The Village is announcing a partnership with Waterside School to directly benefit students of the co-educational PK-5th Grade independent school. The Waterside partnership underscores two of The Village’s core pillars of philanthropy and community.
The Village Founder Brent Montgomery and his wife and Village Developer Courtney have cultivated deep relationships with many local nonprofits dedicated to fueling change. Their goal is to help facilitate that change through connecting the building’s tenants and visitors to community impact programs like that of Waterside School.
Waterside School was founded on the belief that the one thing owed to every child is the opportunity for a proper education, and was purposefully designed to offer an alternative to the region’s public school experience while providing for its graduates a path to the area’s finest and most competitive independent schools. Waterside serves children and families regardless of limitations in income or circumstance.
The collaboration with Waterside School encompasses a number of opportunities to help make a difference in the lives of students, including:
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The Outdoor Classroom:
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Students of Waterside School will partake in outdoor educational immersions taking place in its rooftop garden. Chief Food Curator Mike Geller will lead sessions on agriculture, sustainability, gardening and growing your own food. Students will participate in interactive, hands-on experiences throughout the year.
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Scholarship Support
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This initiative encourages tenants of and believers in The Village to directly support the school financially to help open doors of opportunity and, in time, to provide paths to prosperity for those young and deserving.
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Lunch & Learn:
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The Village will host a series of Lunch & Learn programs to immerse students in a variety of disciplines across art, culture, business, music, tech, health and more through interactive Q&As and speaker sessions.
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Artwork Displays:
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With empowerment in mind, a rotating selection of artwork by Waterside School students will be on display throughout The Village.
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The Internship:
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The Village houses a number of companies across many sectors that will offer internship opportunities for alumni to help explore potential career paths, make industry connections, and acquire the skills and knowledge needed to succeed.
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To mark the Waterside announcement, The Village will unveil a 48-foot mural on Thursday, July 8. The mural, which was painted by Connecticut artist Patrick Ganino, depicts Waterside School alum and current Greenwich Academy straight-A honor student Paula Zanol surrounded by representations of music, art, literature, science and sports. She holds a sign with the words “Dream Big,” symbolizing youth and possibility.
Brent Montgomery said, “Growing up around education my entire life as the son, brother and nephew of teachers, I thought I had seen it all until I met the incredible children, parents and administrators of Waterside. It was a no-brainer to have them be in the fabric of this project as The Village is about dreaming big and then creating the platform and opportunity to turn those ideas into reality. And for this artistic idea we were fortunate to find an incredible artist in Patrick who also dreams and draws big – really big!”
Courtney Montgomery added, “Brent and I are deeply committed to bridging the connection between community, impact and philanthropy, and our partnership with Waterside School is just the first of many initiatives to come here.”
Waterside School Former Executive Director Duncan Edwards said, “The presented image does more than impress with both its beauty and its power. It speaks to the mission of the School; to the courage of those who worked to make real what was once only a dream; to the promise of those who have found their way to and through the School and onto bold new opportunities; and, most important to me, to the Montgomerys’ and The Village’s deep commitment to a purpose far greater than their own. In a real way, it speaks to the goodness within us all.”
From The Village Stamford