Carpe Unitas is the name of our capital campaign focused on creating a central gathering place where our community can come together to thrive in collaboration and connection. The full project encompasses a “village” of buildings for indoor athletics, performing arts, and community fellowship, centered around an open agora in the heart of campus. 

The first building—and focus of our current fundraising—is a gym and event space, which will allow us to host practices, meetings, and events on campus. As beautiful as our campus is, we are very limited in spaces where we can gather together. Furthermore, the gift of time and the purposeful instruction that this model provides can become wearisome if done in isolation. Added to that is the strain of commuting for off-campus athletic practices and games, the expense of off-site rentals, the stress of weather contingency plans, and the constant need for overflow rooms.

Veritas has the opportunity to meet these needs through Carpe Unitas and create a place where we can intertwine our lives with one another for encouragement and endurance, and where students can experience the growth and joy that comes from creating, competing, and collaborating. Ultimately, a gym and event space will provide more opportunities for family connection, community engagement, and the discipleship of virtuous Defenders of Truth.

As for the name itself, Carpe Unitas, means “seize unity.” Per our Latin department, we may have taken some liberty when conjugating the phrase, but the heart remains the same. Thank you for helping us “seize unity” for our current and future students and families at Veritas Academy. Carpe Unitas! 

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12

There are three parts to our campaign goal: participation, fundraising, and vision.

Our participation goal is 100%. Gifts of all sizes are needed for this campaign to be successful, and every gift matters, no matter the size. 

Our fundraising goal is $17M, and as of October 1, we have already received over $10M in gifts and pledges—praise God for His provision and for the generosity of our community! In order to build the full design of the gym/event space, another $7M in commitments and donations is needed. As you can imagine, a project of this size includes several variables, which our Head of School, Cameron Cook, explains in this video.

Our ultimate goal is to build a space where our community can come together to support one another in the fulfillment of our school’s distinct mission of partnership and discipleship. 

There is no expectation that every family would make the same gift, but our goal is 100% community-wide participation. There is also no minimum or maximum gift amount, as each family is asked to prayerfully consider their level of support and what God is calling them to give.

The chart below is merely one example of how our gifts can come together. A little consistency builds into a sizeable amount! A $50/month gift over 5 years adds up to $3,000. Similarly, an $84/month gift over 3 years accumulates to $3,000. In both cases, $3,000 is the cost of 13 bleacher seats! 

As commitments are made, a thread will be added to our community Carpe Unitas weave in honor of every family that gives, representing the beauty and importance of coming together with our gifts. We are eager to see what God accomplishes in and through our collective giving!

While we can’t fully predict the future, we remain committed to Veritas being accessible to our families and the community, and we do not foresee this project having a significant impact on our current budget or tuition. Even though we expect operating costs to increase with the addition of these new facilities, we also anticipate that a portion of those increased costs will be offset by the over $75,000 of savings in gym rental payments we will no longer need to make. 

The goal of Carpe Unitas is to raise the funds needed to build a gym and event space without incurring additional long-term debt. However, because our commitments will be fulfilled over 3-5 years, we expect to secure short-term bridge financing to cover costs during construction, which will allow us to begin the project more quickly. 

We encourage you to watch the “Design Reveal” from May if you have not already done so. Our principal architect, Rick Archer from Overland, presented the full vision of the phaseable design, which, over time, will allow us to meet our community’s need for additional athletic, performing arts, and fellowship spaces. His vision for this project and a “village” of buildings centered around an open agora in the heart of campus not only resonates with our school’s ethos but also addresses our most pressing need to bring off-campus activities onto campus, while aligning with our timing and fundraising goals. The alignment of these goals is essential to moving this project forward and building a gym and event space.

If we do not reach our fundraising goal of $7M, we have a few options to consider. We can (1) reevaluate the scope of the project for potential cost savings, (2) consider financing options to complete the project, or (3) delay the project until we have the funds (being aware that costs continue to rise, which requires even more fundraising). 

Should the need arise, each of these options will be carefully and prayerfully evaluated, and the community will be updated. 

The project will focus on adding space for indoor athletics, performing arts, and community collaboration in the heart of our campus!

Site Work Plans:

• Remove the current carpool loop from the center of campus to create an agora and central gathering space between all academic buildings that will also improve drop-off and pick-up for our youngest Grammar School students (partially complete as of Aug ‘25)
• Unify the Upper Grammar School classrooms with a new, purpose-built restroom and boardwalk (partially complete as of Aug ‘25)
• Relocate select Grammar School portables to be closer to the new carpool loop
• Add an additional 100+ parking spaces (complete as of Aug ‘25)

Create a “community village” in the heart of campus with a central agora that is surrounded by: 

• A competition gymnasium (15,000 square feet) designed with—
  • Two competition-sized practice courts and three volleyball practice courts
  • Lobby with restrooms and concessions
  • Stands to accommodate fans and our entire student body, faculty, and staff (approx 850) with additional floor seating available as needed for performances and community events (400+)
  • Pull-out stage and A/V upgrades for larger performing arts productions and events to include acoustic treatments, sound system, lights, and blackout curtains

Please see the project renderings and site/floor plans.

The strategic development of Veritas’s campus has always included multiple phases, and our Master Campus Plan (PDF) shows the long-term vision for development. Understanding our history of campus development is also helpful in understanding our vision for the future. 

