Liberal arts education - like what we ascribe to at Veritas - can get the (wrongly assumed) reputation of being irrelevant for modern STEM fields, thanks to what is perceived as a humanities-heavy curriculum. We cry foul on that argument - and our alumni prove it invalid as well!

Hear a conversation with two Veritas alumni who are both flourishing as engineers - Zach Spykstra (class of 2012) and Aaron Lielbriedis (class of 2020). They'll share their stories of how classical Christian education uniquely prepared them for success in their STEM fields. The conversation turns to:

• What they most appreciated - and what they would most like to change - about their Veritas education.
• How each of them maintained their faith as they navigated college and secular science fields.
• How a liberal arts education specifically equipped them for college and their careers, giving them advantages of traditionally-educated peers.
• Fun discussions on automotive and power generation technologies, and more!

Thank you to our Cultivate Season 4 sponsor, Hershey Financial Advisers, a wealth management firm located at North Point Boulevard in Lancaster leading people to make better financial decisions and empowering them to fulfill a vision beyond themselves.

In this episode, Veritas Head of School Ty Fischer talks with one of our sixth grade teachers, Ibrahim "Ibby" Rios, who came to Veritas Academy after many years teaching in the public school system in Philadelphia, in Chester County, and Maryland. Hear his story of what spurred him on to seek a different kind of education, not only to teach, but for his own children, and what it was about classical Christian education that specifically drew him.

Did you know that students at Veritas (and other classical Christian schools) begin learning Latin in second grade? And, they continue it as a required part of their curriculum through 7th grade? And furthermore, some elect to study Latin as their language of choice in 9th - 12th grade, too?

And we know many parents might be saying:

"Um...why? Isn't it a dead language? Why would you spend so much time and effort on something that isn't even spoken aloud anymore?"

So glad you asked, because that's what this episode is all about, and we're about to make you a bona fide (see what we did there?) Latin enthusiast!

Hear an interview with our Lower Grammar School Latin Teacher Miss Sarah Smith and our Upper School Latin Teacher Mr. Stephen Darrenkamp. They'll walk us through the myriad benefits that students reap from learning Latin at all phases, and give a you a glimpse into what studying Latin looks like at Veritas for our youngest students through our advanced high schoolers.

After all is said and done, you'll be so glad that your child is learning Latin...or, if you're not at Veritas currently, you just might consider this yet another excellent reason to enroll your child in a classical Christian school!

This season of Cultivate is sponsored by Hershey Financial Advisers,  a wealth management firm located at North Point Boulevard in Lancaster, PA, leading people to make better financial decisions and empowering them to fulfill a vision beyond themselves.

It may seem antiquated, and it's fallen out of fashion in most modern education circles, but memorization - once a staple of school - is very much alive (and awesome) here in the Veritas Academy Grammar School grades.

Why do we adhere to rote memorization as a primary learning tool for young kids? Two big reasons - because it works (really, really works), and because it's fun! And it may look quite differently from how you picture it.

In this episode, Veritas first grade teacher Mrs. Katie Thompson and third grade teacher Mrs. Judy Hermanovitch share their experience and stories that highlight how and why memorization is simply the best learning tool for younger children. You'll hear:

• Why (biologically) kids are truly designed as sponges.
• What memorization looks like during the school day at Veritas.
• How memorizing information, songs, and facts in grammar school is serving kids in their older years.

Their insights and stories may flip what you thought you knew about memorization in school on its head, replacing images of dry, monotone chants and information cramming with joyful, exuberant songs and a lifelong love of learning!

This season of Cultivate is sponsored by Hershey Financial Advisers,  a wealth management firm located at North Point Boulevard in Lancaster, PA, leading people to make better financial decisions and empowering them to fulfill a vision beyond themselves.

Teachers, school administrators, and parents alike can attest - this time of year can be pretty rough and active in terms of discipline needs for students. But we realize that discipline is a year-round endeavor, one that is both challenging and crucial in the spiritual development of our kids.

Veritas Head of School Ty Fischer, Principal Dr. Dan Spanjer, and Dean of Students Graham Dennis have been around the block and back a few times when it comes to dealing with discipline of kids from kindergarten through senior high - not just student discipline at school, mind you, but their own children as well. Their insights in this episode are encouraging to all Christian parents who are seeking to discipline not just their children's behavior, but really their hearts toward a more mature relationship with God.

