November 2024
Volume IX • Issue II
friends of veritas academy
Dear Friends,
They say that time flies when you’re having fun, and that has certainly been the case around Veritas Academy this fall! As you enjoy full homes and hearts this week, we are eager to share a few of our semester highlights with you throughout this newsletter. With the end of the semester in sight, we also invite you to join us at several upcoming events and traditions. We are thankful for you and all that God has allowed our community to create and experience together.
Many blessings to you and your family this Thanksgiving and Christmas!
-Your Veritas Family
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Campus & Community Alumni Spotlight Fine Arts Feature Coaches' Corner You're Invited
Grandparent Gathering in December
Wed, Dec 11 @ 1:30-3pm | Lyceum
All Defender Grandparents of current students and alumni—including alumni parents who are now grandparents!—are invited to gather before Christmas break for a time to visit with one another and hear from Family Ministries Ambassador, Ellen Schuknecht. We’ll have coffee and light snacks during this time and invite you to stay for A Very Veritas Christmas and the Fine Arts Showcase later that same afternoon!
All Alumni Invited to a Winter Reception
Thu, Dec 12 @ 12-2:30pm | Lyceum
Calling all Defender Alumni! Will you be home from college or do you live in town and have a long lunch break on Thu, Dec 12, 12-2:30pm? If so, please join us for a Winter Alumni Reception on campus in the Lyceum. Pizza, snacks, and drinks will be provided. Invite your former Veritas classmates to come back and catch up! It's always good to be "home for the holidays."
Join us for A Very Veritas Christmas & Fine Arts Winter Showcase!
Homecoming MMXXIV
Homecoming at Veritas is a cherished tradition with creative dress-up days, witty skits, pep rallies, and more that showcase our vibrant school culture. Despite unexpected challenges during our 2024 Homecoming celebration, our school community's spirit remained vibrant! A wave of sickness in the Schools of Logic and Rhetoric led to the cancellation of the football game, the SLR pep rally, and even a school day or two—but that didn’t stop us from celebrating. We started the week with SR's creative assemblies that were such a hoot! Then, our Blue Belles dance team, Cheer team, and Defender Mascot guided our Grammar School students with an action packed GS pep rally. Dress-up days and School of Rhetoric assemblies and skits were rescheduled for after Fall Break, ensuring students still got to showcase their creativity and pride. The House of Francis ended up closing out Homecoming Week(s) with the most points for their execution and creativity in the dress up days and assemblies.
Though our Alumni Walk couldn't take place due to the canceled football game, we were still able to host Defender alumni at the "pre-game tailgate"/ dinner. We always enjoy seeing our students return!
Another Festive Fall Roundup
Our Veritas community gathered together for another wonderful Fall Roundup, and boy, was it a fun-filled evening! Families headed to the Meadow for the ultimate pre-game event full of live music, dinner, treats, photo ops, booths, and of course a beloved, long-standing tradition—the cakewalk! Defender Dads had the grills fired up, and our School of Rhetoric students served with gracious hearts as they manned the booths and raised money to support class trips. The whole evening would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our students, parents, faculty, and staff.
First Responders Visit Veritas
For the second year in a row, our Anatomy and Physiology and Physics students got to speak with some special guests on campus. Travis County STAR Flight landed their helicopter on our very own Defender (practice) Field as part of an exploration of careers in healthcare and aviation. Our students had the opportunity to talk with and ask questions about the Pilot and Paramedics experience while learning about topics that they will or have covered in class. Some of our littlest Defenders classes even got to come out and watch the helicopter land and take off. We are so blessed and thankful that Travis County STAR Flight and our community took the time to make this experience possible for our students again.
Veterans Day Ceremony 2024
With deep respect and admiration, our school community came together for a special Veterans Day ceremony, recognizing the sacrifices many have made to safeguard our freedoms.
Additionally, we hosted our first annual Veterans Day poetry contest, open to our 8th graders. This year's winner was Elizabeth Casady, whose father served in the U.S. Air Force and attended the Veterans Luncheon. Elizabeth read her poem at our Veterans Welcome Program. We are grateful to have the opportunity to celebrate and honor our veterans, and we will always be thankful for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good of the United States.
May the memory of this poignant ceremony inspire a continued commitment to honor and support our veterans, embodying the principles of faith, service, and unity that define Veritas Academy.
