Cultivate: A Veritas Academy Podcast

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,...

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...

In this episode - our final episode of 2024 - Ty Fischer talks with Pastor Robert Godfrey (Zeltenreich Reformed Church) and his wife Catherine about how we as Christian parents can cultivate our children's prayer and devotional lives by fostering a culture of family prayer and devotions in our home. The conversation touches on not only practical tips for parents to get on the right track, but also...

We realize that not every child is going to grow up to be a world class musician or standout singer. Or even be inclined to join their church's choir and go to the symphony every weekend. However, we wholeheartedly believe in music's important place in a child's education - both learning to make good music and learning to appreciate good music. Throughout history, the free societies of the world h...

We're one quarter of the way into the school year, and maybe you're finding your child is struggling with a subject. Or, perhaps you're just an intentional parent who wants to do what you can to help your child thrive academically. Or, maybe you're thinking you would like to have your child attend Veritas, but you're concerned the academics would be too challenging. Whatever the case may be, you w...

Our guest is Dr. Walt Mueller of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. Walt will be visiting Veritas Academy on the evening of November 19th to present his "Youth Culture 101" seminar, giving parents insight on the major cultural forces influencing today's kids and providing practical, hope-filled, Biblical perspectives on how to guide our kids through the noise that surrounds them and keep t...

In an election season such as we find ourselves presently, it seems we are inundated with political messages and noise - and much of it can feel frustrating and hopeless as we watch candidates batter one another with meaningless words and even outright falsehoods, and wade through the barrage of sound bytes, video shorts, pithy headlines, and Tic Toks to find something of real substance. In Classi...

If you're part of Veritas Academy - or another classical Christian school - you may not be aware that you're part of a burgeoning movement that is impacting families and communities all over the world. Tim Dernlan, Vice President of the Association of Classical Christian Schools, joins Ty Fischer in this first episode of Cultivate Season 4 to give listeners a view from the heights. Whether your fa...

With the start of school just around the corner, academic endeavors are beginning to bubble to the forefront of our minds and schedules. This episode, originally released in April 2023, will inspire your family for this upcoming school year by showing how pursuing excellence in learning and education can and should deepen our (and our children's) faith and bolster our devotion to God. When did...

This episode originally aired in May of 2023. During this season heading into a Presidential election - and all of the political news and discussions that permeate such a season - we believe this is a timely conversation to release as part of our summer hiatus time. Are you weary of the way that politics has seemed to seep into every corner of our lives, including in the education of even our youn...

This episode originally aired in Season 2 of Cultivate in February of 2023. During the summer months, between our seasons of new episodes, we'll be re-releasing one Season 2 episode each month. ----- David Bahnsen - portfolio manager, author, television commentator, and host of the Dividend Cafe podcast - joins our host Ty Fischer to talk about how we can and should view economics in light of...

Determined truth seekers and bold truth speakers. If you would agree that those are the types of people we want our kids' generation to grow into, then you must listen to this podcast. As our final episode of Season 3, we're bringing our audience back to an exceptionally memorable conversation we had with renowned public intellectual and legal scholar Dr. Robert P. George in Season 2 of Cu...

The culture is coming for us, as Christians who follow the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And if you're training up your children to do likewise, the culture is coming for them, too. Prepare them. Prepare them to not only stand for what they believe in, but to disagree well with others without destroying relationships. To argue the point and not the person. To not let inevitable conflict breed...

"You talked about WHAT at your Christian school?!" At first glance, that may be a question many would ask us at Veritas, at least when it comes to a program designed for our Rhetoric students called the Strawbridge Discussion Series. You may not expect a school like ours to host speakers who advocate for things like gender fluidity, critical race theory, deconstruction of the Christian f...

In this episode, two seniors from last year's (2023) graduating class reflect on the process of our Rhetoric School capstone course, Senior Thesis. Students John Spead and Meg Coughlan are joined by our upper school Writing and Senior Thesis teacher Ms. Caroline Nixon as they talk with Head of School Ty Fischer about the rewards and challenges of this rigorous course, which culminates the clas...

At first glance, many who begin exploring classical Christian education may assume that its proclivity for the humanities - the Great Books, history, philosophy, etc. - leads to weaker science and mathematics disciplines. Hear from Rhonda Forbes, Veritas Dean of Math and Science, and Bill Lauris, beloved Veritas upper school science teacher, on why that assumption is in fact a gross misconception!...

Dr. Weiling He, whose family was part of the Veritas Academy school community last year while she was on sabbatical from her position as a professor of architecture at Texas A & M, describes her family's experience living in China during the cultural revolution from 1966-1976. In her conversation with our host and Head of School Mr. Ty Fischer, she offers not only harrowing stories from he...

Our previous episode of Cultivate featured several of our teachers and academic administrators talking about why we put so much stock in reading Great Books here at Veritas (we recommend you listen to it if you haven't yet!). This week, the conversation continues in a way, this time turning to our students and finding out first hand how the books they've read at school have shaped their li...

This episode will have you both laughing AND making a dash for the bookshelf or library to start digging into your literature bucket list! Join this lively bunch - Veritas Head of School Ty Fischer, Principal Dr. Dan Spanjer, Dean of Humane Letters Bruce Etter, and Dean of Students Graham Dennis - as they examine how and why a Great Books education enriches the lives of students now and into adult...

"Is my child going to be ready for kindergarten?" It's a concern we hear from many parents as they begin their process of enrolling their child in Veritas Academy's K-12 school. And while we understand the anxiety that can accompany your first foray into elementary school and beyond, we hope this podcast helps to put your mind at ease! Hear from our Veritas Preschool Director Meg...

In this first episode back from our Cultivate Christmas break, we bring you a recording of a special presentation that Dr. Albert Mohler - President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Boyce College , and one of the foremost evangelical intellectuals of our time - gave to our secondary students when he was at Veritas Academy for a visit last year. In his remarks, Dr. Mohler shares his sto...

Hear a portion of the riveting story of Luminitza Nichols - Veritas mom, pastor, and author of the book From Pain to Purpose: A Young Woman's Journey From a Communist Prison to an American Pulpit . She talks with Ty Fischer about her experience as a child and young adult in Romania during the Revolution, including her harrowing arrest just before the communist regime fell. Lumi shares not only...

Our previous episode focused on helping families and students prepare for college - financially, academically, mentally, and more. And while a large majority of Veritas students do go on to get a college degree right after graduation, there are some who opt to go straight into the workforce - and they find that they thrive! This week, meet Veritas alumni Caleb Ploutz (class of '17) and Clay Ma...

It's a daunting prospect for many families of high schoolers: the college search process. Is college the right choice for your child? What type of college will suit them best? How should they go about choosing a major? What if they don't know what career field they want to pursue? How big of a deal are standardized tests? And, of course, how will your family afford the college of your choi...

At Veritas Academy, we read books. We use chalkboards. We sit around tables with students and have in-depth discussions. We get our Grammar School students to retain information by moving and shouting to chants and songs. We write essays - with pencils and paper. And we require all high school students' phones to remain in their lockers for the duration of the school day. Veritas - like most c...