getting the school built. The school was later renamed The Bayside School. At that time, the two teachers were Nettie Seymour and Agnes Hatchet..
In November 1941, the new school opened with Felix Williams as principal and at a cost of $65,000. The school served as an elementary educational center for the communities of East Ocean View, Little Creek, Diamond Springs, Lake Smith, Robbins Corner, Chesapeake Beach and Ocean Park. In its original structure seven classrooms, an auditorium, and a cafeteria were built. In less than five years, five additional classrooms, at a cost of $100,000, were added to take care of increased enrollment, and in 1948 one additional classroom was constructed. In 1952 ten more classrooms, a library, an office, and an addition to the cafeteria were added.
In 1997, it was determined that renovations were no longer considered a solution for the problems of an aging facility. The building was demolished in 1999 with a ground breaking held on August 2, 1999 and a new school was built on the original site, with a total budget of $8,885,900.
The new Bayside Elementary School opened in December 2000, with Janet Zitt as the first principal of the new facility. The building was dedicated on May 18, 2008. It provides for a capacity of 725 students with facilities for Art, Music and Physical Education. A Computer Lab and a Media Center provide technology and support resources and services. All classrooms have data, telephone and cable lines for technology and access to a closed circuit television system. The current staff and faculty boasts several graduates of Bayside Elementary School, thus fostering our rich heritage and legacy.
Birdneck Elementary
Birdneck Elementary was built on a 23.5 acre site secured from the Commonwealth of Virginia by the City of Virginia Beach and leased to the Virginia Beach School Board. Funding for the $7,167,199 school was approved by the School Board and City Council in 1981. Construction of the 137,250 square foot building began in March of 1985. The school, which houses 56 regular and 16 special classrooms in its two wings, opened to nearly 1,400 students on September 2, 1986. The architectural firm of Dills, Ainscough, and Duff designed the school; Conrad Brothers was the general contractor.
Mr. Thomas E. Gregory was the first principal and the school was dedicated on December 14, 1986.
Brookwood Elementary
Brookwood Elementary was constructed in 1967 on thirteen acres of land and opened in time for the 1967-68 school year. The school is bordered on the west side by a small canal that flows into the Lynnhaven Inlet and is adjacent to the largest shopping mall, Lynnhaven Mall.
On June 5, 2006 a ground breaking was held for the construction of a new school. The old building was demolished on July 6, 2006 with classrooms and offices relocated behind Plaza Elementary in portable buildings for the duration of the project.
Centerville Elementary
The school opened in the fall of 1984.
Charity Neck School (see Pleasant Ridge School)
The building was constructed in the 1880s on Charity Neck Road as a two-room school for white children. It ended its service as a one-room school (Pleasant Ridge School) for blacks located on the east side of Princess Anne Road in Southern Pungo and next to Asbury United Methodist Church. The school closed around 1915 when a larger Charity school was built (1916) for white children. The opening of the larger school consolidated the children who had been attending the one-room schools scattered about the countryside. This larger school closed in the early 40s when Creeds School opened.
Christopher Farms Elementary
The school sits on property which was previously the horse farm known as Pleasant Acres Farm. There is a rumor that the farm was eventually purchased by a man named Christopher and thus the development became Christopher Farms. The school opened in September 1997 under the leadership of Don Clement and Debbie Bennett.
College Park Elementary
College Park Elementary stands on land that was formerly a cluster of dairy farms. The school opened in September 1973 and served six residential areas - College Park, Level Green, College Square, Woodhaven, Countryhaven, and Newlight. The school was dedicated on November 14, 1973.
During the first years of operation, College Park School housed grades kindergarten through seventh in an open classroom instructional setting. Following the opening of Brandon Junior High School in 1978, seventh grade students were no longer taught at College Park. The open classroom format was disbanded in 1981 for a more traditional instructional arrangement.
The original building was funded through a city bond referendum for $978,000 with an additional $100,000 spent on equipment. The 49,900 square foot building was divided into thirty-one classrooms, five additional instructional areas, and a cafetorium. In 1982, a gymnasium was added to the original building.
Cooke Elementary
Willoughby T. Cooke Elementary, which is located in the Virginia Beach Borough of the city, had its beginning in the year 1904. In that year a canvass was taken to determine the number of children who were of school age. When it was determined that there were thirty, a school was started in two attic rooms in the Driftwood Cottage. This first school was under the direction of Miss Laura R. Washington with Miss Adele O'Connor as her assistant. Miss Marv Townsend acted as a substitute. The school flourished under the direction of these ladies and proved to the Board of Supervisors that a public school for winter residents at the Beach was a necessity.
In 1905, the public school became a reality. That year the school was housed in two rooms over the jail and the old Princess Anne Hotel was located within sight. During this time Judge Keeling and Mr. Spence were among those who took an active interest in the school, and the first unit of the school was built.
In 1915, Mrs. Emerson Lund organized the patrons of the school. Some of their early projects included buying soap, providing books, and implementing the first hot lunch program. The mothers took turns preparing soup and sandwiches. Each noon, a seventh grade boy arrived at the appointed mother's home, loaded the sandwiches and the kettle of soup on a toy express wagon, and pulled it back to school while the mother walked behind, steadying the kettle.
In 1919, Mr. Willoughby T. Cooke became a member of the School Board and his years of interest and work for the school brought about the naming of the school in his honor. Mr. Cooke was a retired Norfolk businessman who was interested in children and their progress. Under his tenure the school added health education, a free lunch fund, drinking fountains, indoor plumbing, and membership in the P.T.A.
In 1954 a new eight-room addition was added to the school and in 1961 a $300,000 bond issue was passed by City Council for repairs to the school.
A study in 1994 revealed that renovation of the original building and its numerous additions was not cost effective. The new plan called for demolition of all buildings except an eight year old gymnasium addition located across 15th Street from the existing school. 15th Street was closed and two city blocks became one as the new school (dedicated on April 30, 2000) straddled the old roadway and adjoined the existing gym.
The limited land available required a two-story design. The entrance to the school is easily identified by its round brick canopy. Upon entering the lobby, the historical context of the school becomes apparent. A memorial brick wall, made from the original school bricks, dons a picture of Mr. Willoughby T. Cooke, a school board member in the early 1900's, with a great love of children, who took an avid interest in the school's growth and progress. Additionally, there are brass historical plaques and a time capsule.
The simple t-shaped plan with classrooms grouped by grade level provides an easy orientation for students. Classrooms all have windows for natural lighting and are connected to the data network and Media Center's intercommunication system. The Media Center is located on the second floor with a large glass area facing the front of the school and is supported by an adjacent computer lab.
The building also includes the existing gym, which is shared by the community, a cafetorium and stage, modern kitchen, art and music labs, special education and administrative spaces. Some of the special finish features include interior column forms in the corridors, occasional interior brick walls, patterned terrazzo floors, a vibrant teal roof color echoed by the operable sash windows. Casework, accent walls and light fixtures tie in with the teal and yellow school colors.
Participation in this project was extremely special for Cederquist Rodriguez Ripley Maddux/The Architectural Associates. Mr. John Maddux, Principal-in-Charge, attended W.T. Cooke Elementary School in the mid fifties and his mother, Mary Maddux, taught there for a number of years.
Corporate Landing Elementary
In 2005 the school was named an NAYRE (The National Association for Year-Round Education) year round school of merit.
Courthouse Elementary
One room schools at Tabernacle, en route to Sandbridge, Shipps Corner on what is now Holland Road and Beech Grove, on what is now West Neck Road, were consolidated into a two story wooden structure that was placed beside the one room school (Hickory Bridge Elementary) on the Courthouse Elementary site. Several classrooms were on each floor of the building, with the small auditorium upstairs. The building was heated by a central boiler system. On a morning in March 1931, according to Ms. Lillie Belle Woodhouse, it is thought that the janitor tried to ignite the fire with kerosene, and the boiler exploded, burning the original wooden Courthouse Elementary School to the ground. Everyone in the area at the time remembers the event vividly, especially Ms. Woodhouse, who lived across the road, and whose father attempted to assist with the fire.
During the period when the original brick school was being constructed, the students attended school in two rooms on the first floor of the old Courthouse building. Also, it is possible, that some classes were held in the Masonic Lodge Building, which was on the Courthouse grounds.
According to Ms. Lillie Belle Woodhouse (who taught at the school from 1931-1972), the new school was completed during the Thanksgiving period, 1931. The building cost $35,000, and it is noteworthy that a new elementary school in 1960 costs approximately $8 million dollars.
During the early days, the playground was divided into two approximately equal parts, one for the boys and one for the girls. They were not allowed to play together. If boys and girls were caught playing together, they were punished, one method of punishment being the requirement that the offenders sit together in a desk designed for two children. Each outside play area included an outside restroom facility, which many remember not very fondly as a "five holer".
School commenced each day as the children lined up and marched in to the tune of a John Phillips Sousa March, played on a record player, powered by a spring, that was wound up manually.
The classroom day began with a prayer, a song that was frequently America the Beautiful, and pledge allegiance to the American flag.
The subjects included the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, taught to the tune of the hickory stick, with Virginia, United States and World Geography, plus Virginia History in the fourth and seventh grades. Famous paintings were frequently on display.
Spelling Bees were frequently held both within the school and between the schools of Princess Anne County, as were music recognition competitions. Mildred McClanan Hassen won the 1928 county music recognition competition by recognizing the Blue Danube Waltz by Strauss, and winning a pen. Ethel Van Nostrand won first place.