- "Heroes of Freedom" - Elizabeth Casady
- "The Right Kind of Courage" - Ellery Broughton
- "The Shepherds Soldiers" - Emily Nix
- "A Poem of D-Day" - Josh Cuellar
- "It Was for My Country" - Mazalee Floreani
"Heroes of Freedom" - Elizabeth Casady
"The Right Kind of Courage" - Ellery Broughton
"The Shepherds Soldiers" - Emily Nix
"A Poem of D-Day" - Josh Cuellar
"It Was for My Country" - Mazalee Floreani
7th Grade Arms of Hope Field Trip
Our 7th graders recently spent a weekend in Medina, TX, serving the Arms of Hope community on a mini-mission trip. Our students did an amazing job serving and working diligently unto the Lord. This was a student-led trip, meaning our students were leading all work assignments for two days. They hosted a Fall Festival for Arms of Hope residents, served all the residents a pizza and salad lunch, worshipped around the campfire, encouraged each other, and prayed out loud (into a microphone!) and led us spiritually throughout the entire trip. We had seven work teams: House Team, Organization Team, Team Pecan, Tree Trimmers, Rock Movers, Team Cedar, and Team Christmas. There were power tools, pecan groves, trucks, trailers, loads of limbs and trash, mud, sweat, cleaning products, and so much more. These young men and women of God truly embraced their mission trip and led in every way.
Veritas Academy Scholars
It is with great pride that we recognize the outstanding accomplishments of our Classical Learning Test (CLT) Scholars, reflecting their dedication, intelligence, and commitment to academic excellence. We are thrilled to share that four of our remarkable students have been named CLT Scholars, showcasing their proficiency in classical education. Through their mastery of literature, history, philosophy, and language, our students have demonstrated their deep understanding of the classical ideals that form the foundation of our educational philosophy at Veritas Academy. Their success in the CLT underscores our commitment to providing a robust classical education that prepares our students for a lifetime of critical thinking and meaningful contributions to society.
Bless Our School & Bless Our Teachers: Nov 18-Dec 6
Here at Veritas the holiday season includes a special time to celebrate and collectively Bless Our School & Bless Our Teachers! Essentially, this conveniently wraps together year-end giving and faculty Christmas gifts into one nice and neat package, making it streamlined and efficient to contribute to one or both of these areas using one simple online form. To participate, please visit Bless Our School and Bless Our Teachers from now until Fri, Dec 6, and if you have any questions or are interested in learning about additional giving opportunities at Veritas, please reach out to our Advancement Director, Katie Luevano. Thank you in advance for considering how your family can participate.
Veritas Classic Golf Tournament
Join the Veritas community and friends on Sat, Mar 8, for a day of fellowship and fun over a scramble-format round of golf! Lunch and swag will be included. For event sponsorship inquiries, please contact VeritasClassic@VeritasAcademy.net. Stay tuned for more details and we can't wait to see you on the greens!
Class of 2014 Reunion!
We had eight members of the class of 2014 and their spouses gather on campus for the 2014 10-year reunion on Sat, Oct 19. Like the classes of 2012 and 2013 before them, this was the first time many of these graduates had seen the new campus. There was a lot of sweet reminiscing about Girls' Soccer, Mr. Donaldson's and Mr. Hanenburg's class, the Europe trip (only the second time a Veritas class went to Europe!!), faculty unable to attend the event and no longer teaching at Veritas, and many other memories. We gathered in the renovated Students' Commons, which made for a wonderfully comfortable space for fellowship and a catered Cabo Bob's dinner.
P.S. Class of '15:
It's not too late to start thinking about and planning your reunion! Veritas will continue to reach out each year to the 10-year graduates and offer to host and facilitate reunions.
Citizens Theatre Company Takes 2nd Place at State One Act Play!
Congratulations to The Three Musketeers cast and crew for becoming District Champions (for the second year in a row), and advancing to State, and finishing as Runner Up (2nd Overall) at the 2024 TAPPS State One Act Play competition! Several students also received individual awards for their performance at District and at State including:
District
- Sawyer Marrs received the Best Actor award
- Caden Pennington and Edith Pendergraft received All Star Cast Award
- Abbey Bush and Merrill Hughes received Honorable Mention Cast
- Dayanna Herring received All Star Crew
State
- Sawyer Marrs received Best Actor
- Merrill Hughes received All Star Cast
- Abbey Bush, Micah McGinty, and Caleb Blythe received Honorable Mention Cast
- Kaetlynn Hoffman received All Star Crew
Congratulations, Drumline!
