Annual Report 2023-2024

Core Values

Mission Statement

Veritas is an independent Christian school in the classical tradition that prepares students for lives of service and learning through academic excellence, character development, biblical literacy, and intentional engagement opportunities.

2023-2024

Veritas Administration

Head of School

Kim Berger

Director of Finance

Marilyn Hughes

Director of Student Engagement & School Services, Chaplain

Zachary Villafuerte

Early Education & Lower School Team Lead

Melanie Wilson

Middle School Team Lead and Dean

Molly El-Issa

Fine Arts Team Lead

Erin McDaniels

Director of Admissions

Amanda Owen

In pursuit of its mission, the Veritas community is guided by five core values. Our core values represent the philosophical commitments of our community; these values are reflected in our past and guide our commitment to the future. The core values of Veritas embody the promises made for our students’ development.

Academic Excellence

Veritas embraces a history of excellence in academic achievement. We are committed to challenging our students to their highest potential in academics and stretching their intellectual boundaries, seeking to model and impart the virtues of inquiry, preparation, and discipline, in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding.

Character Formation

Veritas educates holistically, both character and mind. Moral formation and mature behavior are of equal value with the acquisition of knowledge. We are committed to developing students’ hearts and minds, seeking to instill in them both knowledge and Christian values.

Biblical Literacy

Veritas seeks to shape our students’ thinking through scripture both by understanding biblical content and through a deeper awareness of its meaning and ethical application. We believe that our students’ minds are informed and fashioned through Christian studies and by mastering core competencies of the Bible.

Classical Foundation

Veritas is committed to a classical pedagogy to develop our students’ intellectual abilities and assist them to acquire the skills for good scholarship. The principles of classical thought inform and guide the school in its curricular aims to prepare our students for success beyond Veritas.

Intentional Engagement

Veritas values providing a variety of engagement opportunities both curricular and co-curricular for the development of each student. The classroom, the playing field, travel exposure, fine arts integration, and community service are all part of the laboratory of learning for Veritas students.

Message from the Head of School

Dear Veritas Community,

As we reflect on the past year and look forward to the future, it is evident that we are part of a community bound by a 20year shared vision of building a foundation for life in our students that goes deep in learning and deep in Christ. This Annual Report encapsulates the dedication, diverse talents, and steadfast commitment that make Veritas truly special.

I am deeply grateful for our faculty’s unwavering dedication to nurturing each child’s potential and upholding high academic standards. Our faculty are the heart and soul of Veritas. Their commitment to excellence shapes the minds and hearts of our students every day.

Academically, our students continue to excel, thriving within a robust curriculum and classical pedagogy that encourages critical thinking, meaningful engagement, and wise pursuit of knowledge. Our classical education model centers on faith in God, underpinning the comprehension of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, fostering discernment, interconnecting subjects, and enabling students to embody these virtues daily.

This year, we added our new house system, which has promoted camaraderie and healthy competition among students and served as a platform for bringing families together and strengthening relationships within our school community.

The Fine Arts Department has nurtured countless God-given talents, fostering a love for music, drama, and art among our students. Our choir students have learned to sing in multiple languages, including Latin, Spanish, and French, providing integration with their foreign language studies.

Our 5th through 8th grade athletic program has experienced notable growth this year. Our volleyball, flag football, girls and boys basketball, and track and field teams all had successful seasons, finishing in the top five of our conference.

Looking forward, we’ve integrated several initiatives into our three-year strategic plan, focusing on faculty enrichment, classical education, curriculum enhancement, community engagement, and financial health. These initiatives aim to further our mission and prepare our students for a lifetime of learning and success to serve and glorify God.

We will also seek re-accreditation from the Southern Association of Independent Schools and Cognia, as well as pursue additional accreditation from the Society for Classical Learning. Our commitment to excellence and our Christian foundation will remain steadfast as we refine and enhance our classical academic programs from PreK-8th.

I sincerely appreciate our community for supporting endeavors like the Annual Fund and the 2024 Rock & Bowl Auction. Your contributions have a tangible impact, providing financial assistance to deserving students, supporting faculty enrichment initiatives, and enhancing our classrooms for enriched learning experiences.

Thank you for being ambassadors of Veritas and for your unwavering support. Together, we are building a Foundation for Life in our students as together we go Deep in Learning, Deep in Christ.

Soli Deo gloria,

Kim Berger Head of School

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.