A non-sectarian religious class was held once each week, as was music instruction. Bands were organized in Princess Anne County in approximately 1946.
There were no lockers. Books and supplies were kept in the desks, and coasts were hung at the entrance to the school.
The hot lunch program at Courthouse Elementary, and perhaps Princess Anne County, was started by Mary Gertrude Whitehurst McClanan (mother of The Honorable Delegate Glenn McClanan). This program permitted children to bring $.25 per week to school, and they made hot soup each day on the pot-bellied stove.
There were no ballpoint pens in those days, and bottles of Script Ink were commonplace. These bottles of ink were as useful for dipping the pigtails of the girl sitting in front of you into, as they were for filling ones pen.
Flower boxes were outside every teachers' window, and the teacher and students joined in planting and maintaining beautiful flowers most of the school year.
Rules against corporal punishment had not been thought of in those days, and spankings were frequent. The favorite punishment was spanking hands with a wooden ruler.
Frequently the seventh grade teacher and the principal were the same person, and janitorial services were performed by the least intelligent boy in the class.
Originally eighth and ninth grades were taught at Courthouse School. Later, grades 8-11 were taught at Kempsville, Oceana and Creeds High Schools. The system of 12 grades in the public school system began in approximately 1946.
An addition was made to Courthouse Elementary School in 1955-1956. The new classrooms cost $298,000, which included air conditioning for the library and office in the old building.
Creeds Elementary
The original structure was built for the 1939-40 school year at a cost of $80,000 and served as the high school for Princess Anne County. A lunchroom, gymnasium, and three classrooms were added to the original structure in 1949 at a cost of $100,000. Creeds became an elementary school in 1954. An air-conditioned primary wing was added to include four classrooms and a modern library in 1969. In 1999, a 6 million dollar modernization project was begun that tremendously transformed Creeds Elementary School. The school now has new classrooms, art and music rooms, an administrative suite, and media center. A public library adjoins the school media center. A story room, conference room, and computer lab are shared with the public library. The gym and all the original classrooms were renovated.
On August 25, 1999, a partnership ceremony was held celebrating the beginning of a key partnership between Creeds Elementary School and Pungo-Blackwater Library in the same facility. This renovation which includes a "library-in-a-school" approach is a unique partnership not only in our region, but in the state as well. Liz Lett and Robin Davenport were instrumental in getting this project off the ground. It has been the most successful of all partnerships in the state as well as the country.
When the school is in session, the public library and the school media center hold separate operations - each with its own entrance and staff. Creeds Elementary School teachers are able to bring classes to the public library during school hours and have full access to the collection. After school, both facilities are managed as one library by Virginia Beach Public Library staff. The facility opened in September 2000.
Robin Davenport, the current principal was a student at Creeds Elementary from 1960 to 1980, at which time his mother was the cafeteria manager.
Diamond Springs Elementary
Diamond Springs Elementary School was built on a section of the former Williams Farm property which the City of Virginia Beach acquired. A public park and a city street (Learning Circle) were built in conjunction with the new Newtown Elementary. The park and the street represent joint ventures with the City of Virginia Beach’s Departments of Parks and Recreation and Public Works. The cost of the street project is approximately $3 million and the park will cost approximately $2 million. The ground breaking was held on June 29, 2006 and the building was dedicated on June 4, 2008.
Diamond Springs Elementary, Newtown Elementary and Bettie F. Williams Elementary form the Bayside Tri-Campus.
John B. Dey Elementary
John B. Dey Elementary School was built in September 1956. During the first year, however, it housed only grades five through seven to alleviate crowded conditions at Little Creek Elementary School. The following year John B. Dey began to function as a complete elementary school including grades one through eight.
The school was contracted to be built in 1955. The original maximum capacity of students was to be 850 under crowded conditions. It has a self-contained sewer system, hot water (oil) heat, no air-conditioning and consisted of 48,585 square feet. It was designed to be eventually a thirty teaching station school with no physical education room. It has a 1,000 barrel bus refueling facility and was supplied by the City of Norfolk with water.
Over thirteen acres of land on Great Neck Road were purchased from the James Farm by the Princess Anne County School Board. On this site the school was constructed. The physical plant consisted of twenty classrooms, two offices, a health clinic, a library, and a cafetorium.
John B. Dey Elementary School received its name from a former Princess Anne County School Board Chairman who resided less than one mile from the school.
Increased population in the area made it necessary to construct an annex of ten rooms, a storage room, and two ret rooms in 1960. In 1963, the annex housed some eighth grades to help the crowded conditions in the neighboring secondary school.
The population continued to expand, therefore, in September 1972, two mobile classrooms were added to aid congestion. Two kindergarten classes were included in 1973.
The school gymnasium was completed and opened for the students in 1978-79 school year. Also, since the relocation of the seventh grade to Great Neck Junior High, Dey school no longer had the mobile classrooms.
The much anticipated air-conditioning was installed in the summer of 1986; a boiler room was converted into an LDR classroom (Fall, 1986); and an acoustic ceiling was put in the cafeteria during December 1987. New windows were installed in 2002. An addition was added in 1995 that included 7 classrooms, new media center, art room, computer lab, and updated office spaces.
The Story of John B. Dey
John B. Dey, who died at the age of 83, on December 10-, 1957, was a truck farmer by vocation and lived in one of the most picturesque homes in Princess Anne County. The home was Broad Bay Manor, the original Thomas Allen home was built in 1640. Mr. Dey lived in the home at the time of his death. The 415-acre estate and the manor house and the life of the master of the manor presented the pleasant picture that can be summed up in phrase, noblesse oblige. The landed gentleman lived up to noble obligations.
Mr. Dey all his long life had a fine sense of loyalty to the community obligations he assumed and there were many. An example, and perhaps the outstanding one, was his 17-year chairmanship of the Princess Anne County School Board. He became chairman of that important board in 1940 and retired in June of 1957, at which time he was honored by its members for his foresight and wisdom in planning for the county schools.
Mr. Dey was a member of the Princess Anne Board of Supervisors, the Norfolk City Council (during a period of residence in that city) and the State House of Delegates. He was a delegate to several state Democratic conventions and to the national Democratic convention in Houston in 1928 that nominated Alfred E. Smith for the presidency. He also served as a longtime director of the Tidewater Automobile Association.
What stood out most strongly was Mr. Dey's devotion to unselfish community causes like the schools. He was born in Princess Anne County, but was educated in the public schools of Norfolk County. His life thus touched three major political subdivisions that increasingly think of themselves as a community of closely identified interests. None of the three is likely to forget him or the quality of his citizenship.
Fairfield Elementary
Fairfield Elementary was built in 1975, in the now densely populated Virginia Beach borough of Kempsville. The school is currently home to about 530 students, in grades K-5, with approximately 20% of the population considered minority students. The socio-economic status of our population has undergone many changes within the past 20 years; from agrarian, to upper-middle, to our present state of middle-class.
Physically, Fairfield Elementary resides in one large building where two main hallways intersect at a cross between the primary- and upper-grade corridors. The cafeteria also serves as an auditorium and the Library Media Center and computer lab are two of the most frequently visited locations in the school. The entry foyer was refurbished at the beginning of the 1996-97 academic year, with cheerful white wicker furniture donated by the Parent Teacher Association. The technology needed for Internet access was installed in all classrooms during the summer of 1996.
Green Run Elementary
When the Green Run community was designed, an elementary school was planned on a 14 acre site at the center of the Green Run community, a unique circular design. The community grew very rapidly before the school could be built, therefore a student body
was organized before the building was completed. The school became operational July 1, 1975, when a principal and secretary set up an office in a conference room at nearby Holland Elementary School. Students were housed at Brookwood, Plaza, Holland, and Windsor Oaks Elementary Schools until the new building was completed.
In February, 1976, Green Run Elementary School opened its doors.
Hermitage Elementary
The original school opened its doors in November, 1964 on nineteen acres which were donated by the federal government. Ground was broken for a new school on June 10, 2003.
Virginia Beach's Hermitage Elementary is the first "green school," and opened its door for students in March 2005.
Hermitage is regarded as a "green" school because the new structure contains many environmentally savvy amenities. Jeff Harris, the Moseley architect who designed the "green" Hermitage building, said the environmentally-sound features include special filters installed in the heating and cooling system; different air flow requirements that will result in energy efficiency; building materials that contain a percentage of recyclable elements; higher insulation values to keep the building as warm as possible in the winter and cooler in the summer; a structural design that promotes an abundant flow of sunlight; the use of paints and floor adhesives with minimal odors; sinks and toilets with low water usage; and other components.
According to Tony Arnold, director of Facilities Planning and Construction, the reason why the division decided to rebuild Hermitage as a "green school" was to incorporate the nation's best use practices to build an environmentally efficient school. The new $9.7 million structure opened with a capacity for 567 students and a building dedication was held on November 15, 2005.
Holland Elementary
The school opened in 1967.
Hickory Bridge School
A one-room school that was located approximately 500 yards south of the old Courthouse Elementary School was moved to the Courthouse grounds in approximately 1920. The school site cost $1,000, and may have been purchased from Dr. Chilton, who had his medical office in the corner of the school yard. The school contained grades 1-7 and was heated with an old fashioned pot-bellied stove, with the fire being maintained usually by the largest members of the class. It is said that two of the early "fire maintainers" were Herman Glenn McClanan (father of The Honorable Delegate Glenn McClanan) and Herman Bartie.