In this episode, a follow up to our previous one, Ty, Graham, and Dan will bring their perspectives from their many years of serving in a disciplinary role at Veritas to discuss:

• How discipline - biblically speaking - is meant to be the way we are discipled to be more like Christ.

• Helping kids and parents alike deal with (and remove) the shame associated with discipline, and to see it as an opportunity for growth and training.
• How to handle common discipline struggles, including how to handle discipline when we're angry, and how to handle the inevitable "he said, she said" scenarios.
• How parents can best approach a situation when they find out their child has needed disciplinary action at school in a way that shepherds their kids' heart toward growth, love, and restoration.

• What does a visit to the Principal's office at Veritas look like for kids of all ages (and how might it differ from the dreaded Principal Office visits of pop culture or your own memory)?

This season of Cultivate is sponsored by Hershey Financial Advisers,  a wealth management firm located at North Point Boulevard in Lancaster, PA, leading people to make better financial decisions and empowering them to fulfill a vision beyond themselves.

The doldrums of Februrary are legendary for being something of a nightmare for teachers, school administrators, parents, and even kids. Cabin fever kicks in, and as the temperatures outside plummet, sometimes the tempers can rise. Many a school principal across the country can probably attest to the uptick in disciplinary issues that seems to present itself around this time of year.

So, it's an apropos time to talk about discipline, yes? As a classical Christian school, Veritas approaches discipline differently than your typical school. Recognizing the relationship between the words "discipline" and "discipleship," our teachers and administrators aim to use challenging behaviors and situations to help point children toward being more like Christ.

This episode is a conversation with our Pastoral Team - Principal Dan Spanjer, Dean of Students Graham Dennis, and School Counselor Rachel Kiehl - diving into the heart of discipline at Veritas and within the context of Christian parenting.

Learn how this team of school administrators applies Christ-centered discipline aimed at restoration, with a heart for the holistic development of students toward maturity in Christ. Hear a little about how you as a parent can help your child learn and grow from discipline issues that happen at school, what kinds of contemporary cultural views clash with biblical discipline, and how resilience and emotional intelligence factor into your child's ability to receive restorative discipline.

Thank you to our season sponsor, Hershey Financial Advisers, a wealth management firm located at North Point Boulevard in Lancaster, PA, leading people to make better financial decisions and empowering them to fulfill a vision beyond themselves.

When you think of college entrance exams, the first one that almost certainly comes to mind is, of course, the SAT (with the ACT close behind), which has dominated the field for over a century. But there is a new test on the scene - The Classic Learning Test (CLT), honoring the enduring tradition of classical education. And, its catching on across the nation.

In this conversation with Jeremy Tate, founder and CEO of the CLT, you'll hear the enlightening story of how Jeremy was inspired to implement an alternative to College Board's SAT behemoth. Jeremy explains the influence of classical education on his development and the pivotal points that led him to create CLT, prompting students to engage with classic and traditional texts rather than modern, often ideologically driven materials.

Discover this new exam on the old ways – the CLT, which now serves around 250,000 students and is accepted by approximately 300 colleges, including major institutions in Florida.

This season of Cultivate is sponsored by Hershey Financial Advisers, a wealth management firm located at North Point Boulevard in Lancaster, PA, leading people to make better financial decisions and empowering them to fulfill a vision beyond themselves.

If there's one thing that a typical school day at a classical Christian school should not be, it's boring. That's because classical Christian school teachers and administrators not only find and impart great joy and passion in the subjects they're teaching (and the awesome God who created them all!), but also because this education model lends itself to such creative ideas and ways of learning.

Emily Fischer, our fourth grade teacher, has been embodying this type of creativity in her classroom for many years, and has helped guide and inspire many other teachers to do likewise. It's not uncommon to walk by her classroom and smell smoke, hear power tools, or see costumed kids wielding weapons...and know that it's all part of the plan and going just fine!

Emily joins her husband, Veritas Head of School Ty Fischer, on this episode to give listeners a glimpse into this wholly different, beautiful, joyful way of learning that is classical Christian education, especially as it relates to Grammar School.

This conversation will help you see one more way that Veritas is likely quite different from any other school you've encountered, and perhaps even inspire you to aim for creative, outside-the-box, or even slightly risky traditions that will help your child mature as the young man or women God is designing them to be.

In the midst of it, you'll get a tour through our fourth grade year, a thrilling journey through the Medieval, Renaissance, and Reformation time periods peppered with castles, swords, exciting field trips, memorable moments, and (of course) lots of fire.