Veritas Preparatory Academy

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Charter school in the United States

Veritas Preparatory Academy
Veritas Preparatory Academy logo
Location

3102 N. 56th St., Suite 100 Phoenix, Arizona United States
Coordinates	33°29′3.39″N 111°57′40.61″W / 33.4842750°N 111.9612806°W / 33.4842750; -111.9612806
Information
Type	Charter school
Motto	"Verum, pulchrum, bonum" ("Truth, beauty, goodness")
Established	2002
Headmaster	David Dean
Grades	6 to 12
Gender	Coeducational
Enrollment	705 (2015-2016)
Student to teacher ratio	10:1
Campus type	Urban
Color(s)	Royal Blue, White, Silver
Mascot	Falcons
Publication	Humanitas (Literary and Arts Magazine), "V-M Squared" (Math Magazine)
Newspaper	The Falcon
Affiliations	Great Hearts Academies
Website	veritasprepacademy.org

Veritas Preparatory Academy is a charter school in Phoenix, Arizona and a member of the Great Hearts Academies charter network. Founded on the ideals of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, Veritas offers a Great Books curriculum that includes the writings of Homer, Plato, Hemingway, Dostoyevsky, Locke, and other influential Western thinkers.

Its students outscored peers in every country in the recent Programme for International Student Assessment, which the BBC called the “world cup of school standards” and “the world’s most important exam.”

School philosophy

As a charter school Veritas Prep offers a Great Books education centering on fundamental texts in the Western canon. Veritas Prep's philosophy includes small class sizes and education using the Socratic method.

Teachers ask questions, awakening a sense of wonder in the students and prompting them to think deeply about the subject matter. A key idea or assignment might require that the teacher present material to the class, but the forward progress of the class is driven by the questions that the teacher asks of the students, the answers that they give, and the further questions that those answers inspire.

Curriculum overview

All students seeking graduation from Veritas Preparatory Academy must take at least one course in Latin. While high school students have the opportunity to choose between Spanish, French, Latin, and Ancient Greek, all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students take latin.

High school students are required to take two years of honors physics, including kinetics, dynamics, electricity, magnetism, mechanical waves, light, and sound. Students also take a year of honors chemistry, honors biology, as well as natural, life, and earth science. These courses are taken along side two years of honors Calculus, hours Euclidean Geometry, and honors Algebra II/Trig.

Throughout middle and high school, students take four years of music, three years of studio art, and two years of honors economics, drama, and poetry.

Admission

As a public school in the state of Arizona, Veritas Preparatory Academy has no entrance requirements but limited enrollment. Interested families must apply for the school's annual admissions lottery, which takes place in the spring of each school year. However, if a family has one child enrolled, any other children automatically receive a spot. Software designed by alumnus Joseph Irvine is used to perform these lotteries randomly. An addition in the 2010-2011 school year was one class of sixth grade.

Facilities

Academic Facilities

The central location of the campus is housed on the Quayle Campus, named after the son of former United States Vice President Dan Quayle, a donor and Great Hearts Academies board member.
Lund Center for Performing Arts, houses the school's seasonal choir concerts, drama performances, and speeches from visiting guests. Speakers have included Governor Doug Ducey, Russian-American Conductor Ignat Solzhenitsyn, and author Rod Dreher
John X. Evans Library, houses the Veritas Preparatory Academy Library stacks, as well as serves as a hub for social and academic life at the school.

Athletic Facilities

Van Brunt Gymnasium, dedicated to a founding member of Veritas Preparatory Academy, is home to the Falcon basketball and State Champion volleyball teams.
Hall Family Weight Room, named after Great Hearts Academies board member, President and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Derrick Hall, serves as the primary work-out facility for all Veritas sporting teams.
Full football and soccer fields, south of academic facilities

Athletics

For high school sports, Veritas Prep competes in the Arizona Interscholastic Association and is a member of its 1A Conference. Great Hearts operates its own sports league for its junior high students. Veritas is home to over 15 competing varsity athletic teams and nearly 15 junior varsity and middle school teams.

The Falcons have won 5 State Championships in Volleyball and 2 State Championships in Swimming.

References

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