Indian Lakes Elementary
The school opened on September 4, 1979.
Kempsville Elementary
Kempsville was once an incorporated town. Prior to that, it was known as Kemps Landing, taking its name from a local storekeeper. The creek, part of the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River, was once a deep water landing, and goods for Mr. Kemp's store, as well as bricks and lumber, were unloaded there. It was also a shipping point for grain and other produce from surrounding areas. It is believed that the first skirmish of the American Revolution in Virginia was fought in Kempsville.
The old Episcopal Rectory was an example (reputedly on the oldest in the area) of story-and -a half architecture, style developed to avoid paying the taxes levied on a two-story structure. Pleasant Hall, built in 1797, is one of the area's outstanding homes.
Kempsville became the county seat of Princess Anne County about 1775. The Court House was later used as a Baptist church. In the old part of the village there are two churches, Emmanuel Episcopal, which was once a part of the Old Donation Parish, and Kempsville Baptist church, organized in 1814 and now in its third building.
The first school on record in Kempsville was the Dickson Free School, Built in 1794. In 1835, there was a Kempsville Academy (or Male and Female Seminary) which existed until the Civil War.
Kempsville Elementary was built in 1961. The school was renovated in August, 2001and a renovation celebration was held on August 13, 2001.
Kemps Landing Elementary
The school was built in 1941 and named for the port of Kemps Landing that was once the heart of a thriving colonial settlement on the banks of the Elizabeth River. Sailing ships docked near the place that Princess Anne Road now crosses the Elizabeth River.
The area prospered and the name was changed to Kempsville. It became the county seat of government around 1775 and soon thereafter one of the fist schools was established in a building that had been a jail. Education was continued in the Kempsville area with the Dickson Free School, built in 1794, and the Kempsville Academy, which served the community from the early nineteenth century until the time of the Civil War.
Kemps Landing Elementary was situated on land sold to Princess Anne County by the O.B. Mears family. The long history of this school site bears strong testimony to the concern of our forefathers for education.
In 1953, a one-story section was built next to the original two-story building and it was used to house elementary students. Then, because of rapid growth, it became a junior high school. In 1966, the school became Kempsville Intermediate, to house 6th and 7th graders, but was renamed Kemps Landing School in 1967. In 1983, due to community needs, the school was changed for usage of 7th graders only. In September 1988, Kemps Landing School housed 6th and 7th graders.
Kempsville Meadows Elementary
The original school was constructed on a plot of approximately twelve acres of land donated by Mr. Albert Bonny, Sr. The school was designed by the architects, Pentecost, Wade, and McLellan and erected by Haycox Construction Company and opened in 1959 with Mrs. Josephine Charles as the first principal.
On July 3, 2001 a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the construction of a new school. The building was dedicated on August 21, 2002 and the new facility opened in September 2002.
King's Grant Elementary
King's Grant Elementary School was built in 1960 by the Princess Anne County School Board. Mrs. Mildred Wilson was the first principal and served until 1961 at which time Mrs. Ann Lindsey was appointed principal. On December 17, 1968, the original building burned; however, the new school was rebuilt and ready to go in 1969. The King's Grant community continued to grow over the years and a new addition was added to the school in 1997.
Kingston Elementary
Kingston Elementary was completed in the summer of 1965. In September, 1965, the school was used to house the students of the new Windsor Woods area until the new Windsor Woods Elementary School was completed.
Over the Christmas holidays of 1965, the Windsor Woods faculty and staff moved into the new Windsor Woods School. The King's Grant students remained at Kingston School for the remainder of the 1965-66 school year.
Mr. Willard Pendleton, principal was appointed in July, 1966, and served in this capacity until June, 1969.
In 1990 a gymnasium was added followed by an addition in 1996. The school has received the U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award twice, once in the 1989-1990 school year and again in the 1996-1997 school year.
Landstown Elementary
Landstown Elementary, "Home of the Dolphins" is one of the largest elementary schools in Virginia Beach. The neighborhoods served by the school are Buckner Farms, Buckner Woods, Cameron Crossing, Dam Neck Cove, Rock Creek, Green Run, Landstown Lakes, Pelican Watch and Salem Village The school is a two-story building that was built in 1993 equipped with state-of-the-art materials and technology. It is a unique physical plant in that it is the only school that is conjoined with a middle school. Through the years, the school's enrollment has continued to steadily rise as a result of the many homes built in our area. The enrollment is over 900 students. This school has one of the most diverse populations in the city with representation for all ethnicities. Landstown is known for its strong instructional program and extensive involvement in innovative technology practices. Standardized test scores continue to rise each year to meet state and federal accreditation requirements. Landstown has been fully accredited for five years. Landstown has expansive PTA involvement which offers support in all school programs. Landstown Elementary shares a rich heritage of pride and achievement with the Princess Anne area. We are proud to be a part of Virginia Beach City Public Schools who are truly ahead of the curve in our nation.
Little Creek Elementary
The school was built in 1954 at a cost of $475,000. The present school system is the result of the merger of Princess Anne County and the resort city of Virginia Beach in 1963. Little Creek Elementary is part of the Norfolk City Public School system.
Linkhorn Park Elementary
The original school opened in January 1955. On March 12, 1997 a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the construction of a new school and the building was dedicated on December 7, 1999.
This “community” school is organized as a square floor plan with three clustered classroom wings housing 30 general classrooms, special education classrooms, teacher’s workrooms and various service facilities.
Luxford Elementary
May, 1955, real estate developer, John Aragona, started his first housing complex, Aragona Village. As the area was primarily undeveloped, this large housing area created an immediate public educational need. By 1961, 3200 single family dwellings had been completed in Aragona Village, and the existing Aragona School had 2,500 elementary children attending a split session. Early in 1961 Princess Anne County purchased half of the 12.7 acres that comprise Luxford's physical plant, with William Oliver donating the other half, and construction of a new school began to ease the overcrowdedness.
Louise Luxford Elementary was the last school under Princess Anne County direction that was, or will be, named after a prominent individual in the field of education. Miss Luxford as a stalwart in education for over forty-four years and knew the field of education in Virginia Beach as few leaders will ever know it for she had the advantage of "growing up" in the area. Education was her life and she served in the capacity of teacher, principal, elementary school supervisor, and director of personnel for Princess Anne County Elementary Schools.
In July 2000, construction of a new school, with a total budget of $7,776,659 began.
Biographical sketch of Miss Meta Louise Luxford
Miss Luxford was born and reared in Pungo, Virginia Beach. She was the daughter of the late Dr. Thomas Booker Luxford and Meta Moore Luxford. She graduated from Maury High School and received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Madison College and a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Virginia. While attending Madison College she was initiated into Kappa Delta Pi and shortly after her teaching career began she was initiated into Delta Kappa Gamma.
She served as an elementary and secondary teacher, elementary principal, supervisor of elementary schools, and director of instructional personnel for the Virginia Beach City School system.
Miss Luxford was a member of the Virginia Beach Education Association, Virginia Education Association, National Education Association, Virginia Association of School Personnel Administration, and American Association of School Personnel Administration. She held state offices in the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development and in the Association of School Personnel Administration. She participated in national programs in supervision and personnel administration. Mix Luxford also held a life membership in the Princess Anne Historical Society and was a member of and treasurer of St. John's Baptist Church.
Lynnhaven Elementary
In the year 1621, Adam Thoroughgood of King's Lynn, England sailed to America as an indentured servant. He remained in the Cape Henry area and became one of the first permanent residents of the future Princess Anne County. After completing his three-year indenture in 1624, he went back to England where he married Sarah Offley. Thoroughgood returned to American with Sarah and began to acquire land lying west of what is now the Lynnhaven River. It was at this time that thoroughgood named the Lynnhaven River for his homeland, King's Lynn. "Haven" also became part of its name and meant "a safe place."
The name "Lynnhaven" was also given to the village, which grew around the area where Tandom's Restaurant (now a WaWa) was located. It was appropriate to name the village after the Lynnhaven River since it extended to this area. The area has continued to be referred to as the Lynnhaven area. Lynnhaven Elementary received its name from Lynnhaven, the area in which it is located. The school is on a tract on the original Lee Farm, which was reserved by developer John Aragona for the construction of a hospital. Due to the rapid population growth, the site was used for construction of a school rather than a hospital. Haycox Construction Company, following plans by the architects Walter and Britt, built Lynnhaven Elementary School in 1963.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 18, 2002 and Blueridge General, Inc., following plans by the architect HBA Architecture, Engineering & Interior Design, began modernization of the school on July 1, 2002. The cost of the renovation was $7.02 million. The new school was dedicated on November 9, 2004
Malibu Elementary
September 1962, Malibu Elementary began its operation at Plaza Elementary School. There were eleven "half day classes". The building, now located at 3632 Edinburgh Drive, was first occupied in January 1963. Ruth J. Bridges was the first principal. The student body was known as the "Malibu Surfers", school colors chosen were red and white and a surfer on a wave was designed as the logo. The enrollment of the student body was three hundred sixteen (316), with grades first through seventh.
In 1973 Kindergarten was added. Kathy Sands, assisted by Marion Wilson were the teachers. Ms. Sands is still the only kindergarten teacher at Malibu. Our largest enrollment was in 1974 when the membership rose to one thousand fifty (1,050). The gymnasium was built in 1990. Mark Carmack is still teaching the physical education classes. The gym houses an After-School Recreational Programs and is used nights and weekends for community activities. In 1994 Principal Susan Clark began a computer lab, housed in a bookroom closet with Jackie Matthews as the lab coordinator. Mrs. Matthews also still works at the school.
