Belmar Elementary School

You are at Belmar Elementary School, stop #21 on the Belmar Treasure Trail. The historic school celebrated its centennial in 2010. A hundred years earlier, an election was held to decide if a new school should be built. Women at that time were only allowed to vote for trustees, not for appropriations. But with a vote of 99 for and 97 against, an exciting margin of two votes led to the new school, which was constructed at a cost of $57,000. High school students originally attended the school, but in 1912, it became the pre-kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school it is today. There have been expansions and improvements over the years, but the front façade has remained the quintessential brick school building that you see today. The playground on the north side is a special area dedicated to the memory of six-year-old Avielle Richman, a first grader who died in December 2012 in the Sandy Hook School tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. This playground was part of the Sandy Hook Project, which installed 26 playgrounds – one for each of the shooting victims – throughout the areas devastated by Superstorm Sandy. We’re honored to say thousands of children will continue to enjoy this beautiful playground for years to come. If you walk to the south side of the building, you’ll see another art mural on the cinderblock wall adjacent to the school. The image was created by the winner of a 7th grade design contest and painted by muralist Laurie Tobia, with the assistance of 8th graders. Belmar Elementary School proudly serves the residents of our beach town community.