Welcome Back Chapel Begins a New Year at Veritas
On the final Monday in August, the Veritas Preparatory School community gathered together for its annual Welcome Back Chapel, marking the beginning of another year of learning, fellowship, and spiritual growth. This year, Veritas welcomed 96 students and 13 faculty members, filling the chapel with familiar faces as well as many new ones.
Chapel is an important part of life at Veritas. Throughout the school year, students and teachers gather to worship, study Scripture, celebrate milestones, and turn their attention toward the biblical truths that guide the school community. Parents are always welcome and encouraged to attend, making chapel an opportunity for the entire Veritas family to worship and learn together.
One favorite chapel tradition is the “sword drill.” With Bibles in hand, students are given a Scripture reference and race to locate the passage. The name comes from the biblical description of the Word of God as the “sword of the Spirit.” While the activity brings some friendly competition to chapel, it also helps students become increasingly comfortable navigating their Bibles and finding passages of Scripture for themselves.
Music is another important part of chapel. Veritas students learn and sing traditional patriotic songs such as “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful.” Students also learn a new hymn each quarter. The hymn selected for the first quarter of the 2026–2027 school year is “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” Written by Martin Luther, the hymn complements the study of the Protestant Reformation taking place in some Veritas classrooms this year. Connections such as this are an important part of a classical Christian education, allowing students to see how theology, history, literature, music, and culture intersect rather than encountering each subject in isolation.
Chapel also provides opportunities to hear from members of the broader Christian community. Throughout the year, messages are often delivered by guest speakers, including local pastors and fathers of Veritas students. These speakers bring different experiences and perspectives while encouraging students to consider how biblical truth applies to their everyday lives.
This year, chapel messages will follow themes from “The Folly and Vanity of Youth,” which addresses many of the moral challenges confronting young people. These lessons provide another opportunity to continue conversations that occur throughout the school day about wisdom, character, self-control, and living according to biblical principles. Rather than separating spiritual instruction from the rest of education, Veritas seeks to make Scripture the foundation through which students understand both their studies and their lives.
As another year begins, Veritas looks forward to many more chapel mornings filled with open Bibles, familiar hymns, thoughtful messages, birthday celebrations, and a school community seeking to grow together in knowledge, wisdom, and faith.
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