First Class

The First Academy (TFA) stands out as the premier Preschool through 12th grade, Christ-centered college-preparatory school in Central Florida.

Their unique mission is to equip children to become Christian leaders who prioritize character over career, wisdom beyond scholarship, service before self, and participation as a way of life.

Letizia (Leti) Branz serves as Academic Dean and Math Teacher at The First Academy with an extensive engineering background. She also spent many years as a teacher in Orange County Public Schools. As you might expect from her engineering background, Leti has a particular fondness for science and math and has spent the last six years teaching those subjects, pouring into the students both academically and spiritually.

Leti said, “At TFA, we can speak and focus on objective truth. When I was teaching in public schools, I felt restricted and not able to teach from my worldview or have ownership over the curriculum that I taught. We want our students to be deep thinkers. We teach them to ask questions, engage in healthy debate, and put their conclusions into practice.”

A great example of how The First Academy fosters academics to excel and faith to inspire is through the Dr. Stephen D. Whitaker Senior Thesis. Every graduate of TFA must complete the Senior Thesis, which is a culmination of the work done throughout their high school career. Students can pick any topic they’re passionate about such as physics, biology, psychology, modern culture, social science, and use that selected topic to defend their faith through a robust research paper and live presentation in front of a panel of their peers and TFA faculty and staff. This capstone project prepares students for the challenge of collegiate-level rigor while strengthening their personal spiritual journey.

Since its opening in 1987, The First Academy has continued to grow its academic, fine arts, and athletic programs, elevating its students to the highest levels of achievement.