Although that has been and will be the case here, this year there is the overhang of all that is currently haunting our country and hurting its people. For Waterside, given the face of the community the School serves and the mission that it honors, the hurt is deep and real. There is no way to sugarcoat the current state of the state – the loss; the anger; the cruelty; the hopelessness; the divide – they all take their toll and, truthfully, the accounting found in the crisis does not in any way reassure – the hate so vividly on display; the fear that cripples and deprives; the stubborn racism that refuses to fade; and the senseless and offensively skewed debate / discussion as to whether a black life matters or not – all temper any joy and, thankfully, all force us to look around and within.

The exposed reality is one some of us have lived and others of us can barely fathom. That acknowledged, whether we have lived it or not, it is one we share and which we all have a responsibility to address. This is not the time for thoughts and prayers – we are far too long those; it is the time to gather and to listen to all voices; to learn; to accept and to own the mistakes we have made and the opportunities we have missed; to affirm, with neither nuance nor subtlety, that every single Black life does matter; and to commit ourselves to do more, to do better and to be better.

Waterside will do just that. Out of respect for the families and children we serve; out of love for a country even if imperfect; out of a guiding belief in both mission and purpose; and out of a sense of responsibility that, simply, we must. Join us in the work – none of us can do this alone.

Duncan Edwards
Executive Director

Jamel Keels
Head of School