Our SLR Drumline participated in the TAPPS Marching Band and Drumline competition on Mon, Oct 21, in Waco, Texas where they received a Division One rating (highest possible). The Drumline is led by Drum Captain Joshua Henselman and section leader Nick Eisenbarth (Front Ensemble). A huge thank you to our Drumline Instructor, Joel Cowen, for his teaching and guidance!
Fall Athletic Feats
SL Tackle Football WINS Championship Game!
SL Tackle Football completed their UNDEFEATED season, finishing 9-0, for the first time in Veritas history by annihilating Bracken 40-13 in the championship game. Overall this season, they scored 80% more than their opponents and mercy ruled multiple opponents.
SL Silver Volleyball Shines at District Tournament
Both our 5th/6th Grade Silver and 7th/8th Silver volleyball teams closed out their season in award-winning fashion. 5th/6th Grade Silver finished the tournament with a second place finish, while 7th/8th Grade Silver completed an UNDEFEATED season and took home gold!
5th/6th Grade (left to right): Coach McAvoy, Avery J, Bailey N, Nevie T, Presley R, Coach Nelson, Ava M, Nora S, Sofia F, Coach Thomas, Maryn S, Capey O, Leah R, and Emmaline A
7th/8th Grade (left to right): Coach Scott, Charlotte A, Emily N, Leah A, Natalie S, Emery R, Kailey S, Coach Adams, Taylor F
Varsity Cross Country Finishes Strong
This year, SR Cross Country fielded their largest team yet with 24 runners and were represented at the state meet by 13 of 15 varsity athletes. They improved significantly on their 2023 state performance, the girls team improving by over 15% and the boys team taking Top 10 (4A division) for the first time in Veritas history. Over half of our runners were racing at state for the first time!
Junior Rookie Julia Rhodes had the highlight performance of the day, with a 15th place finish of 13:55 in the 2 mile run, earning Academic All-State for her performance on and off the course. Senior Captain Jack Bruce also stood out with a 21st place finish (approximately top 10%) of 18:38 (beating his previous state finish by over 30 seconds)! Junior Captain Bliss Mohon and Junior Caleb Eilers also improved on their previous placements. Finally, we had two more rookies notch impressive finishes with Sophomore Caleb Vimont taking top 50 and Junior Isaac Karnes taking top 100. These performances were key contributors to the team’s best state performance ever! Congratulations runners!
Varsity Volleyball Ventures to Playoffs Tomorrow!
After two competitive playoff-preparation matches against larger division schools Brentwood and Regents, the Defenders headed to Pasadena for Round 1 of playoffs against First Baptist Christian Academy. We are very proud of them and their efforts in a tough fought season. Onward and upward, Defenders!
On the way to one of their final matches, the Defenders also helped a stranded vehicle out of a tight spot:
SL Fall Sports Awards Results
Our SL teams had a big semester! Expand each sport to see individual awards.
Save the Dates for 2025 Events on the Horizon
MLK Jr. Service Day
Mon, Jan 20, 2025
senior thesis presentations
Week of Apr 28, 2025
Year end assembly
wed, May 21, 2025
Class of 2o25
graduation
fri, May 23, 2025
Calling All Defender Alumni!
If you are a member of the Veritas Alumni Community, we would love to hear what’s new in your life as well as how we can continue to pray for, encourage, and celebrate with you. You can also reach out to Alumni@VeritasAcademy.net directly to connect with us and lead Alumni Coordinator Eli Pickering.
Support Veritas
Veritas is so blessed by those who feel called to donate to our school, and you can give any time using the link below! All donations are tax-deductible and help us fulfill and further the mission and ministry of the entire school. Should you have any questions, please reach out to Development@VeritasAcademy.net.
Come Work at Veritas!
Would you or someone you know be interested in joining the team? A love of the Lord, a love of children, and support of our mission are a must! Please visit our Employment page to see a complete list of current openings and contact HR@VeritasAcademy.net for more details. (Most openings are part-time!)
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see pictures and keep up with events!
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