CAPE CHARLES, Va. (WAVY) — They came from the pages of history.
Two hundred people, including many former students who went to the school, turned out to the historic Cape Charles Elementary School — now called The Impact Center — after two-and-a-half years of refurbishing and construction for a dedication of the historic landmark of local African American activism.
The school was built in 1929 for the education of children in the segregated south. Cape Charles Elementary, a Washington-Rosenwald school, was built in 1929 for the education of children in the segregated south.
But today, it has a new purpose as The Impact Center.
“We are here to push that legacy forward with programming and other events that will be engaging in to benefit the community,” said The Impact Center Executive Director William Weeks.
A ribbon cutting was met with thunderous applause,
Reginer Davis-Thompson was at school when she heard then-President John F. Kennedy was shot,
“It had a positive atmosphere,” Davis-Thompson said. “I don’t remember a lot of negative things because I was so young. It was a positive experience for me.”
Valentina Elliott moved here in 1955.
“I had wonderful experiences,” Elliott said. “I look over there, and I used to play hopscotch there. We couldn’t go in the back because we could have fallen in water.”
In the community room, they showed pictures of the construction process — a labor of love years in the making.
10 On Your Side saw a picture of Dianne Davis getting her diploma from the school in 1962.
“Of course, this was during segregated times, and we had an excellent experience,” Davis said. “We had to walk to school. We had excellent teachers [and] parents were very concerned about our education.”
Weeks spoke of how this will be a community center with a state-of-the-art kitchen, and why that is important.
“Using that kitchen is to teach classes and the economics to learn how to cook at home and save money,” Weeks said.
They will hold business initiatives here, also.
“We want to have those business seminars here so we can bring the community together with shared-learning experiences,” Weeks said.
Weeks also wants more after-school programs for children, along with more elderly programs.
“I am a fan of youth because they are truly our tomorrow,” Weeks said, “so I wanted to look at what is it going to take so they can see this place as a second home, so I went on a mission to find some funding so we can have some after-school programming.”
Programs for the elderly and Eastern Shore Community College will also be using The Impact Center.
The Impact Center is built on the foundation of the past,” Weeks said, “a place where you can live, grow and thrive, so that in the end, it can be, in its own sense, a beacon of hope.”
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
