Veritas Academy

Congratulations to our Advanced Senior Thesis students who presented last week and congratulations to this year’s Top 16 Thesis contestants! Tonight we enter the second week of Thesis Presentations with our Top 16 Competition beginning this afternoon at 4:30 in the Auditorium and continuing every evening through Thursday. We hope you attend as many evenings as you are able—especially the Final Fourum™ this Friday, May 1, which brings the winner of each night this week together in a final competition to see who will be crowned Senior Thesis Laureate at Graduation. Please visit the School Memo or our Thesis webpage (link in bio) for the daily presentation schedule, thesis descriptions, and more! The countdown to Final Fourum™ has commenced!

The time has come! Advanced Senior Thesis presentations begin Monday afternoon at 4:30 in the Auditorium, and we hope you attend as many evenings as possible—especially the Final Forum, which is Friday, May 1. Please see the School Memo or our Thesis webpage for the daily presentation schedule, thesis descriptions, and more!

Enjoy a little flashback Friday from our 2025 Final Fourum. It seems like just yesterday they were here competing!

What an incredible showing for Veritas Speech and Debate at the TAPPS 4A State Championship in Waco, especially in just their second year as a team! Over three full days of intense competition, our students rose to the challenge, advancing through rigorous rounds and earning multiple state placements. A special congratulations to Drew Krawzsenek and Ezra Blythe for their outstanding achievements.

Drew was named State Champion in Original Oratory, competing against more than 20 students, including nationally ranked speakers. His ten minute, fully memorized speech reflected deep research, clarity, and conviction, truly embodying the art of the good man speaking well. Ezra also delivered an exceptional performance, earning 3rd place in Lincoln Douglas Debate after nearly six hours of competition. He demonstrated thoughtful reasoning, composure, and articulate communication throughout.

Congratulations to Drew, Ezra, and the entire Speech & Debate team! We are especially proud of the way you portrayed key elements of the Portrait of a Defender—one who “reads deeply and charitably; reasons truthfully, diligently, and earnestly; and speaks and writes with clarity, wisdom, and eloquence.” 
A special thank you to Coach Leslie Quinnell and the many wonderful parent volunteers who support this team!

Earlier this month, we had the profound honor of retiring basketball jersey #22, a symbol that now stands for far more than a position on the court. It represents the unwavering courage, quiet strength, perseverance, and unwavering faith of Nate Gabrysch—even in the hardest moments.

On Sunday, January 11, Nate went home to be with Jesus, peacefully surrounded by his family and his beloved dog, Boone. While our hearts still ache, we cling to the hope we have in Christ—and to the example Nate lived out so beautifully each day as he remained joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12).

In his final months, Nate experienced so many meaningful moments: special adventures, time with family and friends, and the joy of seeing his number retired at Veritas. What a gift it was to celebrate him, and what an even greater gift to carry his legacy forward.

Today, on the 22nd, we pause again to honor Nate’s life and legacy, and we remember a Defender whose impact will never fade. His number may be retired, but his faith, courage, and joy live on—in our community and in our hearts.

Please continue to pray for the Gabrysch family and all who loved Nate. Today, and always, #22.