History
Seeing a need for a more challenging, Christ-centered educational environment for their children, a group of families began exploring the idea of starting a Christian, classical, university style school in the Beaumont area in the summer of 2012. They felt this blended model of homeschooling and private education would respond to the desire of many parents for an educational approach which facilitates a parent and child discipleship relationship. They visited other schools, read books, and attended conferences on homeschooling as well as Christian, classical education.
After much prayer and guidance by leaders of other similar schools utilizing this model, a launch team was formed for Veritas Classical Academy. Through this team, God led them to their first informational meeting where the vision of Veritas Classical Academy was presented. God blessed us with a church facility to host the school, Christian Fellowship, as well as a board of Veritas families desiring to bring a Christian, classical, university schedule school to Beaumont. Bylaws were written and the non-profit corporation was formed. The board of directors also committed to donate start-up costs to ensure a professional and successful launch.
Since February of 2013, Veritas has had monthly informational meetings to allow families the opportunity to learn more about this unique model of education. The school exists to help families in the academic disciplines, as parents have the ultimate responsibility for instructing their children. It seeks to partner with like-minded families to bring a distinctively Christian and academically rigorous method of education to Beaumont and surrounding areas.
With careful planning, prayer and a lot of faith, we launched with 23 students, 13 families and 8 faculty members in August 2013. Since that time, God has blessed the school with many more students and faculty members as we continue to grow rapidly.
Our Board of Directors
Lindy and Lucy Merrill
Lindy is a contractor and owns a home building business in the Beaumont area. He holds a B.S. in Construction Science from Texas A&M University. Lucy currently manages a busy household and holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin. She cares for their 5 children that span 14 years. They are members of First Baptist Church in Beaumont.
Joshua and Lauren Cavett
Joshua, AIF, CPA, PFS, is a financial advisor and retirement planning specialist with Raymond James Financial Services. Joshua holds a BBA in Accounting, a MS in Tax Consulting/Financial Planning from Texas A&M University and also attended the University of Barcelona. He taught at Lamar University and currently serves on Lamar's Planned Giving Council. Lauren now cares for their 4 young children, and previously taught elementary school and piano. She holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies with an Education concentration from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, GA, and also studied at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. She is involved in Beaumont Children's Museum, Junior League, & Symphony League. Joshua and Lauren were homeschooled for a combined seven years of their elementary education. They are active members of Riverside Church, a new church plant in Beaumont, TX.
Tom and Sarah Owens
Tom is a former engineer, investor, and partial owner of several small businesses ranging from real estate to retail stores. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University and has studied Christian homeschooling, classical education, and the university-schedule school format since 2006. Sarah is a busy homemaker caring for their four girls and a veteran homeschool mom of four years before helping launch Veritas. Sarah attended Angelo State University before finishing her degree in business management at North Georgia University; after graduation she managed accounting and customer service for their first business. Tom, Sarah, and their family are members of Riverside Church in Beaumont.
Jason R. Willis
Jason has worked in the education industry since 1994 and is currently part of the executive leadership team at a local publishing company. He holds a B.S. in Psychology from Northwest Missouri State University. Jason and his wife, Tabitha, have five children and attend Riverside Church in Beaumont.
Josh Fults
Josh serves as senior pastor at First Baptist Church, Orange, Texas. A beloved former faculty member at Veritas, Josh holds a B.A. in Psychology from East Texas Baptist University, a M.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Tyler, M.A’s in Christian Apologetics and Divinity from Luther Rice University, and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Josh and his wife, Devon, have three children and reside in Orange, Texas.