~ Romans 1:20

FACILITIES UPDATE

STEAM Lab Update

Science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics are the basis for the STEAM program at Veritas. The summer 2023 construction project was enhanced the STEAM Lab to include more state-of-the-art equipment. These included an 86” touchscreen interactive television that is used in various ways to deliver instructional content, a set of 25 brand-new laptops dedicated to the STEAM Lab supporting digital learning, brand new 3D printers to allow for digital models to come to life, and new furniture that can be modified to fit the space in varying layouts and for different uses. The STEAM Lab was generously funded by donors of the 20222023 Annual Auction - Full STEAM Ahead.

Additionally, the STEAM curriculum is being supported by a grant from Project Lead the Way (PLTW). The PLTW Gateway: Medical Detectives curriculum focuses on helping students play the role of real-life detectives collecting and analyzing medical date to diagnose varying diseases. There are hands-on projects and labs incorporating the measuring and interpretation of vital signs, examinations of the nervous system structure and function, and the investigation of disease outbreaks. One of the hands-on projects that Veritas students from first through eighth grades were able to participate in was the dissection of sheep brains looking at brain diseases. Eighth grade students also recreated neuron models as they learned about

the nervous system. Another experiment focused on learning about antibiotics and their effectiveness against a non-pathogenic strain of Escherichia coli (more commonly known as E. coli).

Additionally, students have been working on coding. Most recently, the students were tasked with creating a digital game. Students test one another’s game by trying to reach the high score. This simple assignment provides students with the ability to practice their coding skills and learning to collaborate with one another.

STUDENT LIFE UPDATE

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; ~ Proverbs 2:6

Student Racial Demographics Average Class Sizes

Student to Teacher Ratio

33% of Full-Time Faculty and Staff have advanced degrees or are actively pursuing an advanced degree.

Grace Badenhorst Second Baptist School

Nahla Lewis Houston Christian High School

Joceli Olmos Houston Christian High School

Abby Taylor Bellaire High School

James Dewhurst Strake Jesuit College Preparatory

Krista Ivy Saint Thomas Episcopal School

Isaac Moses Second Baptist School

Brodie Slay Episcopal High School

David Fremion Westbury Christian School

Benjamin Gregory Westbury Christian School

Gabrielle Collins Iowa Colony High School

Morgan Lanier Saint Agnes Academy

Joaquin Ochoa Strake Jesuit College Preparatory

Joel Sterling Saint Thomas High School

Elizabeth Holloway Houston Christian High School

Markham Minces Saint Thomas High School

Luke Shatby Strake Jesuit College Preparatory

Ava Braggs Saint Agnes Academy

Aaron Lin Strake Jesuit College Preparatory

Mimi Pancheri Michael E. DeBakey High School

Layla Yaltho Saint Agnes Academy

Ariana Loera Incarnate Word Academy

Alexander Shatby Strake Jesuit College Preparatory

Athletics Recap

Veritas Athletics took a leap during the 2023-24 Academic Year, building on the foundations built in previous years. The biggest accomplishment for Veritas Athletics came from the winter basketball season. After a multiyear drought, the Varsity Boys Basketball team had the privilege of adding another banner to the walls of the gym as the runner-ups in this year’s WHCAC Championship.

The boys showed true grit and resilience throughout the season working on bettering themselves individually and as a team.

Additionally, each respective team in this year’s Athletics Program showed continued dedication and growth from previous years. Coach Parker, the Veritas Athletics Director, is proud of each athlete and the efforts that they put forth both on and off the playing field/court.

FINANCIAL UPDATE

Jeremy Newsom Chair Executive VP Platform Partners

Board of Trustees

Teandra Gordon Vice Chair Executive Director Harvest Point Counseling

Stephen Fairfield Treasurer Chief Executive Officer

Community Capital

Toby Yaltho Secretary Neurologist Houston Methodist Hospital

New Board Member

Celeste Lanier, Director of Communications First Presbyterian Church of Houston (FPC Houston)

Celeste Lanier and her husband Matthew are parents to two Veritas students, Morgan (Grade 8) and Max (Grade 1), and have been a part of the Veritas community for nine years. During this time, Celeste has served as a room parent for multiple grades and coordinated four of our annual book fairs. Celeste is the Director of Communications and Media at First Presbyterian Church of Houston (FPC Houston), where she has managed print, web, social, digital production, and worship streaming activities for nearly nine years. Before FPC, Celeste held communication roles at Eaton, HP, Sony, and several tech startups. She is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles. The Laniers are members of Lilly Grove Baptist Church, where Celeste and Matthew have been actively involved for more than 18 years, and both Morgan and Max were baptized.

“Throughout our time here, Veritas has kept the mission to be a Christ-centered school as its true north. Because of their faithfulness, our children have been loved, taught, and discipled well. For this reason, I am grateful for this new opportunity to serve.”

