Day Thirteen: Beech Mountain, NC

Here we are, two weeks into our 2011 Fall Semester Trip, and this is the first stop where we've actually slept in the same place two nights in a row!  But after logging our longest travel day yet yesterday we needed a day to regroup, relax, and reorganize for the final push to the finish line.

After a morning of accessing online texts and working on school assignments we drove down the mountain into Banner Elk for lunch at Dunn's Deli.  Afterwards we continued down toward a small village outside Boone, NC (yes, Boone, as in Daniel Boone for whom this western NC town is named) and a favorite candy store for Veritas students, located in the annex for a 100+ year old operating general store. 

For guests reading this blog this would be a good place to let you know that a 3-week semester trip is not normative, but circumstances this school year precipitated this somewhat longer than normal adventure.  These semester trips are an integral part of the Veritas regimen, but are usually 10 days to 2 weeks in duration.  Incidentally, for those wondering about how much extra (above tuition) these trips cost, you should know that all expenses are part of the low tuition fee paid by Veritas parents.  Not only is Veritas tuition competitive with every other private school in Waco, but it includes all these once-in-a-lifetime experiences.  Not only that, but our students complete their high school program in three years rather than four, thereby saving an entire year of private school tuition.  Inevitably, on these trips we encounter individuals from across this nation who are curious about seeing high school students from Texas visiting their corner of the world.  When they learn about the Veritas experience they are astounded that we are able to offer what we do at the low price charged.

But that's just part of what makes this Veritas -- as we discover our world and make a difference!