Former principals at Malibu have been: Ruth Bridges, Anna Margaret Rhodes, Jim Payne, Raymond Alexander, John W. Prine, Margaret Nicolls, Susan Clark, and Barbara Tourgee.
A new school was dedicated on November 21, 2003.
New Castle Elementary
New Castle Elementary opened in September, 1999.
Newtown Elementary (name changed May 2007)
The school was built in 1970 and was a K - 6th grade school. The first principal was Dan Lovelace.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 29, 2006 to begin construction of a new school and the building was dedicated on June 4, 2008.
Newtown Elementary, Diamond Springs Elementary, and Bettie F. Williams Elementary form the Bayside Tri-Campus.
North Landing Elementary
With the increasing demands for additional housing for naval personnel brought about the construction of six-hundred facilities near Camp Pendleton in the City of Virginia Beach. This community was named Wadsworth Homes in honor of Admiral Wadsworth from New York State. Reflecting this honor, the streets are named after rivers and towns in New York.
At the time the Wadsworth Homes were constructed, the Virginia Beach School Board was unable to obtain property near Camp Pendleton. However, the City owned a parcel of land approximately one mile west of the Princess Anne Complex on the south side of North Landing Road behind the Technical and Career Education Center. Therefore, a new elementary school was constructed on this site to accommodate the impact of the students generated by the naval housing.
The delayed construction of the new school necessitated the assignment of the students living in Wadsworth Homes to Princess Anne Elementary School. This increased Princess Anne elementary School's enrollment to fourteen-hundred students. Nine of the classrooms accommodated two teachers each.
In March, 1975, the new school was completed and officially became known as Princess Anne Elementary School Annex. Sixth graders were shuttled by buses to the Annex. Staffed initially with a secretary and custodian, the principal and specialists commuted between the Annex and the parent school. Two cafeteria workers, who were aided by the custodian, delivered hot lunches daily in a converted school board truck.
In April, 1975, Mrs. Diane Cauthen was appointed principal of North Landing Elementary School.
North Landing was the thirty-ninth elementary school in Virginia Beach and the last school built under the School Board Referendum of February 8, 1972. The cost of the building was $1,265,700 plus $35,000 in architectural fees. It is situated on fifteen acres of land.
Oceana Elementary
The school was built in 1929 at a cost of $100,000. A ten room addition and cafeteria were added in 1945 at a cost of $120,000. Until 1954 the school served as a high and elementary school.
Ocean Lakes Elementary
Ocean Lakes Elementary School first opened its doors to the community in 1989 under the leadership of principal Mike Storm. Our current principal is Mr. Charles Grindle. We serve approximately 600 students from pre-school through fifth grade.
Ocean Lakes Elementary School is located near the Fleet Combat Training Center, Dam Neck, in the resort city of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Our students come from the Ocean Lakes Community. A significant number of our students are from Navy families serving at Naval Air Station, Oceana and the Fleet Combat Training Center at Dam Neck.
Old Donation Center
The building was originally opened in January, 1965 as Old Donation Elementary. On March 17, 1998, the Virginia Beach School Board approved a redesigned gifted elementary school plan. This vote paved the way for 400 academically gifted students to attend a single-site gifted elementary school at the Old Donation Center. In addition, this new model included resource teachers to work in each elementary school to provide differentiated instruction to those gifted students who participate in the resource cluster program.
The elementary gifted school increased enrollment to 500 students in the 1999-2000 school year. The gifted school for the arts, which includes the art and dance programs for students in grades 3 through 8, continues to be housed at Old Donation Center.
Old Donation Elementary
On January 27, 1965, the Virginia Beach City School Board paid Mr. W.D. Hobbs, Jr. $4,653 for 13.1 acres of truck farm land located in the Bayside Borough of Virginia Beach. Later in 1965, Haycox Construction Company was contracted to construct a twenty-nine classroom, "T" shaped school, designed by Waller and Britt, an architectural firm, for the sum of $450,063. The school opened on September 3, 1965 with Mr. Grey Cassell as the first principal. For the first two years, the 29 classrooms housed grades 1 through 7. The next three years, it had grades 1 through 5, returning to grades 1 through 7. Enrollment was near 865. When Newtown Road Elementary School was opened in 1970, the enrollment was reduced to near 550 students. The school housed regular classes and some special classes. In 1980, the school was named Old Donation Center for the Gifted and Talented.
Parkway Elementary
Parkway Elementary is located in the Green Run area of Virginia Beach. The school opened in September of 1987 with an enrollment of 977 with students in grades K-6. The building cost 3.47 million dollars and it has 67, 567 square feet sitting on fifteen acres of land. The outside playground includes a basketball court, softball field, challenge course, and an enclosed kindergarten playground area.
Parkway has had several administrative changes. Mr. James Oglesby was the first administrator at Parkway until his retirement in February of 1996. Dr. David Mutter then became principal until his retirement in July of 1999. Ms. Deborah Etheridge moved from assistant principal at Parkway to principal in July 1999. Ms Etheridge (Mrs. Pinkney) left Parkway in 2001 to take a position in Texas. The current principal is Mrs. Nanocie Diggs.
Also, when the school opened their mascot was the Patriots; however, in 2001 the school community changed the mascot to the Panthers.
Pembroke Elementary
Pembroke Elementary School is located on a twelve-acre site and construction began in the spring of 1962. The cost of the land was $120,000, and the cost of the building was $776,331. At the time it was built, it was the second school in the City of Virginia Beach to be built on the architectural design of Waller and Britt.
Construction began on the first addition to Pembroke Elementary in July 1987. Funding for special education classrooms and physical education facilities had been approved by voters in a 1985 school bond referendum. The architectural firm of CEGG designed the addition; Duke and Associates was the general contractor. The additional classrooms housed students with severe disabilities, pre-school children with developmental delays, and SECEP classes for students with autism. This addition to the school doubled its size, and the 97,000 square foot school opened for students on September 6, 1988.
In July 2002, construction began on an $8.5 million project to renovate and modernize Pembroke Elementary. The modernization project added another 40,000 square feet of space to the existing building that included a new library/media center, computer resource center, art room, music room, special programs room, and administrative office area. Construction was substantially complete in December 2004 and the "new" building was dedicated on May 5, 2005.
Pembroke Meadows Elementary
Pembroke Meadows Elementary School was opened in September 1969 with Mrs. Elizabeth D. Sparling as the principal, and a teaching staff of 21. The land, consisting of 14.6 acres, was purchased from the Terry Corp. by Virginia Beach City School Board in 1967. The community, originally a rural environment, has changed to an urban area comprised of single-family dwellings, townhouses, condominiums, and apartments.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 11, 2004 to begin an addition of 28,000 square feet plus renovation of the remaining areas and a dedication was held on October 27, 2006.
Plaza Elementary
The school was built in 1961 as part of the Princess Anne County. Mable Church was appointed as Plaza's first principal (1961-1969). The school originally served students in grades one through seven. In 1973, kindergarten was added and grade seven was moved to the junior high school. A gymnasium was added to the school in 1990. Renovations were made to the school and a dedication ceremony was held on December 7, 1999.
Included in Plaza's history are a variety of innovative educational approaches. A non-graded program for primary children was in effect in the late sixties. In 1973, Plaza took part in the first pilot program of year-round schools. Also, Plaza was instrumental in initiating the job sharing option for teachers.
Pleasant Ridge School (formerly Charity Neck School)
The building was constructed in the 1880s on Charity Neck Road as a two-room school (Charity Neck School) for white children. It ended its service as a one-room school (Pleasant Ridge School) for blacks. Around 1915, Pleasant Ridge School, burned down. The “big room” of the old Charity Neck School was placed on skids and pulled by horses to replace the burned-out Pleasant Ridge School. The building has been in that location next to Asbury church ever since.
The school served African American children in grades 1-7. First through fourth graders went to school from
7:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. and fifth through seventh graders attended classes from 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. from September through March, to give the children time to help plant the crops.
Two outhouses were available - one for girls and one for boys.
The heat came from a wood stove and the children had to get there early to gather wood for the fire. The first person to school in the morning made the fire in the stove inside the school. Later, the School Board provided a coal stove, and once a week, a pot of beans and cocoa were cooked on the stove. At other times, baskets of fruit were supplied.
The school closed in 1955 and the building was donated to Asbury church.
In 1990, discussions began to refurbish the school. Former Councilwoman Barbara Henley served on the committee. Others included Alvin and Sadie Lamb, Doris Davenport (student), Lillian Craft and Nina Williams. They had a fried chicken dinner, initially, to help raise money to restore the school. When funds and the committee's steam started running out, former Sheriff Frank Drew offered to donate materials and the Community Work Force from the jail to help finish the job. The Renovation Project was completed in 1997 by the Sheriff Frank Drew Community work Force in cooperation with Councilwoman Barbara Henley.
The school was rededicated on November 18, 1997.
The schoolhouse is located on the east side of Princess Anne Road in southern Pungo and next to Asbury United Methodist Church and represents a historic remembrance of early education in Virginia Beach, formerly Princess Anne County.
Point O'View Elementary
The school was built in 1968 and opened with Mr. C.M. Rawls as the principal.