• Carpe Terram (Seize the Land) made it possible to purchase our 97-acre campus at the end of 2012. 
• A few years later, in 2016, Carpe Futurum (Seize the Future) made is possible to begin development on our property and prioritized infrastructure and classrooms, including a four-story Academic Building to house the Schools of Logic (grades 5-8) and Rhetoric (grades 9-12) and the Grammar School “village” of eight modular buildings located in close proximity to the Academic Building. Construction was completed just in time for us to move in and start the 2018 school year on our own campus.
• We are now embarking on Carpe Unitas (Seize Unity) and the vision of creating a central gathering place where all off-campus activities can be held on campus and valued programs can be better supported. This vision prioritizes a gym and event space with additional facilities to be added in the future for a Field House, Community Hall, Performing Arts, and Auxiliary Gym.
• Future developments may include a Grammar School redesign.

A variety of playgrounds, courtyards, and athletic fields have been—and will continue to be added—throughout all phases of development.

Since its founding, Veritas’s commitment to a disciplined budgeting process has allowed us to steadily deliver the school’s mission while allowing fundraising to be directed to campus and program enhancements and other capital improvements. We intend to continue setting tuition for school operations while fundraising for campus development.

Future campaigns are likely to include the completion of the Carpe Unitas “village” of buildings for a Field House, Community Hall, Performing Arts, and Ancillary Gym. Our Grammar School also has the potential for a future campaign, although the cost vs. usage is a consideration since the Grammar School does not meet every day, and many improvements have been made to our Grammar School Villages over the years. 

However, not all campus developments necessitate a full campaign. In fact, we have shown that we can do a lot of things ourselves as a community to continue to build out our Master Campus Plan. 

The exact timing and order of developing the full plan will be determined by the school board.
 

Due to the restrictions on our 97-acre property, we are limited to just under 8 acres of impervious cover (roofs, roads, sidewalks, etc.). We have used strategies to minimize impervious cover, for example, choosing to build a four-story academic building and using 50% pervious pavers on our new fire lane. Our current impervious cover “bank” allows for Carpe Unitas’s full design, at which point almost all of those 8 acres will be used. 

We would welcome the opportunity to connect with anyone who has questions! Just as we’ve been available for meetings over the past year, at May’s Design Reveal, July’s Q&A, and this fall’s In-Home Gatherings, we will continue to make ourselves available to anyone who would like to meet. The easiest way to connect is to come by the courtyard prior to pick up any Wednesday afternoon in October from 2:30-3:30pm. We will have a table set up on the following afternoons and will be available to visit and answer project questions.

• Wednesday, October 8
• Wednesday, October 15
• Wednesday, October 22
• Wednesday, October 29

If none of those dates work for you, you can also Schedule a Time to meet with a member of our Campaign Team or reach out to our Campaign Coordinator, Betsy Cromer, for help scheduling.

Our current timeline estimates that construction will begin with relocating the third and fourth grade portables at the end of May 2026 and last for 12 months. This would make the start of the 2027-2028 school year the earliest opening of the gym. This timing is contingent on fundraising, since the start of construction would be pushed back if time is needed to rescope the design.

Yes, although we hope the most intrusive aspects of construction will occur over the summer, the building construction will progress during the school year. We will work with professional contractors who background check their workers, work within defined construction areas, and otherwise maintain the highest standards of safety. 

While the goal is to move all programs to campus, we cannot guarantee that every practice will be held in the new gym. The proposed gym provides three practice volleyball courts and two full-size basketball courts. Priority will be given to our SR programs, and then we will be creative about how to get the maximum number of practices on campus while also considering the effects it has on family rhythms. 

We value hosting events outdoors under the oak trees while watching our kids play freely, so the gym will not necessarily replace all of our outdoor events and traditions. However, it will provide a backup space for these types of events should the weather be an issue, and it would eliminate the need to find other last-minute accommodations or change dates. 

Although the primary purpose of this project is to serve Veritas students and families, we anticipate it creating more opportunities to be a "city on a hill" by hosting churches or other mission-aligned events. When the time is right, we will look for these opportunities. 

By completing a Commitment Card, we will know your giving intentions (recurring gift, one-time gift, combination, etc.) and will be better able to support you with accurate giving records and instructions. The card will also provide documentation for short-term bridge financing while commitments are fulfilled over 3-5 years.

Commitments to Carpe Unitas may be made at any time, even before Commitment Week! Commitment Week itself is November 3-7, which is five weeks after the campaign’s launch to provide time for each family to read through the project plans, engage with the Campaign Team, and prayerfully discern their family’s support before making a gift. 

The week will conclude with a community-wide party on Friday, November 7, at 3:30pm as we celebrate this milestone and eagerly await how the Lord brings our many gifts together, for His glory.  

Yes, in addition to making a one-time gift, commitments can be made over a 3-5 year period as a recurring, scheduled gift. Scheduled gifts can be established on an annual, biannual, quarterly, monthly, or weekly frequency.

There are a number of ways to give to Carpe Unitas. The list below is not exhaustive, but is meant to stimulate further inquiry as you prayerfully consider your family’s support. And don’t forget to check with your employer to see if it matches employees’ charitable donations. For further donation options, please reach out to Development@VeritasAcademy.net. 

• Online Credit/Debit Card, Electronic Funds Transfer, or Check

• Donor Advised Fund

• Stock or ACH Wire Transfer

• Cryptocurrency

• Employer Match

• Estate Planning

Yes, Veritas Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All contributions will be tax-deductible (Tax ID 201632745).

While our fundraising progress over the next 5 weeks will determine what we are able to build, contributions to the campaign are welcome now and in the future.
 

In order to respect the privacy of our families, we do not publicly share donors and donation amounts. However, a donor recognition project is something we desire to create in the near future as one way of thanking everyone who gives. At that time, we will reach out to each donor and ask for their consent to include their name in the project.