Anil Chandy Senior Vice President PNC Bank

Kim Berger Head of School Veritas Christian Academy of Houston

Melissa Turnbaugh Partner, National Education & Innovation Leader PBK Architects

David Steinbach Global Chief Investment Officer Hines

Sara Prasatik Attorney Wilson, Cribbs, and Goren Real Estate Law

Maria Kaczmarek Vice President, Human Resources AECOM

Financial Report

Revenue

79% Tuition (net of financial aid)

11% Auxiliary Services

6% Contributions

3% Special Events (net)

1% Other Income

$ 3,523,170 (2022-23 Revenue)

Expenses

75% Program Services

21% Management and General

4% Fundraising

$ 3,519,363 (2022-23 Expenses)

Annual Fund Donors

Joseph and Mary Abdou

Sunday and Sherifat Adole

Oladapo and Kiyetta Alade

Taiwo and Lola Alale

Olga Alekhina

Feliciano and Laura Arrazolo

Eli Arroyo

Riquelme and Jennifer Artavia

Jeffrey and Chantal Avery

Preston and Candice Aycox

Olaolu and Olusegun Babalola

Rynie and Tricia Badenhorst

Robson and Robyn Baker

Randy and Rebecca Bassett

Jeffrey and Hannah Beird

Benevity Community Impact Fund

Leo and Kim Berger

Kent Biringer

David and Kindra Blecher

Scott and Danielle Breitenwischer

William Burkhead

Leonardo Caniz and Maria Ajche Caniz

Marco and Deisy Carbajal

Gabrielle Carter

Brian and Danielle Cass

David and Hannah Castle

Terence and Mindy Chan

Anil and Judith Chandy

Holden and Susan Chang

Kenneth and Latoya Collins

Phillip Coselli

Brooks and Katherine Creasey

Richard and Julie Crosby

Steve and Tamara Crosby

Brandon and Layalie Cubina

Erica Daniels

Tamar Darmas

Kevin and Jennifer Dean

Sonya DeArman

Rudy Dela Rosa and Alyssa Mejia Dela Rosa

Lawrence and Carine Dempsey

Chris and Annamarie Dewhurst

Cameron and Audra Dezfulian

Daniel and Julie Droog

Molly El-Issa

Lety Espinoza

Ugochukwu and Anurika Ezenekwe

Robert and Allison Finch

Brad and Lucinda Fleming

Gary and Jeanie Flores

Brandon and Ellen Fremion

Jeff and Stephanie Frey

Robert and Melanie Frye

Daniel Fu and Beth Gao Fu

Adam and Mayra Fuentes

Dorcas Fusilier

Alecia Gallegos

John and Karalee Gatlin

Stan and Sara George

Peter and JoAnn Gilliam

Pierre Gonzales and Amanda Martinez

Brian and Teandra Gordon

Ryan and Lisa Gregory

Moreko and Felicia Griggs

Abhilash Gummakonda and Amy Ng Gummakonda

Joseph and Lisa Hafemeister

Jaron and Hailey Hall

Mina and Vivian Salama Hanna and Sandra Haddad Hany Bekhit

David and Cristen Hao

Thema Harris

James and Shannon Holloway

Sarah Ann Holt

Timothy and Keisha Ladet Hudson

Mark and Marilyn Hughes

Ray Hwong and Tiantian Zhang Hwong

James and Rosemarie Ivy

Mary Kay Izard

Darrick and AdriAnn Jahn

Anthony and Maria Kaczmarek

Eugene and Debbie Kaczmarek

Steve and Mary Kearney

Kristen Kellough

Stephen Kiesle

Yin Kim and Choungsun Im Kim

Jae Kwon and Jiyun Tark Kwon

Paul and Jordan La Raia

Matthew and Celeste Lanier

Jeff and Rebecca Laschober

Clifford and Mimi Lee

Ericka Lee

Hans Lee and Hannah Smith Lee

Cam and Amy Leonard

Robin B and Jane W. Leslie

Jacobi and Shysha Lewis

John and Donna Lin

Kathleen Lindsey

Ernesto and Ana Loera

Erik and Susan Luchetta

Jermaine and Erin Marshall

Andrew and Rachel Martin

Sandy Mashni

David and Naomi McCants

Davon McClung

Erin McDaniels

Jennifer McGuire

Andre and Georgetta Medlock

Nancy Mendez

Mina Metry and Mariam Magar Metry

Joseph and MIchelle Michaiel

Ramsey and Madina Mikhail

Charissa Miller

Robert and Christie Miller

Minces PLLC

Henry and Mary Minja

Buddy and Stephanie Mitchell

Darlene Mitchell

Mark and Renata Mokhtari

Arden Morley

Michael and Lacey Moses

Jonathan and Elise Mueller

