Education

An anonymous donor has pledged $54,500 to the Wainscott School so that the cash-strapped district can reinstate "specials," which are classes such as art, music, gym, and technology. Facing an austerity plan after the failure, twice, of a tax-cap-busting budget, Deborah Haab, the district superintendent, said it "will make a tremendous difference in the day-to-day operations, especially for the students, and the school itself."

The Hamptons Observatory and the South Fork Natural History Museum are teaming up for a summer stargazing party on Wednesday. Plus: arts and crafts, a practice SAT exam for teens, summer reading celebrations, story time, and more for kids and teens.

Enrollment in the East Hampton School District is expected to decrease by 210 students over the next five years, a drop of about 12 percent from current enrollment levels. The analysis is tied to plummeting birth rates in Suffolk County over the last five to 10 years, particularly on the South Fork, where the rate is expected to remain low as the cost of housing suitable for families remains high.

The East Hampton Sportsmen's Alliance is hosting a family fishing trip at sunset on Tuesday aboard the Miss Montauk. Children under 17 can join the fun for free. Plus: The East Hampton Library's Children's Fair, stories and crafts, kids' movies, puppet shows, and more.

Beginning with its Aug. 28 meeting, the Sag Harbor School Board will no longer take comments from online participants during its public-comment sessions. The change was made to align to the return of pre-Covid protocols. The meetings will continue to be live-streamed online.

It's fair to say the Kids Cancel Cancer benefit, coming up on Tuesday, is a sort of positive take on "cancel culture." Four teens and a committee of peers are raising money for cancer research. "Pediatric cancer has affected all of our families in some way," said Mischa Abend, who along with three friends, Hayley Silvers, Ava Litman, and Abey Fuks, is organizing the fund-raiser for the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation.

Charlie Stern, who started the peer-tutoring program, realized that there are students in need of tutoring who couldn't access or afford it, and that there were also Spanish-speaking students in need of assistance. He looped in several peers recommended by his math teacher, and the eight teens have been making an impact.

Skye Tanzmann, who graduated this year, and Nick Cooper began internships with the not-for-profit South Fork Sea Farmers in the spring of 2022 as part of a research project. On Tuesday, the East Hampton Town Board recognized their efforts to construct an oyster reef in Accabonac Harbor.

Erik Kelt has a plan. After starting his new position as principal of the Springs School on July 1, he has developed an approach for his first 100 days that focuses on leading by listening and learning.

Guild Hall's Family Day is back, and there's fun for all ages at the Montauk Lighthouse and local libraries and art centers.

The East Hampton School Board voted Tuesday to hire five more security guards, completing a round of recruitment that will see a total of seven current “paraprofessionals” — who monitor hallways, doorways, and other key areas — transition into more formal public-safety roles.

For years, the East Hampton Town summer sailing program was beloved by many, giving people 12 and older a fun and affordable way to learn to sail on Gardiner’s Bay, but for the second summer in a row the popular program is off the calendar, leaving people to wonder if it will ever return. “The town intended to continue offering the program last summer and this summer, but was unable to fill the program director position," said the recreation superintendent.

On Saturday, students from the Hampton Ballet Theatre School will perform “Peter and the Wolf,” accompanied by the Hampton Festival Orchestra, and youth dancers from the Shinnecock Indian Nation will perform at Duck Creek Arts Center. Plus: arts and crafts, story time, and birthday parties for Harry Potter.

In a move expected to save the Springs School District at least $90,000, the school board has reached an agreement with Debra Winter, school superintendent, to “retire early.” Ms. Winter submitted a retirement letter, took one day off, and was then hired back on a per-diem basis.

In the lineup for kids and teens this week: unicorn art, virtual reality games, movie screenings, homemade ice cream, and more.

Pierson Middle and High School will be a "phone-free space" in the 2023-24 school year, with the school district adopting technology often used at concerts and comedy shows to stash away cellphones.

A new swimming and water safety program has been added to the lineup of activities at the Project Most summer camp, where kids can now take swim lessons five days a week.

"Flower Power" is the theme of Saturday's family fair at the Children's Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton.

An East Hampton High School alumnus and local business owner has proposed building 20 townhouse-style residential units on the north end of the school’s campus, as part of a larger plan to address the critical shortage of affordable housing in town.

No specials, pre-K, or field trips: barebones budget means “we’re going to have to get creative” in the classrooms, said Deborah Haab, Wainscott’s part-time superintendent.

A new strategy has been deployed to get people to respect plover nesting areas. No, it’s not more enforcement or weaponized trail cameras — it’s cute drawings by children, and a simple pledge.

Reptiles from the Quogue Wildlife Refuge’s educational rescue program will visit the Montauk Lighthouse grounds next Thursday at noon and 1:30 p.m. Plus: movies, music, trivia night, role-playing games, and more South Fork fun for kids and teens.

The East Hampton Town Board issued a proclamation last Thursday that recognized Cooper Ceva, a new East Hampton High School graduate who lives in Montauk, for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout and thanked him “for his continued efforts to preserve the natural beauty of our community.”

A Sag Harbor School District committee tasked with monitoring the conditions of the school facilities has recommended that the school board embark on three major capital projects: building a wet lab to enhance science programs in all grades, overhauling the Pierson High School gym, and making key security upgrades, all to be funded via a bond referendum on the May 2024 school budget ballot.

Just over two years after its official launch, Suffolk County’s Stop-Arm Camera Program has been racking up tickets across the county, and sending the money from the fines into school district coffers, including those on the South Fork.

A special celebration of all things shark will begin on Tuesday at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. Plus: music and art lessons, teen gaming sessions, movies, story time, and more for kids and teens.

From cutting extracurricular activities to limiting busing to removing prekindergarten and kindergarten programs — all ideas tossed around at a school board meeting last week — the Wainscott School District is figuring out how it will reopen in September with essentially the same budget that it had last year but with more students to accommodate.

The Breakwater Yacht Club in Sag Harbor is once again hosting weekly sailing clinics for kids this summer, with sessions that started this week and continue through Labor Day. Plus there's fun for kids at local libraries and museums on tap this week.

From movie quotes to history lessons to Taylor Swift lyrics, Saturday's Pierson High School commencement ceremony contained no shortage of sage life advice for the 61 seniors graduating in the traditional fashion on Sag Harbor's Pierson Hill.

East Hampton High School's class of 2023 graduated on Friday, and in speeches and reflections during the ceremony, it was apparent that the 226 graduates are ready to take on challenges both physical and mental as they go out into the world. "I look at all of you and I immediately consider you to be builders," said the principal, Sara Smith.