Education

Springs School officials put families on guard this week about a website called Omegle, which connects internet users to strangers for the purpose of anonymous chatting.

A former Sag Harbor school business official told the school board on Monday that the district superintendent, business staff, and the board itself all knew the former Stella Maris Regional School construction project was going to be millions over budget even before residents voted to approve the project.

It’s a toss-up who got more out of Kathleen Mulcahy’s visit to the Sag Harbor Elementary School fifth-grade science classes last week — the kids, or the Sag Harbor mayor herself.

October often means pumpkin spice lattes, Halloween costumes, and baseball playoffs, but for high school seniors navigating the college admissions process, this month isn’t all fun and games.

Between filling out applications, answering multiple essay questions, building their résumés, taking tests, and just being normal kids, college application season is tough for many.

The East End Birth Network, a nonprofit that offers support and advocacy on pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenting, will hold a “homegrown family health fair” on Saturday at the Hayground School in Bridgehampton.

The East Hampton School Board on Tuesday began prioritizing capital projects the district will likely take on in the near future, identifying the high school’s artificial turf athletic field, auditorium, and commercial kitchen as possibilities.

An Amagansett School Board member who won her seat in a write-in campaign during a hotly contested election in 2017 has resigned, and on Tuesday the school board appointed a new member to fill the empty seat.

"Be as vocal as possible in asking for help,” said Anabel Graff, a college essay coach.

As Halloween approaches, the Amagansett Library is inviting kids to help decorate the library on Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. and on Sunday from 1:30 to 3 p.m. High school students can earn community service hours for helping out.

On Sunday at 2:30 p.m., the library will host a story time with cookies for all ages. Spooky slime will be the project of the day for kids in sixth grade and up on Tuesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m., and pumpkin decorating is in store during a family activity on Friday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m.

The research spoke so loudly that Beth Doyle and Russell Morgan heard it as a mandate: More recess time is better for students, even if it means sacrificing a bit of classroom time to make it happen.

With the retirement of its superintendent about three months away, the Sag Harbor School Board agreed Monday, on the recommendation of the recruitment firm leading the search process, that it would seek an interim superintendent until a permanent successor can be found.

Teen vaping addiction extends beyond the South Fork to school hallways, bathrooms, and buses across the nation, but a group of students and administrators here decided that East Hampton and Southampton would be good places to start tackling the issue.

Last year while working for his parents’ pool company, Egan Barzilay noticed that there were vegetables and fruit hanging from branches in the gardens at the houses where he worked, seemingly abandoned or forgotten by homeowners who had left for the season.

Apple pie will be on the menu for some families on Saturday evening after a family pie-making workshop at the Montauk Library with the Baking Coach that afternoon from 2 to 4. Participants need only a rolling pin; everything else will be provided. They will take prepared pies home to bake.

A cheerful, new seaside-theme mural in the front hallway of the school has added yet another educational element for the children, an Amagansett educator said this week.

High school rape culture is the subject of “Roll Red Roll,” which will be screened on Tuesday at the East Hampton Library at 5:30 p.m., followed by a discussion. The film has been described as “a cautionary tale about what can happen when teenage social media bullying runs rampant and adults look the other way.”

The screening is free for parents, guardians, and high school students, but registration is required and viewer discretion has been advised. Those who are interested can R.S.V.P. by calling the library at 631-324-0222 or visiting easthamptonlibrary.org.

The Springs School has begun promoting family togetherness over homework for students.

Eric Casale, the longtime Springs principal, announced on Sept. 16 that teachers have agreed to refrain from assigning homework on the first Friday of each month so that students and their parents or guardians can enjoy a “family fun Friday” free of school obligations.

Teen Arts Council

Applications for Guild Hall’s Teen Arts Council are being accepted through Oct. 11. The council is open to teens ages 14 and up who are interested in the arts.

The Teen Arts Council, founded in 2017, is “a collective of young creatives representing and celebrating a wide range of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives,” Guild Hall said in its announcement. Members “work within the institution to curate public programming, advance their own creativity, and progress Guild Hall’s outreach and relationship to our local teen community.”

Robyn Mott knows she has big shoes to fill — kind, caring shoes that were once worn by Maureen Wikane, the late longtime administrative director of the Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center in East Hampton.

The Suffolk County Board of Elections agreed to a request from the East Hampton School District to move a polling site from the John M. Marshall Elementary School to the district office at the high school.

School administrators have announced two town hall-style meetings about the dangers of vaping. The first is on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at East Hampton High School, followed by a Southampton High School session next Thursday, also at 7 p.m.

A state judge has sided with the East Hampton School District in a complaint filed by a group of residents who sought to block a new bus depot on school property off Cedar Street.

Thanks to the efforts of some parents whose children attend the Sagaponack School, the district’s superintendent and school board are again exploring adding the Bridgehampton School as an option for Sagaponack students in fourth grade and above.

Kaylie Wilson and Lua Li have essentially grown into their teenage years together on film. They have starred in four indie flicks produced and directed by Adam Baranello of Hampton Bays, a musician, choreographer, and artist in addition to filmmaker.

Saturday is Big Truck Day at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton. The museum will have all sorts of trucks and rigs there for kids to explore, from emergency vehicles to farm machines to construction equipment. The fun happens from 10 a.m. to noon, and the cost is $15, but museum members get in for free.

The words “volunteers needed” are heard frequently in and around East Hampton, and high school students often rise to the challenge.

New at the Y.M.C.A.

A number of new programs for young people are beginning at the Y.M.C.A. East Hampton RECenter as the school year gets underway.

In 2005, six years after the mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado that left 12 students and one teacher dead and many others injured, Joe Pluta took a pledge called Rachel’s Challenge to help promote kindness, empathy, and positivity at the school he attended.

School Leadership, a search firm helping the Sag Harbor School District find its next superintendent, will hold a forum on Monday night to solicit public comment on the hiring process.