'The consummate Rebel man': VHHS principal retires

At Vestavia Hills High School, everyone knows about the “Rebel Edge.”

It was introduced as a philosophy, but it’s much more than that to students and faculty. It’s a teaching tool, a mindset and a battle cry. And the man who introduced it saw it in full force last month as he prepared for his final days as a Rebel.

“It’s something that I promoted and built over the years,” said VHHS Principal Cas McWaters. “It’s a means of keeping us together by remembering we should always strive to be excellent in everything.”

That includes retirement celebrations.

On “Cas McWaters Day,” Principal McWaters arrived at school to a crowd of cheering students. He had a busy day planned, but he soon found he’d be clearing his schedule.

After lunch, he wrapped himself in a paisley sheet made to resemble a toga and was carried into the gymnasium hoisted on shoulders. There, the entire student body had congregated for a ceremony. They dressed in costumes recognizing their principal’s quirks and characteristics. Behind him was a banner that blanketed the wall naming McWaters “King of the Hills.”

A new direction

McWaters, 51, has spent the majority of his life as part of the Vestavia Hills School System. He started in kindergarten and progressed through the system, graduating from VHHS in 1980. The following year he was off to Auburn University, but before VHHS’s next baseball season, he was volunteer coaching at the school. He would continue for the next eight years.

Originally, McWaters wanted to enter the medical field, but he said he changed his mind because he didn’t want to sacrifice the time it required. He graduated with a degree in chemistry and, soon after, was given the opportunity that would direct the remainder of his life.

One of McWaters’ former teachers, Richard Owen, was sick and was faced with a being out of the classroom for an extended period of time. Owen called McWaters and asked if he’d like to try his hand as a substitute teacher.

“I just loved it,” McWaters said. “Immediately after, I had an aunt who asked if I could substitute teach for her for six weeks. That was the fall of 1985. In January of 1986, I was the second student in the state to enroll in (The University of) Montevallo’s fifth year program to get my master’s in education.”

In 1987, McWaters took a position at Pelham High School but didn’t abandon his hometown. He kept coaching at Vestavia Hills, and by the 1988 baseball season he was coaching for the Rebels full-time.

For more than a decade, McWaters taught and coached for the school, and in 1999 he moved into administration as assistant principal. He didn’t stop coaching until 2003 though, and his first separation from the school system came the following year.

In 2004, McWaters accepted the position of principal at Tarrant High School and remained there through the 2006 school year. In 2007, he came home to become principal at VHHS, a position he’ll be retiring from this month.

Developing an ‘edge’

For McWaters’ retirement, the VHHS yearbook staff assembled a video that marked his many accomplishments during his tenure. Since he’s been principal, 2,809 students have graduated the school, 98 percent of them have attended college (28 to Ivy League schools) and more than $104 million has been offered to them in scholarships.

When the video was produced, McWaters had been principal to witness 10 VHHS teams win AHSAA State Championships – make that 13 now with the school claiming titles in Varsity Boys Soccer and Tennis and Varsity Girls Tennis in 2013.

In addition, Vestavia Hills High has raised more than $1 million for charities under McWaters.

“ I have an interesting perspective, having been principal at a school with a 98 percent poverty rate among students. And I’ve seen and worked on both sides of the tracks,” McWaters said, banging his hand against his desk before his next sentence. “To me, it’s very important for our kids to realize that we are blessed and that it is our responsibility to give back.”

Developing a philanthropic mindset at VHHS – a major part of the Rebel Edge – is vital. To him, he said, volunteering is not an extracurricular activity. The school allows time during the day for clubs to meet and discuss ways to improve their communities.

Philanthropy, especially in student organizations, leads to a sense of community in the student body. And building community, he said, leads to building culture.

“It is how you build school culture, and I think that’s one of my proudest accomplishments,” he said. “We have a great school culture where kids are part of talking to each other – they’re part of each other’s lives.”

Lasting legacy

The foundation of the Rebel Edge always comes back to one thing, though.

“I’m big on relationships. That’s the key to reaching kids and reaching people,” McWaters said. “I had a former employer ask me, ‘Why it is the faculty and are the kids are so loyal to you?’ I said, ‘The Golden Rule. Have a genuine care and concern for people. That’s all it takes.’”

VHHS students and faculty see it everyday.

“He has the ability to foster loyalty in the faculty because he treats us all as professionals,” said Charlotte Manning, head of the Math Department at VHHS and longtime friend of McWaters. “He cares about everybody, and if you go to him with any problem, he may not be able to fix it, but he’ll do everything he can to make it right.”

Former teachers remember McWaters the same way.

“I was always impressed at his individual care for his teachers,” said Karen Delano, current superintendent of Auburn City Schools and former VHHS teacher. “There were several times over years when teachers would come to him with problems or need time off for illness or death, and he always went above and beyond to take care of them.”

McWaters said the senses of community, philanthropy and culture won’t leave the school with his departure, and he made sure to remind everyone attending the Cas McWaters Day celebration that it’s up to both them and incoming principal Wes Gordon to continue what he started.

“He’s the rock and the foundation of the school,” Manning said. “He said to the student body that his is just a position, and he does not define it. The role of principal at Vestavia Hills will always be there, and as his legacy he asked us to carry on the Rebel Edge for him.”

Starting over

After retiring in June, McWaters said he would be taking a position at Bessemer Academy as the school looks to develop a choir program. He said it not only gives him the opportunity to return to the classroom but also the chance to continue in his longtime passion.

In college, McWaters was a member of the Auburn Singers, and he’s since continued performing as a contemporary and Gospel vocalist. He said he owns part of a recording studio in Nashville and is still performing in about seven concerts a year.

Beyond that, he said he also intends to keep teaching his regular Sunday school class at Shades Mountain Baptist Church.

As he’s given so much of his life to Vestavia Hills, he said he’s unlikely to stop. But wherever you find McWaters after he leaves VHHS, nearby you’ll find the Rebel Edge.