Jeremy and Crystal Newsom

Christopher and Regina Nolan

Katy Norra

Spencer and Heidi Obie

Tony and Carol Olivero

Jose and Elizabeth Olmos

Emmanuel Oriahi

Lisa R Oriahi

Efosa and Osasere Osazuwa

Amanda Owen

Elijah and Robin Owens

Chris and Jane Pancheri

Roosevelt Parker

Bisset and Christian Parobek

Dan and Cindy Parobek

William and Kathleen Paul

Bo and Zheng Meng Peng

Pinnacle Pediatric Dentistry

James and Christian Pitman

Platform Partners

Josh and Sara Prasatik

Sam and Lamia Raad

Anthony and Sandra Ramirez

Kim and Patti Randolph

Werner and Raven Richmond

Lillian Rivera

Gladyss Sakr

Andrew and Elena Sanchez

Rostyslav and Alla Semikov

David Settle

Beshoy and Nora Michael Shatby

Jack and Charlotte Simes

Willard and Gwen Sims

Jazmin Sinclair

David and Heidi Slay

Moody and Christine Soliman

Rhett and Kimberly Spreen

David and Rebecca Steinbach

John and Pamela Sterling

Michael and Donna Strom

Eric and Monica Tadros

Donald and Patti Taylor

Texas State Optical

The Martin Family Fund

Blandon and Chans Thomas

Gene and Kendra Thomas

Obinna and Jenny Uzodinma

Chris and Abby Venegas

Chris and Nicole Verrico

Zachary and Stephanie Villafuerte

Khanh Vu

Walter and Imee Wade

Savannah Watson

Shaun and Amy Wildt

Jason and Amy Wiley

Thomas & Melanie Wilson

Toby and Saira George Yaltho

Stephen and Susi Zeal

Annual Auction

Jeffrey and Chantal Avery

Preston and Candice Aycox

Robson and Robyn Baker

Leo and Kim Berger

Kent Biringer

Scott and Danielle Breitenwischer

David and Hannah Castle

Terence and Mindy Chan

Anil and Judy Chandy

Holden and Susan Chang

Alexander and Adrienne Chen

Brooks and Katherine Creasey

David Creasey

Richard and Julie Crosby

Brandon and Layalie Cubina

Kevin and Jennifer Dean

Thomas and Elizabeth DeVries

Chris and Annamarie Dewhurst

Gene and Linda Dewhurst

Cameron and Audra Dezfulian

Daniel and Julie Droog

Stephan and Alison Fairfield

Robert and Allison Finch

Brandon and Ellen Fremion

Jeff and Stephanie Frey

Peter and JoAnn Gilliam

Brian and Teandra Gordon

Ryan and Lisa Gregory

James and Shannon Holloway

Mark and Marilyn Hughes

James and Rosemarie Ivy

Darrick and AdriAnn Jahn

Paul and Jordan La Raia

Matthew and Celeste Lanier

Jeff and Rebecca Laschober

Hans Lee and Hannah Smith Lee

John and Donna Lin

Ernesto and Ana Loera

Erik and Susan Luchetta

Katherine Marsh-Smith

Andrew and Rachel Martin

Sandy Mashni

David and Naomi McCants

Robert and Christie Miller

David and Eva Michelle Minces

James and Joi Morrison

Forest and Lura Jane Munford

Jeremy and Crystal Newsom

Robert and Alexandra Ochoa

Elijah and Robin Owens

Chris and Jane Pancheri

Christian and Bisset Parobek

James and Christian Pitman

Josh and Sara Prasatik

Werner and Raven Richmond

Andrew Sanchez and Elena Feofanova

Rostyslav and Alla Semikov

Beshoy Shatby and Nora Michael

Charles and Amelia Simpson

Evan Weinberger

John and Pamela Sterling

Eric and Monica Tadros

Gene and Kendra Thomas

Anthony and Maria Kaczmarek

Steve and Mary Kearney

Jae Kwon and Jiyun Tark

Mark and Melissa Turnbaugh

Obinna and Jenny Uzodinma

Shaun and Amy Wildt

Toby Yaltho and Saira George

ANNUAL AUCTION: ROCK & BOWL

20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

2024-2025 Academic Year Back-to-School Events

Early Education & Lower School Back-to-School Conferences starting Friday, August 9. 2024 (individually scheduled)

New Parent Orientation: Friday, August 9, 2024

Back to School Night: Monday, August 12, 2024

First Day of School Wednesday, August 14, 2024

7000 Ferris Street • Bellaire,TX 77401

www.veritasca.org • 713-773-9605