It is graduation season and Veritas Classical School in St. Augustine celebrated its first graduating class since the school was founded in 2017 with four students taking part in the festivities during a ceremony at Lewis Auditorium on Monday, May 19.
According to Head of School Dr. Andrew Smalley, as part of the program’s rhetoric school curriculum, there is a lot of speaking and debate that students experience from 9th to 12th grade, which includes the seniors having to write a thesis and then present it in front of a crowd before then responding to questions and supporting their thesis.
“It’s a monumental experience for these kids,” Smalley said. “It’s a huge sense of relief and accomplishment for them after doing it.”
Veritas does not only feature a classical school education but also one that is centered around Christian beliefs and the Bible which is a major part of the curriculum.
The school’s goal is to provide an environment where students feel accomplished and successful in their studies, even when the material is challenging.
Next year, the school is expected to have 315 students, and Smalley believes that the example the first graduating class will be to the younger students is something that will be very powerful.
“They’re the pioneers and they’ve helped lay the path for the future to follow,” Smalley said.
He came into his role at head of school in 2021 and to see the first graduating class walk across stage after the school was founded eight years ago was a precious moment to him, especially knowing how much work the students had put in over the years.
“It’s been a labor of love,” Smalley said. “There is so much maturing that goes on from 9th to 12th grade. Families recognize that it is some rigorous education, but it is worth it because it makes all the difference.”
According to Smalley, the four graduates were awarded half of a million dollars combined worth of college scholarships.
“When these students arrive for college interviews, the typical response (from colleges) is, of course we want them to be here representing our school,” Smalley said. “There is an engaging and forthrightness to them.”
Through the school’s classical and Christian approach to education they aim to focus on the formation of heart, mind, and spirit for human flourishing, and Smalley believes the first graduating class exemplifies that in every aspect.
