Nativity Academy at St. Boniface and Bellarmine University have entered into an educational partnership designed to enhance educational programs at the innovative eight-year-old Catholic middle school.


Bellarmine will provide curriculum and financial support to Nativity Academy, which serves children from low-income homes and seeks to break the cycle of poverty through education. Additionally, Dr. Robert Cooter, dean of Bellarmine's Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education, has joined the academy's board of directors.

"We are thrilled that Bellarmine University has joined the Ursuline Sisters and Xaverian Brothers as corporate sponsors of Nativity Academy at St. Boniface," said Carol Nord, Nativity Academy's executive director. "This will be a mutually beneficial relationship for both institutions as we advance the mission of Nativity Academy to serve students from families without economic resources with a quality Catholic education -- particularly those from the underserved areas of the urban core."

Nativity Academy, which opened in 2003, follows the "nativity model" of education developed by the Jesuits in the 1970s. It is one of 60 such schools serving thousands of students in the United States. Nativity schools combine rigorous academics with an extended day program for enrichment activities and a graduate support program to help students reach their full potential.

More than 98 percent of Nativity's 53 current students qualify for the Federal free and reduced school lunch program. The school's tuition is $20 per month.

From Nativity's first graduating middle school class, 95 percent graduated from high school. Nationally, graduation rates for African-American and Latino students living in poverty can be as low as 50 percent, according to the Lumina Foundation.

So far, 22 Nativity graduates are pursuing college degrees, and 61 are completing their high school studies. Nativity assists their former students in pursuing a college education through ACT test preparation, school selection counseling and financial aid planning.

"The natural intersection of the Bellarmine University and Nativity Academy missions, both with emphasis on Catholic education, excellence and social justice, is a wonderful foundation for a cooperative educational venture," said Dr. Doris Tegart, Bellarmine's provost. "We're excited about the possibilities that this new relationship will bring for Nativity Academy and for Bellarmine's students and faculty."

This year, Bellarmine launched a new doctoral program in education and social change, to develop educators who can work as change agents in improving educational levels for those living in poverty.

Bellarmine University joins the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville and the Xaverian Brothers as sponsors of Nativity Academy.