Princess Anne Elementary
The school opened in 1956 under the name of Seaboard Elementary School. Originally, the school served a black student body instructed by a black faculty. The faculty was integrated in 1967 and the student body in 1969. In 1969, the boundaries were redrawn and the school name was changed to Princess Anne Elementary School.
Providence Elementary
The school opened in September 1981.
Red Mill Elementary
The school opened in 1989.
Rosemont Elementary
Rosemont elementary School opened in September 1981 and served the Green Run area of the city. Enrollment at Rosemont exceeded 1,000 students in grades K-6 during the first few years it was open.
The first principal of Rosemont was Mr. Ronald Cowan. Mr. Cowan left the school in 1988 and Dr. Ramona Stenzhorn became the principal. In 1989, Dr. Caroly Felty became the principal followed by Dr. Loneta Clement and Mr. William Skaggs.
Dr. Miriam B. Freeman became the school's principal in the fall of 2002. Rosemont's current Assistant Principal is Mrs. Elaine Rector.
Seatack Elementary
The Seatack Community is one of the oldest continuous settlements in the northeast portion of the City of Virginia Beach. The name Seatack came about in 1813 when the British fleet was anchored off what is now Virginia Beach and parties of sailors were sent ashore to forage for food. The vessels set up a protective bombardment to cover the field. The Seatack area marked the farthest point inland where the great iron cannon balls fell. On one occasion, a messenger ran to tell the American soldiers that the British were attacking by sea. As a result, for many years the area was called Sea Attack. Time has corrupted "sea attack" to the present name of Seatack.
There were no schools for African American children in the early 1900s. The African American residents of the Seatack community took the initiative to provide some formal educational opportunities for their children. Mount Olive Baptist Church housed two classes for several years. When enrollment exceeded the capacity of the rooms, Mr. Enoch Morgan donated two rooms from a building previously utilized as a general store. Mr. Enoch Morgan and his brother, Americus, provided transportation for the students during inclement weather. Several years later, the school was moved to a three-room building along South Birdneck Road due to growing enrollment. This facility, formally known as the Seatack Community Center, housed grades one through seven. In 1952, a new school was constructed, at a cost of $360,000, on the Morgan's property. The staff consisted of a principal, Mrs. Emma W. Hairston, a clerk, thirteen teachers, two cafeteria workers, one custodian, and two bus drivers.
The property was purchased by funds raised by the African American parents, community leaders, and school board funds. An addition of 7 classrooms was completed in 1955 at a cost of $90,000. In 1959 an eight room addition was completed. In 1968, a gymnasium was constructed.
Seatack Elementary School was the last of all African American schools to be completely integrated in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools system. It was integrated during the 1971-1972 academic year. Integration was achieved through busing and rezoning of students.
In March 2000, Seatack Elementary moved to their new state of the art building. The new school is located on South Birdneck Road near the intersection with General Booth Blvd.
Shelton Park Elementary
Shelton Park Elementary School was built in 1954 at a cost of $475,000. In 1961 and 1977 additions were made to the building. An addition and major renovation was completed in January 2001, with a total budget of $7,359,889.
Strawbridge Elementary
Opened in 1991.
Tallwood Elementary
The Nathaniel Nicholas House (Tallwood) currently stands at 1676 Kempsville Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia. William Nicholas came to Kempsville in 1643. His grandson, Nathaniel Nicholas, inherited the family plantation south of Kempsville in 1746, on which he had already built the "Tallwood" house in 1740. He added 530 acres to those he had inherited, and it is said he planted one of every tree native to Virginia on his property. The house is clapboard with both end of brick 14 inches thick. A center hall divides two large rooms downstairs. The flooring and stairway are all original pine.
Tallwood Elementary School received its name from this house and opened its doors to students on September 5, 1989. Many if not all of the homes of the students at Tallwood Elementary School now stand on land that once was the "Tallwood" Plantation.
Thalia Elementary
Thalia Elementary started serving the parents and children of Princess Anne County and Virginia Beach in September of 1956. It was originally constructed as a twenty classroom plant and the building was expanded to thirty one classrooms in 1963.
The school was modernized for a cost of $8,603,717, and was completed in the fall of 2001.
Thoroughgood Elementary
Thoroughgood Elementary School is named for the city's founding colonist, Adam Thoroughgood, an indentured servant who rose to become one of Virginia's earliest burgesses and later, a member of the Governor's Council. In 1635, he was granted 5,360 acres in return for the transportation of himself, his wife and 105 persons. One of his "head rights" Augustine Warner, is of particular significance. He became the great-great-grand father of George Washington. Our school and its community are situated on part of this patent, the largest grant in Virginia until 1650. The Adam Thoroughgood House, circa 1680, is a National Historic Landmark, one of only two 17th century houses in the South so designated.
The school opened its doors in the fall of 1958. During its first year, it housed eighth graders living in the northern sector of the then Princess Anne County. The students traveled to school via boat and bus, from points extending east to Oceana and the Atlantic Ocean; they came from as far west as Ocean View, Larrymore Lawns, and Roosevelt Farms, those sections not then having been annexed by the City of Norfolk.
From 1959-1980, the school housed children in grades kindergarten through seven. In 1980, grade seven became a part of the junior high school system.
The school was renovated in 1995.
The school stands in the center of our community which includes the developments of Thoroughgood, Thoroughgood Estates, Thoroughgood Colony, Lake Smith Terrace, Gracetown, Bayville Park, Baylake Pines, Ocean Park, Hermitage Townhouses, a satellite area of Little Creek Naval Housing and Church Point.
Three Oaks Elementary
Groundbreaking for this new school was held on December 12, 2003. The school opened in the fall of September, 2005.
Trantwood Elementary
The history of the area around Trantwood Elementary can be traced back to when the location was an Algonquin Indian burial ground.
A large tract of virgin land, Trantwood's present site, was purchased in 1930 by the Trant family who started a dairy farm on the property. Later, Black Angus beef cattle were added to the farm. It remained a cattle farm until 1960, when the property was sold. At this time, land was sold to the Virginia Beach School Board for construction of an elementary school.
As the area continued to develop, Trantwood Elementary was built in 1963 to serve the Great Neck Road area.
In 1969, an air-conditioned annex of four classrooms and two activity rooms was added to the school. In 1987 the entire school became air-conditioned. In 1991 a gymnasium was added.
Ground breaking for our renovation and new wings began May 22, 2002. On April 14, 2005 renovations were complete and the new building was dedicated.
White Oaks Elementary
White Oaks opened in the 1978-79 school year. It started with an enrollment of 301 and climbed to 969 by the end of the school year. Mrs. Diane Cauthen was the first principal.
Williams Elementary
Bettie F. Williams, with twenty-six classrooms, opened in September 1961, in Princess Anne County. The school housed pupils in grades one through six and served a large section of the county's population. It was named in honor of Mrs. Bettie Forbes Williams, one of Princess Anne County's most illustrious educators. Louvenia Archer was the school's first principal.
After only two years of operation, a new wing consisting of eight classrooms and two restrooms was completed. This addition was imperative due to the arrival of seventh grade pupils from an overcrowded Union Kempsville High School.
When Mrs. Louvenia Archer retired in June 1962, Mrs. Verlin Adams became principal. Williams School saw much change under Mrs. Adams' administration. Not only did enrollment increase, but integration began. No longer was Bettie F. Williams a black school. It changed from housing grades one through seven to housing only sixth and seventh grades. In June 1971, Mrs. Adams accepted a principalship in another Virginia Beach city school. Mr. William T. Bright became the principal.
Another reclassification in 1972 transformed B.F. Williams back to grades one through seven, but only for a brief time. The following year, the instructional program reverted to sixth and seventh grades once again.
When Mr. Bright died in May 1977, his administrative responsibilities were assumed by the assistant principal Clayton Robertson. In July of that year, Mr. William Peachy became the principal.
Mr. Robert Edwards became the principal of Williams Intermediate School in July 1979.
Bettie F. Williams, Newtown and Diamond Springs Elementary form the Bayside Tri-Campus.
Bettie Forbes Williams
Bettie Forbes Williams became the second Supervisor of Negro Elementary Schools in Princess Anne County about 1946. She was born in September of 1900, in Princess Anne County. Her parents were farmers who grew vegetables and root crops and raised chickens. As a child, she showed the desire to help others, often giving away surplus crops to friends or neighbors in need.After graduation from Virginia State College in Petersburg , Bettie returned home in 1922 to teach at Cross Roads School. It was a little frame schoolhouse like others in the county, and crowded to capacity.
Three years later she began teaching at Seatack School, and by 1934, she was teaching at Union Kempsville School, located on the grounds of Union Baptist Church. In 1938, she began teaching at the new Princess Anne County Training School for black students as a History and English Instructor.
After the untimely death of Mary E. Gray in 1948, Bettie F. Williams was appointed Supervisor of Negro Elementary Schools in Princess Anne County. She retired in 1961 due to poor health, and in October of that year the Princess Anne County School Board named and dedicated its newest school in her honor.
Through all these years, Bettie F. Williams has influenced and molded many lives. She gave students the knowledge and the desire to further their education and better themselves within. Many local residents, both black and white, said she was never too busy to offer a hand. One of her fellow co-workers said, upon her passing on April 2, 1962, "How she has helped many! God will take care of her always".
William Skinner Elementary
Blacks relive good times at Skinner School
by Janice Holloway
The Beacon, July 5/6, 1984
By the end of 1953, all that remained of the three-room William Skinner School was two chimneys.
