North Tampa Christian Academy (NTCA), which opened the doors to its 23-acre, state-of-the-art campus for the first time this fall, has been in the spotlight because of its innovative environment and myriad programs offered to students. Academy President Orton Varona, who was placed in his role through a FaithSearch Partners search earlier this year, says the school’s diverse and personalized curriculum encourages engagement at every level. “We work with individual families to set up individual plans and create an environment where people receive a customized experience for their children. We offer classes in environmental engineering, art, music, and video production, as well as sports and numerous other activities. It’s a full-fledged thing happening here in Wesley Chapel,” Varona said.
In addition to those programs, the school’s curriculum was uniquely designed to increase exposure to healthcare career options and foster an early appreciation for the medical field. As the school’s official health and wellness sponsor, Florida Hospital contributes to NTCA’s curriculum development. “We have a curriculum that we’ve partnered to develop so that [students] can learn how to look after themselves and maybe inspire them to one day look after others,” said Florida Hospital Tampa CEO Brian Adams. Varona added, “It isn’t specifically built to create healthcare professionals. It’s built to inspire the student to dream about that. Then, through our other partnerships with higher education, we can make that happen.”
North Tampa Christian Academy is Wesley Chapel’s newest fully-accredited private Christian school serving students ages 2 through 12th grade. Learn more about NTCA and see Varona’s full interview with Tampa Bay’s Morning Blend HERE.
