Education

Spring is definitely springing, if Project Most’s explosion of new after-school and weekend programs for kids is any indication. In store for this month are workshops on photo collage, sewing, magnetic planters, robotics, and stop-motion animation, and an escape room challenge. And there's more for kids to do at libraries and museums.

Students and teachers at the Bridgehampton School will soon see more bees buzzing about the campus, fitting for a school whose mascot is the bee. Through a partnership with ReWild Long Island, a nonprofit organization that promotes “sustainable landscaping for biodiversity and climate resilience,” according to its website, Bridgehampton is in the early stages of planning a new pollinator garden.

Administrators and board members at the Ross School have approved a reorganization of grade levels at its two campuses, with an eye toward “optimizing resources and enhancing students’ overall educational outcomes,” according to Tom Sturtevant, the head of school.

Big things are happening in East Hampton High School’s science research program, whose students recently returned from two rounds of the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair with a number of awards — including a first-place finish in the plant sciences competition for Leah Fromm, one of 61 students in the research program who will show off their work at next Thursday’s Science Research Symposium at the high school.

On March 22, Springs School held its annual World’s Fair celebration, hosted by the school's Diversity Club. “It is about celebrating other countries and their cultures,” the club's adviser, Vicki Firemark, said.

Over the objections of dozens of parents and teachers, and without waiting for the New York State Legislature to sort out funding to school districts by way of an established state budget, Amagansett became the first school district in East Hampton Town this week to finalize its 2024-25 budget.

The East Hampton Town Board passed three resolutions that will ensure the continued operation of the child care program at the Montauk Playhouse Community Center after the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk pulls out, with Project Most set to take over in July.

For the 2024-25 school year, the Bridgehampton School District will likely put a $22.64 million spending plan before taxpayers for the May 21 budget vote. It has yet to be formally adopted by the school board, however, as numbers can still change pending the outcome of budget talks between the New York State Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The East Hampton Trustees enthusiastically approved a proposal by the South Fork Sea Farmers to construct a fourth oyster reef in waters under their jurisdiction, and the first to be situated in Three Mile Harbor.

Most school districts on Long Island are struggling to rein in tax-levy increases for next year’s budgets, with some planning teacher layoffs and program reductions in the face of harsh inflation and the possible loss of millions of dollars in New York State funding, but that’s not the case in Montauk, where in June of 2023, a school board member discovered a discrepancy in his school tax bill that will lead to a tax credit for Montauk homeowners next year.

On March 18, eighth graders from Springs School visited Liberty Island and Ellis Island thanks to the school's PTA.

The school's annual Sports Night, a tradition since 2002, raises money for field trips and this year took in $3,800.