Fire had claimed the little wood building that once served the educational needs of the black population of old Princess Anne County. It stood on what is now part of the land to the west of the entrance to Thoroughgood on Pleasure House Road.
In 1923, the three-room building was opened to provide the only formal education that black children in the surrounding neighborhoods would receive without going to Norfolk.
Now, 61 years later, the former students and some of the teachers of Skinner School are preparing for a reunion of all the classes. The reunion will be a three-day event from July 6 through 8 involving members of several black neighborhoods.
At least 100 are expected at a banquet Friday at the Giant Market banquet room at Wards Corner. A Saturday picnic followed by Sunday worship at Morning Star Baptist Church will round out the weekend program.
Since early this year, John H. Wright, a former student at Skinner School, has led a committee of former students in planning the reunion. They have collected old photographs and information to be used in a commemorative book.
Cora McWilliams and Helen Johnson, former teachers at Skinner School, will be honored guests at the Friday banquet.
The school had its beginning when William C. Skinner, a Beechwood resident, gathered the support of parents and went to the Princess Anne County School Board. He was told he needed to raise $1,000, which would be matched by the School Board.
Meanwhile, Julius Rosenwald, a philanthropist and former president of Sears, Roebuck and Co. who had been active in the establishment of Southern black schools, contributed $1,000. With the $1,000 from the Rosenwald fund, the $1,000 raised by the parents and $1,000 from the county, Skinner School was funded.
Grace Keeling, a Princess Anne County resident, donated land near her home on Pleasure House Road for the school site. This land is now the entrance to Thoroughgood.
With the $3,000 and a piece of land, all that remained was to build the school, furnish the interior, hire the teachers and supply learning materials. All of this was accomplished by 1923, and the school was opened.
For the first two years, one of the three rooms served as a library. When more students entered the school, the library was converted into a classroom.
For 20 years, the school provided education through the seventh-grade. The first graduation was in 1927 when two students, Leola Ames Williams and the late Mabel Dailey Gregory, received their seventh-grade diplomas.
Transportation to school was a problem. Although public transportation came along in later years, the children attending Skinner School continued to walk to school, except when someone in their neighborhood occasionally drove them.
Some of the students walked as far as three miles down the old Waterworks Road that passed through Robbin’s Corner.
For years, there were no school buses, and most parents could not afford the fares to send their children to school on the public bus.
Some of the teachers who did not have personal transportation, or who lived within walking distance, relied on the public transit system to make the round-trip to the school. The bus, on its way to Shore Drive, stopped at Robbin’s Corner.
Leola Williams remembers that, during the four years she attended Skinner School, she and the other children would gather for morning devotions.
“Then, we went to our classes where two or three groups were taught in each room,” she recalled.
The old “pot belly” stoves kept them warm in the winter, and were used to cook meals. The young boys were responsible for making the fire each morning. The teachers would have the kindling ready and waiting for them. Often there was only enough wood on hand to last a few weeks, and finding wood to last through the winter was a problem.
With no running water and no kitchen, the fresh water and food had to be carried to the school daily. Fresh water came from the nearby Morning Star Baptist Church. The County School Board sent apples, oranges and potatoes once a month.
The teachers made soup that sold for two cents, three cents, five cents and 10 cents a bowl. The 10 cent bowl had both vegetables and meat.
Mary White, a former student, remembers the teachers putting pots of beans on the stove first thing in the morning, so they would be ready by noon.
“We probably had the best menu of the black schools in this area,” she said. “I would take some of the sweet potatoes my father grew on the farm to school. Some of the others would do the same.
:We would put them in the bottom of the heater in the ashes. By 12 o’clock, they would be ashy, but sweet.”
The students went to Robbin’s Corner General Store to buy pickles and peppermint sticks for a nickel. They were permitted to go on Fridays, if they had the money.
Mrs. C.T. Congleton, a former Robbin’s Corner resident, remembers the children from Skinner School visiting the store.
“The store was an old-fashioned general store and when the children needed clothing, as well as food, they or their parents came to the store,” she recalled. “They were our neighbors and our friends.”
She also remembers that the parents of the students tried to see that their children received a well-rounded education by planning a number of activities for them at the school.
The principal, Lavania Whidbee, taught several grades. Her office was in the classroom. Two of the first teachers were “Misses Douthery and Hawk.”
Later members of the faculty were Ruth Hodges Elliot, Cora McWilliams and Helen Johnson.
Once a month, a special teacher would visit the school to teach the girls sewing. There was no music or art teacher. All other subjects were taught by the full-time teachers.
During the early decades of the school’s existence, the minimum requirement for teachers was two years of college. They were then qualified for what was know as a “normal certificate.” It was not until some years later that four years of college were requir3ed to receive a collegiate professional certificate. Cora McWilliams began teaching at Skinner School in 1930. Looking back on her 20 years there, she said, “I always taught the second-grade, except when the second-grade and third-grade were combined. Usually, there were about 40 children in the class.”
She taught every subject, and remembers that reading was a subject on which great emphasis was placed. But the problem was that there were no reading materials designated for a particular grade.
:Some of thee books were supplied for us, but they were used,” she explained. “We, the teachers, contributed books from our personal libraries.”
Magazines and other books that would help the children with their reading were used to supplement the program.
The students’ recreation time was spent playing games. Marbles was a favorite.
Former student Mary White remembers that Marion Griffin was the “marble queen.”
“By the end of the marble game, Marion Griffin would have all the marbles,” she said.
Friday evenings featured the “10 Cent foot Dances.” The girls would stand behind a sheet with only their feet showing. The boys would then pay 10 cents to choose a pair of feet. The girl whose feet were chosen would be his partner for the dance.
In January 1941, Skinner School was recognized as the first school in Virginia to join the Junior Audubon Society. The student body raised a total of $13.75, which was sent to help with the conservation of birds and wildlife.
When the school year ended in May, the students were expected to help with the planting and harvesting in the then farm-populated areas.
By 1953, the final class was held at Williams Skinner School. The students and some of the teachers transferred to what later became known as Princess Anne County Training School.
Official records of Princess Anne County refer to the close of Skinner School on September 22, 1953. The School Board minutes state that the Skinner School was abandoned and the “pupils transported to the Training School at Euclid.”
In later years, the Training School was renamed Union Kempsville High School. That’s when the elementary grades were shifted to another location.
Union Kempsville was closed in 1969, and the black students who had been attending Union Kempsville went to Virginia Beach schools that had been integrated a few years earlier.
The building that had housed the William Skinner School was to have been moved to Gracetown for use as a neighborhood recreation center, but a fire of undetermined origin claimed it before it could be moved.
For the next several years, the chimneys were all that remained of the school that had been the beginning for so many.
Windsor Oaks Elementary
Windsor Oaks Elementary opened July 1, 1968 to serve community children in Grades 1 through 7. These children were housed in five nearby schools to await the completion of the building. Upon building completion in 1968, the school housed children from King's Grant Elementary School, which had burned.
In 1969, Windsor Oaks Elementary School housed children in the local school community. On December 7, 1969, the dedication program was held. The Honorable Thomas Downing, United States Congressman, gave the Dedicatory Address.
In the 1973-74 school year, Windsor Oaks Elementary School became one of four Virginia Beach schools to incorporate the 45-15 plan for year-round schooling. This pilot program, which enabled the school to adequately handle a larger enrollment, was terminated in two years. Kindergarten classes were initiated in the 1973-74 school year.
In the 1975-76 school year, Grade 7 classes were removed from the school and housed in a nearby junior high school.
Windsor Woods Elementary
The original school building opened in 1966. On April 6, 2006 a groundbreaking was held for the construction of a new school and the building dedication was held on April 10, 2008.
Woodstock Elementary
The school opened in September, 1957, housing grades one through eight in twenty classrooms.
Mr. Jefferson Davis was the school's first principal. In 1959, Norfolk annexed a part of Princess Anne County served by Woodstock School. This caused a decrease in student enrollment; however rapid growth in the area created overcrowded conditions in all grades.
Ten new classrooms were added in September, 1962. In 1965, the school housed grades one through seven. In September 1966, the school lost grades six and seven to Kemps Landing Intermediate School.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 2, 2001 to begin construction of a new school and the building was dedicated on November 20, 2002.
Bayside Middle
Bayside Middle was completed in 1969 and opened in 1970. Bayside Middle School is one of fourteen middle schools in the city of Virginia Beach. Unlike many traditional single-unit structures, Bayside Middle consists of five distinct and separate units connected by breezeways.
Brandon Middle
Brandon Middle School opened as Brandon Junior High School in August 1978 with Charles A. Atkinson as the first principal.
Career Development Center
Career Development Center (CDC) opened in the 1979-1980 school year as a vocational training center. The cost of the original building and land was $1,600,000 with renovation and conversion of the 128,000 square foot former G.E.X. building costing $3,028,980.08. Credit for making the CDC project a reality was a result of Superintendent Dr. E.E. Brickell and his staff, John McCage, staff architect; William Moosha, principal for the school; John Curtin, program development specialist; and Dr. John Sutherland, special assistant for program development.
