How is the new kid related to west side story?

Jordan Banks is a 12-year-old African-American living in Washington Heights. He has dreams to attend a prestigious art school, but his mother enrolls him to Riverdale Academy Day. Riverdale is a local prestigious school. Jordan is one of the very few African-Americans attending the school. He is paired with Liam Landers, and soon they form a friendship. I suppose there are two very different backgrounds here. Liam is an affluent white boy and Jordan is the opposite.