Our Approach
Christ-Centered Education
For Christ's Glory
At Veritas Academy, we believe that the focal point of all that is, has been, and ever will be is the person of Jesus Christ, and that the education of our children begins with this reality. Scriptures teach that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. Therefore, we believe that every aspect of our children’s education must be intentionally grounded in and integrated with biblical truth.
We desire to support the family and local churches in molding students to be disciples who love God and His word, members of the Body of Christ who love the church, and missionaries who love the lost. In our school we hold high standards of conduct for our students. We emphasize things like obedience to God, respect for authority, and kindness to others. We also emphasize the Gospel, which shows us our need of grace and the hope we have in Christ.
Our Goals:
Our aim, in conjunction with the family and church, is to graduate young men and women who:
1. Love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength;
2. Evaluate all human knowledge and experience in the light of the Scriptures;
3. Are equipped to engage and shape the culture with the Truth of Scripture;
4. Listen carefully, reason soundly, articulate precisely, and speak persuasively;
5. Have mastered a core body of knowledge and are capable of discussing great ideas;
6. Possess a life-long passion for learning and know how to apply the tools of learning;
7. Lead and serve their family, church, community, and nation with humility, gratitude, and grace.
Classical Education
For Students' Hearts and Minds
Classical education is a conscious return to the ancient goal of education: teaching children to think and learn for themselves by imparting to them the tools of learning. The purpose of a liberal arts education, as taught in its historic Christian framework, is to instruct students in clear and logical thinking, persuasive communication, and independent learning.
Veritas follows the classical Trivium. This model of education divides the stages of learning into the Grammar (Elementary), Logic (Middle School), and Rhetoric Schools (High School). As our students progress into middle and high school, we study the “great books.”
While each component has a primary focus during a particular phase, all skills are developed during all levels. A second grader will develop certain skills in logic and rhetoric. A high school student will still acquire extensive grammar level knowledge in specific subjects (e.g. chemistry). Emphasis is simply placed on different phases during different ages.
Our Pre-K and Kindergarten programs are preliminary to the Trivium. Our Extended Day Classes are supplemental to it. For a deeper look at classical education and how it differs from a more conventional approach see our “What is Classical Education?” resource.
Our academic program for each grade is full-curriculum, offering all core subjects in the mornings (Language Arts, Math, Literature, History, Science, and Latin) and electives in the afternoons (Art, Music, PE and Drama). Our teachers model the love of learning we want to teach to each student.
Covenantal Education
For Your Family's Growth
We believe that God has granted to parents the responsibility and authority for raising their children, including the responsibility of educating them. We endeavor to provide a model of educating children in which parental involvement is required, and we are committed to fostering a covenantal community of like-minded families, who, with our faculty and staff, encourage one another in their calling to bring up their children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Our condensed day format efficiently uses classroom time during school hours, enables parental involvement in the student’s education and maximizes the family’s role in shaping the child’s faith and character. Mornings are taken up with academic classroom work, which is pursued with the utmost diligence. This includes mathematics, language arts, Latin, history, and science. Afternoons are devoted to home-based academic work, requiring involvement of parents. While Veritas provides the bulk of academic instruction in the classroom and does not expect parents to teach formal lessons at home, Veritas does desire parents to be involved in their child's education. Parental engagement in the afternoons will vary depending on the age of the student (more for younger and less for older students), ability of the student, and nature of the assignment. Veritas provides a significant list of books that are to be read at home. It is our intention that every family set aside a daily "quiet" hour devoted exclusively to reading. Our expectation is that since students are not spending a full day sitting in a classroom, more time may be committed to reading, homework, and other educational activities. Elective courses in art, music, drama, and physical fitness are also made available in the afternoons at Veritas Academy.
Late afternoons and evenings are free for family-based activities and enrichment pursuits. Music lessons, athletics, ballet, civic clubs, and other such activities may be enjoyed more than might otherwise be possible.
Thus we combine the substantive academics of classical education with the family-engagement emphasized by home-educators.