Center for Effective Learning
Center for Effective Learning (CEL) opened in September 1969, with three major goals. The first was to develop individualized programs for students with certain kinds of problems. With highly specialized, concentrated curricula, these students would be able to “catch up,” and return to their neighborhood schools. The second was to provide facilities for diagnosing learning problems and prescribing appropriate programs for pupils throughout the Virginia Beach City Public Schools. The third was to serve as a model in developing and refining programs and teaching techniques. The school opened with an enrollment of 226 students – forty-four of these were five-year olds, invited from the adjacent area to form the initial class of a Nongraded Primary. Ninety-seven students from grades one through eight came to improve their reading skills. Sixteen students with emotional problems were in two classes. Seventy-two boys and girls were in six classes for the trainable mentally retarded.
Today the center serves to meet the needs of students (from the school division’s middle schools) who are experiencing minimal success in the regular school program. The goal of our program is to help students who are "At-Risk" to successfully function in a school setting through academic success and appropriate center social behaviors. CEL focuses on three areas: instruction, intervention, and behaviors. In the area of instruction, a strong emphasis is placed on the acceleration of basic skills proficiencies in order to strengthen academic skills. Intervention concentration is on students' social skills and greater involvement in center life and community projects. Counseling focuses on responsibility, improvement in attendance, student behavior patterns, and career awareness.
In August 2007, the center moved from this campus to the former campus of Kemps Landing Magnet (corner of Kempsville and Princess Anne Roads).
Corporate Landing Middle
The school opened in 1997. The student population comes from nine elementary schools and has an attendance zone bordered by Lynnhaven Parkway to the west, London Bridge Road to the south, Birdneck Road to the east and Bold Ruler Drive to the south. Four principals have led the school which also serves as the middle school campus for deaf and hard of hearing students.
Great Neck Middle
Great Neck middle school was established in 1983 after it originally served as Frank W. Cox High for 22 years. The building known today as Great Neck Middle School opened in 1961 and was named after a former superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools. The school was originally designed to be Northeast Junior High School and consisted of 1600 eighth and ninth graders. Great Neck Middle School is an "average" size middle school for Virginia Beach with a slowly growing enrollment of 1185 students. The school is an older high school building which became a junior high in 1983 and transitioned to a "middle school" in 1992.
On January 15, 2008, an information meeting was held for the purpose of sharing proposed plans for the replacement of the existing Great Neck Middle School, originally constructed in 1961.
Independence Middle
The door of Independence Junior High opened to students in September 1974. This was the year that the City of Virginia Beach Public Schools achieved the long-sought after goal of removing eighth and ninth grade students from the senior high schools.
Kemps Landing Magnet
In the spring of 1995, an amazing transformation took place on the corner of Kempsville and Princess Anne Road. The joint efforts of city workers, an energetic staff, anxious parents, and students worked to turn a vacated building back into a place of learning. Walls were painted, floors were scrubbed, weeds pulled and flowers planted, and discarded furnishings from other buildings were cleaned and decorated to turn empty spaces into exciting classrooms. In just a few short weeks, from what was once a debris-laden, deteriorating structure, rose Kemps Landing Magnet School, one of the finest institutions of learning in the state of Virginia. In the six years the program occupied that facility, the staff and students adapted to and overcame the problems created by inadequate science facilities, limited electrical capacity, and a rippled gym floor. But now, those issues are behind us, and like the phoenix, we have risen to begin anew in this, our second home, 4722 Jericho Road. The dedication of their new building was held on October 25, 2001.
Kempsville Middle
Kempsville Junior is a two million, seven hundred sixty thousand dollar structure which opened in September 1969. The school was dedicated on April 12, 1970, with Senator Harry F. Byrd, Jr. as the speaker. Spigel, Carter, Zinkl, and Herman designed the school and it was constructed by Conrad Brothers, Inc.
Larkspur Middle
The school opened in November 1994.
Plaza Middle
Plaza Junior High was dedicated on November 9, 1969.
Princess Anne Middle
The school opened in September 1974.
Salem Middle
Salem Junior High opened in September 1988 as a junior high housing grades 7-9. The school was dedicated on December 8, 1988. In the fall of 1993, Salem Junior High adopted the middle school concept, housing grades 6-8. Renovations to Salem Middle were completed during the summers of 1999 and 2000.
Virginia Beach Middle
Virginia Beach Junior High was built in 1951-52 as a senior high school. In 1966, when First Colonial High School opened, Virginia Beach High School became Virginia Beach Junior High School.
Since 1952, several additions have been built. In 1963, an entire wing (100 hall) was built, and extensions were added to the 200 hall, 300 hall, and the cafeteria. During the 1976-77 school year, a new gym and two new health rooms were added and the wrestling room, library, administrative areas, and food preparation facilities were enlarged. In 1982, renovation of the home economics laboratory was completed.
On February 7, 2008 a ground breaking was held to build a new 190,000 sq. ft. building that is projected to be completed the Winter of 2009/2010.
Advanced Technology Center
The Advanced Technology Center is the result of a partnership between Tidewater Community College, Virginia Beach City Public Schools and the City of Virginia Beach. This facility promises to be one of the most unique educational and training centers as it offers secondary and post-secondary students the highly technical training demanded of today's workforce.
Located on the Virginia Beach Campus of Tidewater Community College, adjacent to the new Virginia Beach Higher Education Center operated by Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University, and across the street from Virginia Beach's Landstown High School. The three adjoining facilities will create what city officials and the education community are calling an academic village for Virginia Beach.
The Advanced Technology Center will help the public schools and the community college meet projected enrollment figures for training in technology. It will also assist in addressing the demand among Hampton Roads' employers for a well-trained and educated workforce, especially in the area of advanced electronic technology. And, most importantly, it will ensure that local students and citizens have the best career opportunities in the new millennium.
The 137,000 square-foot, $22.5 million-dollar Advanced Technology Center has been developed by a special state/city partnership of the Commonwealth of Virginia through Tidewater Community College, the Virginia Beach City Public Schools, and the City of Virginia Beach. The City of Virginia Beach gave $12.5 million and the Commonwealth of Virginia contributed $10 million and also provided the land.
Bayside High
The school opened in 1964.
Cox High
The original Frank W. Cox High School, which opened in 1961, presently serves as Great Neck Middle. Frank W. Cox High was named after a former superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools who served as the school division's leader from 1932 - 1968. The original Cox High School consisted of 1600 eighth and ninth graders. On June 11, 1965, the first senior class graduated. The present Cox High school building opened in the fall of 1983 and the original building located at 1848 North Great Neck Road presently serves as Great Neck Middle School. The present Cox High School building, located on 2425 Shorehaven Road, opened in the fall of 1983.
First Colonial High
First Colonial High opened in 1966.
Green Run High
The school opened in September 1979 as the largest high school in Virginia with 247,000 feet of space and a cost of $11.4 million. The site for the school was previously used for fox hunting by the Princess Anne Hunt Club and later used as a garden farm for the Norfolk City jail. The site was owned by a Mennonite farming family until sold in the late 1960’s as part of the Green Run planned development and in one of three Virginia Beach schools built on land that can be traced back to the Algonquin Indian settlements. Mr. Wiley French was the first principal and remained principal until 1990. Please visit http://www.greenrunhs.vbschools.com/school/cover.asp to review the original architects booklet.
Kellam High
The school opened in September, 1962, and is named for Judge Floyd Eaton Kellam, who practiced law in Princess Anne County until 1946, when the Governor of Virginia appointed him to take the 18th Judicial Circuit of Virginia. He remained on the bench until his death in 1958. Kellam graduated its first class in 1965. A new two-story wing was completed in 1967.
Kempsville High
The school was built in 1941 for $110,000. It served the community as a high school until 1954 at which time it became an elementary school. A new school opened in the fall of 1966.
The history of the Kempsville area is depicted by symbols on the school seal and the seal is emblematic of a new history in the making. The Chief, who is the dominant figure on the seal, represents the early settlers, hence the explanation of the "Chiefs of Kempsville High." The fact that industry produces reward is symbolized by a plowshare and crops. The tomahawk crossed with the peace pipe shows the acceptance of human differences and the compatibility that comes through the untied effort of all.
The student Scrap Book summarized the first year of Kempsville High School by stating, "Together we have traveled through a year of learning, growing, winning, and losing. This is the founding of a school and its phases of life."
Landstown High
Landstown High is a state-of-the-art facility designed for 2,000 students. The school comprises 274,701 square feet on a campus of sixty-five acres with a cost of $39,615,771. Featuring two identically designed two-story academic wings which house classrooms, an 1,800-seat gymnasium, media center, cafeteria, and 665-seat auditorium, the facility is also the site of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools' first academy, the Technology Academy. Additional amenities include a performing arts complex, a physical education complex, cutting-edge technology systems that include the most complete complement of voice, data, and video provided to any school in Virginia, as well as school grounds that include tennis courts, softball and baseball fields, practice fields, a track, and a 4,500-seat competition field.
In December 2005 construction was started on a twenty-classroom addition and completed in January 2007 with a dedication ceremony held on May 2, 2007.
Oceana High
Oceana High fell victim to her own geography, being located at the end of the main runway for Oceana Naval Air Station. With the Navy's transition to jet aircraft after World War II, the noise level had made teaching (and concentration) difficult. The post war building boom in Virginia Beach (as well as the baby boom) had also dictated the need for more classrooms, so, for the first time, Virginia Beach had her own high school, rather than sending students to Princess Anne County schools.
Ocean Lakes High
The school opened in 1994. In December 2005 construction was started on a twelve-classroom addition and completed in January 2007with an addition dedication on May 30, 2007.
Princess Anne County Training School/Union Kempsville High School
Elizabeth Cason has vivid memories of her days as one of the first African-American students to attend high school in Princess Anne County.
