70°
STAMFORD, Conn. Waterside School is hidden behind cranes and new high-rises in Stamfords constantly developing South End. The private school offers a first-class education for children of low-income families, the schools Executive Director Duncan Edwards said.
Nothing here is pretty good. Everything here is very, very, very good, Edwards said during a tour of the school, which includes kindergarten through fifth grade.
Although the students and families at the school may not be well off financially, they are rich in character and love, Edwards said. This attitude has allowed the staff to change the way the children think and believe in themselves, he said.
We want kids to dream in the ridiculous scale, Edwards said. They dont understand impossible anymore.
The school's biggest challenge over the past 10 years has been its funding, Edwards said. Though parents pay what they can, they cover only about 7 percent of the school's operating budget. The rest comes from private and corporate partnerships, he said.
Edwards described several key moments including the arrival of Head of School Jody Visage since he joined the school in 2003. And the latest opened the 2011 school year when it moved into a new location on Pacific Street.
Previously, Waterside rented space at St. Clements Church, which offered several classrooms and administration space. But it no space for anything extra, and the students had recess in a parking lot, Edwards said. The new location has a full gymnasium, library and enough classroom space to double the school's size.
Many of the students go on to other independent schools in the area on scholarship, Edwards said. The students from the first class to graduate from Waterside are now juniors in high school and are looking ahead to college, he said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Stamford and receive free news updates.
