Nativity Academy at St. Boniface in Louisville welcomed five officers from the Louisville Metro Police Department, including Chief Paul Humphrey, on October 7. The visit provided students the chance to engage with law enforcement and discuss potential career paths in policing.

Chief Humphrey, who graduated from St. Xavier High School, addressed the middle school students, saying, “You all seem like pretty amazing kids, we get to interact with kids all the time, and you all are pretty top-notch. So, I hope you recognize how special you are.”

Meghan Weyland, principal of Nativity Academy, noted that the visit allowed both students and officers to learn from each other. She highlighted that both Nativity and LMPD share a focus on community service and violence prevention. “We see Nativity and LMPD doing different manifestations of the same community service and violence prevention work,” Weyland said in an email about the visit.

Weyland further explained, “We provide a safe, supportive, faith-based educational environment for kids at the developmental crossroads of adolescence, and then walk with our grads to and through high school, post-secondary and life. LMPD is out building and rebuilding relationships and rapport throughout the community to keep our city safe and productive.”

Nativity Academy is an independent Catholic school offering full scholarships to middle school students from Louisville’s urban area. The school also has a support program designed to help students achieve success in high school and college. More information about Nativity Academy can be found at nativitylouisville.org.