By Michelle Moskowitz
Sentinel Correspondent
“Never forget your roots. Stay humble. Stay hungry.”
These words are emblazoned on the very first photograph of the Waterside School, an independent school for underprivileged kids in Stamford.
On Sept. 12, 2001, the Waterside School opened its doors in an overcrowded basement with just 25 students, five teachers, and a vision to provide mobility through education to those who seek it.
Today there are 153 students for kids entering grades K-5, including a Pre-K program, which the school leadership believes to be an essential part of academic success.
In September 2011, the school re-opened with a spectacular state-of-the art learning facility, comprised of a modernized architecture through its high ceilings and an open, airy design, offering a sense of peace and yet, pride to all who walk through the halls. Beautiful murals created by students and their parents, depicting Martin Luther King Jr. and others, decorate the walls.
The Waterside School was founded by Konrad “Chip” Kruger, the former co-head of Greenwich Capital, who held the belief that all children, regardless of their race or background, deserve a first-rate education.
Raising his family in Greenwich, Kruger wanted to create positive change in one of the most economically challenged communities in neighboring Stamford.
After experiencing severe setbacks and an economic collapse in its early days, the school that may not have been prevailed, thanks to the generosity of individuals, its own resilience, and perhaps most important, the passionate visionaries who fully dedicated themselves to the school’s mission.
In 2004, Kruger brought on a world-class leadership team, which transformed the school into the beacon of success it is today.
Jody Visage, head of school at Waterside, left her post as the assistant head of Greenwich Academy to spearhead the school’s curriculum program.
The teaching culture she created is one that focuses on purpose, joy, commitment and compassion.
The curriculum consists of a highly differentiated and evolving program for academic, moral and emotional development; ongoing professional development for teachers to continue to build upon their effectiveness and an intensive program for parent education and support as well.
To show the level of academic commitment the school mandates, students are required to attend a six-week summer program in order to maintain their academic progress and avoid learning loss.
The arts play a significant part in the curriculum as well. Kids are able to study piano, saxophone, trumpet, and flute; utilize the top notch artist studio that was built, attend outstanding museum programs and trips, and dance on the state of the Metropolitan Opera House.
Kids also enjoy the state-of-the-art gymnasium and soccer turf on the rooftop overlooking the Stamford skyline.
Upon entering a few of the classrooms in session, this reporter was promptly greeted by friendly, well-mannered children, each with a firm handshake and a warm smile.
But perhaps the true leader of this school is Duncan Edwards, the executive director of Waterside.
Edwards, who ran the Brunswick school for more than 20 years, has a stellar reputation in the Greenwich community. He comes from a lineage of Brunswick graduates; his sons also attended. But the move to the Waterside School was a challenge he was ready to take on with great passion and pride.
“This is the dream job. We don’t even know all the multipliers in the success of our school. It’s the child, the family, and all the people those graduates will one day help to prosper,” said Edwards.
At Waterside, the promise of every child is honored, and each child is challenged to reach his or her highest academic level possible; the personal focus on character is equally intense.
“You can’t chase true excellence without a foundation of character,” said Edwards.
Every child that attends Waterside is on scholarship, but parents are expected to contribute what they can.
But more important than their financial contribution to the school is their personal commitment and deep involvement in school activities and events.
Parents are required to sign a contract outlining their obligations, thus highlighting to their kids the deep level of commitment necessary to embrace all that the Waterside education will afford them.
“This school is pure philanthropy at its best. Our generous donors, many from Greenwich want to give because they care to make a difference,” said Edwards.
In its most recent capital campaign, the school raised $23 million. Edwards points out that there are no names of donors on the walls or parts of the building dedicated to any one person.
Greenwich board members include Richard Axilrod, James Berger, James Carey, Toby Cobb, Joe Delgado, Tanja Ellis, Robert Glanville, Steven Marks, Robert Morris, Tom O’Malley Jr., Bart Osman and Chip Kruger.
Aside from the fundraising efforts, many people have donated their time and manpower into making the school what it is today: a beacon of hope.
The pristine playground was donated by Viking Global, and the piece of land that the school resides on was donated by a Stamford real estate developer, Carl Kuehner.
Funding reaches beyond school expenses and faculty and is often used to help with the unexpected, sometimes heartbreaking needs that arise in a family—such as getting a car repaired so that a parent can get to work and not lose their job, or helping to prevent a young family from being evicted from their home.
Part of the faculty includes a full-time social worker who works closely with each and every family in times of need.
Upon graduation from Waterside, students earn admission in leading independent and parochial schools with financial assistance such as Brunswick, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Rye Country Day School, St. Luke’s School and King School.
The Head of the Graduate program builds and maintains a deep, solid relationship with each student and family even up until college placement, continually serving as a guiding light on their path to success.
Andres Soto, a Waterside graduate from 2006, who currently attends Columbia University’s School of Engineering with a 4.0 GPA offered these words to last year’s graduates:
“There aren’t many other schools like Waterside—the warm community, the caliber of education, the excellent faculty and staff—they all contribute to the uniqueness of the school. But Waterside’s special nature stems from its underlying dream. I would not be here standing here talking to you, or taking a train back into the city to work on Wall Street, if it were not for this place. I would not be earning a salary, as a 21-year-old, that is greater than both of my parents combined. But it’s much, much more than money or material or the fruits of my labor, but rather it’s about the fruition of the seed Waterside planted in my heart and nurtured.”
When asked how Waterside compares to Brunswick, Edwards replied, “It’s a very similar place, as our standards are impeccably high and we are unyielding in our commitment to character.”
But he added with a proud smile, “But there is a level of appreciation here that’s deeper than I have ever seen. The students, the faculty, we don’t squander one single minute of our day.”
Perhaps Soto said it best in his graduation speech. “Education quite literally is a liberator. It liberates one from one’s socio-economic status; it liberates our minds by leading us to truth, knowledge and wisdom; and ultimately education pushes us beyond the narrow confines of our individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of our community.”
Visit watersideschool.org for more information.
