# Hermitage High School (Virginia)

Hermitage High School is a public school located in the West End of unincorporated Henrico County, Virginia. The mascot of Hermitage High School is the panther. Hermitage High School has athletic facilities with a concrete football stadium and a rubber-turf track.

## History

Initially, Hermitage High School began in 1936 as the Glen Allen High School, which was located at the present-day site of the Glen Allen Cultural Arts Center off Mountain Road. The building that is now George H. Moody Middle School was opened in 1951 as Hermitage High School. The current Hermitage High School was opened in 1972 and is located in the Brookland District.

## Demographics

Out of 1,717 students enrolled in fall of 2022, 40.8% were Black, 25.1% White, 22.2% Hispanic, 5.6% Asian, 5.6% Multiple Races, 0.4% American Indian, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian.
Virginia Department of Education (School Quality Profiles) :
| | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
| Grade 9 | 495 | 454 | 498 |
| Grade 10 | 409 | 447 | 430 |
| Grade 11 | 454 | 381 | 417 |
| Grade 12 | 414 | 340 | 372 |
| Total Students | 1,672 | 1,622 | 1,717 |
| Economically Disadvantaged | 1053 | 1085 | 873 |
| Male | 877 | 868 | 902 |
| Female | 795 | 754 | 815 |
| Black | 722 | 673 | 701 |
| White | 479 | 446 | 431 |
| Hispanic | 283 | 316 | 382 |
| Asian | 82 | 88 | 97 |
| Multiple Races | 102 | 92 | 97 |
| American Indian | 3 | 6 | 7 |
| Native Hawaiian | 1 | 1 | 2 |

## Specialty Centers

Hermitage is home to three specialty centers: the Center for the Humanities, Center for Allied Health Sciences, and the Advanced Career Education (ACE) Center. The Humanities Center, founded in 1995, is an interdisciplinary program focusing on english, history, the arts, and philosophy. The program is based in writing and discussion and is modeled after the Great Books program at St. John's College . The Advanced Career Education Center, formerly known as the Hermitage Technical Center, allows students to earn certifications in career and technical education, and includes programs in Cosmetology, Barbering, Landscaping, and Automotive Technology. The Center for Allied Health Sciences is the newest center at Hermitage and focuses on health science education. Through the Center, students can receive certification in Nursing, Vet Science, Sports Medicine, Pharmacy, and EMT.

## Extracurricular Activities

Hermitage is home to many athletic teams/sports including football, baseball, basketball, wrestling, cross country, indoor and outdoor Track, soccer, field hockey, volleyball, golf, tennis and softball, along with cheerleading. It also has a thriving arts program, including Visual Arts, Chorus, Drama, and Creative Writing. However, the band program is best known, being a 30 time Virginia honor band and honor band hall of fame member. In addition to arts and athletics, the school also has multiple clubs for students to join, including National Honors Society, student publications, news channel Herm TV, and more.

## Notable alumni

* Shawn Barber, former NFL player for the Washington Redskins and later a coaching intern for the Philadelphia Eagles, a team he had two separate stints playing for.
* Duane Brown, NFL Player and first round pick for the Houston Texans.
* Curtis Grant, top recruit in the Class of 2011, formerly played for the San Diego Chargers
* Chris Copeland, NBA player.
* Derrick Green, rated by Rivals.com and Scout.com as the No. 1 running back in the country in the Class of 2013, played for the Michigan Wolverines football team
* Queen Harrison, U.S. Olympic Team 2008 Track and field.
* Orlando Jordan, Former Professional Wrestler for the WWE and TNA Wrestling
* Fontel Mines, Former NFL player for the Chicago Bears.
* Darren Sharper, Former NFL player for the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and lastly the New Orleans Saints, the team that won Super Bowl XLIV.
* Jamie Sharper, Former NFL player for the Baltimore Ravens, when they won Super Bowl XXXV. He later played for the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks
* Josh Vaughan, NFL Player, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers
* Shanon Slack, Professional MMA fighter for Bellator Fighting Championship, 2008 U.S. Olympic Alternate Wrestler, Wrestling coach for Team Cruz on the Ultimate Fighter Season 15 on FOX
* Michael Paul Williams, columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
* Nettspend, Rapper (dropped out)