She remembers what there was - an old school bus that had seen previous use as a chicken coop and trailed feathers as it bumped along unpaved roads.
"The white children would laugh when they saw us coming. They'd say, 'Here come the chickens!'"
She remembers what there wasn't.
"We had no laboratory and no library. We brought books from home and borrowed books. I never knew anything about dissecting a frog other than what I saw out in the yard."
But mostly, she remembers what it meant: Black parents working together to provide for their children what the county would not - a high school. First from a church, then from a building constructed of equal parts cinder block and determination, the Princess Anne County Training School turned Union Kempsville High School graduated its first class in 1938 and its last in 1969.
"Everybody wanted their children to have an education," Cason said. "When you needed things, you didn't wait for the (county) to do it. That PTA would go out to do it."
"These men and women had one thought in mind - to provide a safe and decent educational environment in which 'little colored kids' could learn without fear of snake bites, falling and leaking ceilings, lack of heat and other deplorable conditions found in most existing one-room schools in Princess Anne Count7y," Moody said.
At a time when education throughout the South remained segregated, black students in what would become Virginia Beach could receive an education up to the seventh-grade in a one-or two-room schoolhouse run by the county. To go further, however, they had to travel to Norfolk and pay tuition to attend Booker T. Washington, the all-black high school there.
Information about the county's black schools is scattered and hard to come by, but Edna Hendrix, a Union Kempsville graduate and historian for the African-American Cultural Council, has culled property deeds, newspaper clippings, yearbooks and people's memories to trace the schools' histories.
According to Hendrix, African-American parents were advised by a lawyer to buy their own land if they wanted a high school. In 1925, the parents formed the Training School Association and began raising money.
"It was a struggle and a half," said Hendrix, who is also the author of "Black History, Our heritage: Princess Anne County/Virginia Beach." "All of the one-room schoolhouses pulled together for this goal."
A year later, with $1,200, they purchased four acres of land on what is now Witchduck Road.
Next, they went to the county School Board to ask that a high school be established on the land, Hendrix said. The residents were told the board would consider their request but nothing ever came of it. When the board was approached again, the response was the same.
In 1931, additional money that had been raised to help build the school was lost in the collapse of a bank. Undeterred, member of the black community again went before the School Board to demand a high school for their children, only to be stalled again, Hendrix said.
Fed up with waiting, the Training Association set up a school for eighth through 11th grades at the Union Baptist Church. Twelfth grade was added later.
In 1935, the county School Board approved the school. Two years later, the Training Association deeded the property to the board for $10 with the stipulation that it revert back when it ceased to be a high school, according to a deed of the transaction.
Money raised by the parents was added to federal dollars and in the fall of 1938, a four-classroom, cinder block building opened its doors with a principal who also taught classes and three other teachers, It drew black students from Princess Anne's farthest corners. The class of 1938, the county's first class of African-American high school graduates, graduated from the original school at Union Baptist Church and never occupied the new building.
Establishing the school was only the beginning. Parents held bake sales and contests to pay for everything from books to heating fuel to building additions.
Cason, 77, a member of the class of 1938, remembers parents selling chicken dinners to buy encyclopedias for the school. She also recalls one parent appealing to a School Board member for chairs and being told to chop logs for the students to sit on.
"They'd give the blacks the hand-me-downs. But we were glad to get those," she said. "There was never money for the black school. That was the way of life then. They didn't think they were doing anything wrong."
What the school lacked in materials, it made up for in high expectations and commitment. It became a center to the already close-knit black community and an extension of their families.
Ruby Allen, a 1948 graduate of the Training School, now a music teacher at Green Run High School, said her class of 32 was the largest to that point.
"We had hard teachers. You had to perform. We had to do term papers that were perfect," she recalled. And the students rose to the challenge, she said. "We always knew we wanted to go to school. That was your job."
And Clyde I. Siler, a 1946 graduate who eventually returned to teach at the school and then at Bayside and Princess Anne high schools, said discipline problems were almost unheard of.
"(The teachers) wouldn't stand for it. They knew the student's mama and grandmamma," he said.
William Watson graduated from the Training School in 1943, went off to college and then returned to teach U.S. government and history from 1952 to 1969. He recalls a handful of teachers in the early days who had to teach everything.
"The teachers were sincere, and they taught all they knew," he said. Even if an English teacher had to step in to lead an algebra class, "they did the best they could."
"I loved going to school, never missed time out of school," Watson said. "It was a thrill to me."
The school eventually started athletics programs complete with a mascot - the Tiger - and school colors - maroon and grey.
Donald Morgan Sr. was biology and physics teacher at the school who became an assistant principal there and finished up his career as supervisor of secondary science with the district. During his days at Union Kempsville, he was known as "Three-Day Morgan" for his willingness to hand out three-day suspensions for the disciplinary problems he encountered, like smoking and leaving campus.
"I was hard, but I was fair," he said. "We had working parents then like you do now, but we had strict discipline in the home and in the school."
Eight years after the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that segregation was unconstitutional, the Virginia Beach schools began to integrate.
The name of the Training School, considered degrading by some, had been changed to Union Kempsville High School in 1961. Additions, including a football stadium, were made to the campus in 1953, 1959 and 1967. The building currently houses district offices and the Center for Effective Learning.
But enrollment dwindled as black students began attending classes in schools that were better equipped and closer to their homes. In 1969, the school was closed.
Aleta Payne, The Virginian-Pilot
June 12, 1997
The original building was constructed in 1936 with Federal Funds. An addition of four classrooms and cafeteria was constructed in 1948 at a cost of $80,000. The main building was constructed in 1953 at a cost of $1,025,000.
Princess Anne High
The school was occupied in September 1954 and the construction and equipment cost, including approximately $1,000,000 of Federal Funds, was $3,500,000.
Renaissance Academy
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 17, 2008 for the Renaissance Academy, Virginia Beach City Public Schools’ new alternative education center serving students in grades 6-12 and will be “home” for the school division’s alternative education programs to include: the Virginia Beach Central Academy, the Center for Effective Learning, the Princess Anne Center for Pregnant Teens, Open Campus Center, and SECEP.
The facility will house a museum exhibit for the historic Union Kempsville School. After integration of schools in 1969, Union Kempsville High School closed, and its students and staff transferred to other high schools in Virginia Beach.
The museum will replicate the auditorium in the former school. Curators from Virginia Beach, Colonial Williamsburg, and museums in the state will be involved with Union Kempsville graduates in the development of a community outreach program with protocols established for the collection of yearbooks, class rings, photographs, and other artifacts that organizers hope to display in the museum.
Salem High
Salem High School opened in September 1989. The 258,862 square foot facility cost $20.8 million to build.
Tallwood High
Tallwood opened its doors in 1992 with a population of 1,748 students. Mr. Bernard Morgan, III, was the school’s first principal. Tallwood opened as the pride of Virginia Beach, with state of the art equipment and the best of modern conveniences for students and teachers to enjoy. The attractive building provides students with lots of large windows, columns, a courtyard area, arched walkways, and a general atmosphere of openness. Faculty and students all demonstrated their concern for each other as the "family" began to grow into their individual and collective plans and purposes.
The History of the "Tallwood" Plantation
The Nathaniel Nicholas House (Tallwood) currently stands at 1676 Kempsville Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia. William Nicholas came to Kempsville in 1642. His grandson, Nathaniel Nicholas, inherited the family plantation south of Kempsville in 1746, on which he had already built the "Tallwood" house in 1740. He added 530 acres to those he had inherited, and it is said he planted one of every tree native to Virginia on his property. The house is clapboard with both ends of brick 14 inches thick. A center hall divides two large rooms downstairs. The flooring and stairway are all original pine.
Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education Center (formerly Virginia Beach Vocational Technical Education Center)
The Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education Center offers high school students the opportunity to combine academic and vocational preparation to achieve personal fulfillment, responsible citizenship, and economic self-sufficiency. While offering 23 occupational programs, the Tech Center prepares students for entry-level jobs and provides them with the ability to advance beyond entry-level positions.
This center is a 120,000 square foot facility located on 40 acres of land. The building cost $2,269,523.
Virginia Beach Central Academy
Virginia Beach Central Academy, formerly known as the Career Development Center (CDC) dismantled most of the technical/vocational programs and the center became primarily an alternative education center in 1996-1997 to present.
Virginia Beach High
In 1952 at a cost of $1,000,000 as a replacement for Oceana High School was constructed. It was occupied for the first time in September 1952 and closed in 1965.
School Plant and Supply
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on August 25, 2005 for the construction of a new $16,406,977 School Plant/Supply facility that houses Custodial Services, Safe Schools and Risk Management, School Plant Services, and Supply Services. The building dedication was held on December 6, 2007.
Transportation
Apparently, public transportation for school children in Princess Anne County, and Courthouse Elementary School began in approximately 1921. The first school wagon, covered with canvas, and drawn by two horses, was furnished by Tunstall Napoleon McClanan (father of The Honorable Delegate Glenn McClanan), pursuant to a contract with Princess Anne County. Approximately five years later, be bought a Chevrolet school bus and operated the same service for the Courthouse school children, by agreement with the County.
The first transportation to Kempsville High School, from Courthouse Elementary, was by way of a steam train to Euclia (now Kempsville Building Materials area on Witchduck Road). For those going on to Oceana High School, an electric train was taken from that point to Oceana. Students completing elementary school at Courthouse had the choice of attending either Kempsville or Oceana.
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