| Veritas Preparatory Academy | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 2131 E. Lincoln Drive Phoenix, Arizona United States |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Charter school |
| Motto | "Verum, pulchrum, bonum" or "Truth, beauty, goodness" |
| Established | 2002 |
| Headmaster | Andrew Ellison[1] |
| Grades | 6 to 12 |
| Enrollment | 323[2] (2008–09) |
| Mascot | Falcons |
| Website | veritasprepacademy.org |
Veritas Preparatory Academy is a charter school in Phoenix, Arizona in the United States. Founded in 2006, Veritas Preparatory Academy (also known as Veritas Prep or VPA) offers a Great Books curriculum centered around Western culture, history, language, and literature. Its motto is Verum, Pulchrum, Bonum, meaning Truth, Beauty, Goodness, the individual ideals that the school upholds.
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As a charter school Veritas Prep offers a Great Books education centering around fundamental texts in the Western pantheon. Veritas Prep's philosophy includes small class size (no classroom has more than 22 students) and education using the Socratic method.
As a public school in the state of Arizona, Veritas Preparatory Academy has no entrance requirements. 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. Because the academy is a charter school, it has the right to cap its enrollment. An addition in the 2010-2011 school year is one class of sixth grade.
Veritas Preparatory Academy offers few choices in its academic curriculum. 9-12th grade students may choose to study Latin/Greek, French, or Spanish. The rest of the curriculum is fixed. Students at Veritas Prep exceed all requirements for students graduating from the state of Arizona.
Veritas Preparatory Academy has recently added a 6th grade to their school.
Veritas Prep offers many extracurriculars in fine arts and academics. Although Veritas Prep is a small school, the Speech and Debate team is competitive. The school also offers numerous musical groups, such as a Madrigal Choir, Men's chorus, Junior Class Choir Voces, Junior High Girls' Chorus, and a string quartet. VPA also offers an Art Club; a Hiking Club; a Journalism Club; Latin Club; Science Bowl; a Speech and Debate Team; The Falcon/the school's newspaper; and World Cultures Club. The drama groups are phenomenal, expressing works of art such as Romeo & Juliet, As You Like It, Oedipus Rex, and many others.
Veritas Prep competes in the AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association) in the 1A Conference's Central Region. Veritas Preparatory Academy offers the following athletic teams:
Senior students at Veritas Preparatory Academy must complete a written thesis and defense before receiving a diploma from the school. Students are required to write a fifteen page thesis based upon three texts, one of which must be a VPA curriculum text. They are advised by a faculty member and must appear before a defense committee.
On an annual basis during the school's spring break, senior students join faculty members on a trip to Washington D.C.
A strict dress code is enforced for all students. Male students wear khaki slacks or shorts(depending upon the season), white or navy blue polos, dark socks(white with shorts) and dress shoes, while female students have their choice of knee length skirts in plaid or navy blue dress slacks or shorts, white or navy blue polos, and appropriate socks. Students must maintain conservative standards. Students may also wear white oxford, long- or short-sleeved, and the option of a dark blue sweater vest. For full dress code see veritasprepacademy.org