Education

Since New York State’s cap on tax-levy increases was enacted in 2012, the Springs School District has never attempted to pass an over-the-cap budget. That’s about to change.

The curtain rises Thursday on the Pierson High School theater department's production of "Cinderella" by Rodgers and Hammerstein. In this musical, audiences can expect "a new take on the classic story full of charm, humor, and magic, with an incredible student cast," its director, Bethany Dellapolla, said.

Our Fabulous Variety Show’s next family-friendly event is “Neverlanded,” an original take on the classic tale of Peter Pan, featuring students in Project Most’s performing arts classes. Plus: movies, book clubs, dance classes, pizza parties, and more for kids and teens.

Pierson High School in Sag Harbor has announced its senior class valedictorian and salutatorian, Emily Squires and Griffin Greene, respectively, who have credited their families for instilling in them the importance of hard work and have acknowledged the special bond with their peers that arose from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Sag Harbor School District announced plans on March 15 to attempt an outright purchase of the properties on Marsden Street that had up until that point been on the table for a joint purchase with Southampton Town.

Four East Hampton High School seniors are giving their Spanish-speaking peers a boost by starting a bilingual tutoring program.

Petitions for candidates interested in serving on public school boards of education are officially available from district clerks across the state. Paperwork is due to be handed in directly to the clerks by 5 p.m. on April 17; the vote is on May 16.

Twenty-two people have applied for the position of principal at the Springs School, its superintendent, Debra Winter, told the school board on Tuesday. However, when she crosschecked their qualifications with a key part of the school board's employment criteria — that candidates live somewhere on the East End — that pool of applicants shrank to just four.

A retired East Hampton builder is raising money to bring a mobile trailer resembling a small house — complete with kitchen, living room, and bedroom — to the community here to teach kids what to do if a fire breaks out at home.

Bay Street Theater has put out a call to teen writers to enter its Writing the Wave: The 2023 New Works Creative Writing Competition. Plus: St. Patrick's Day fun, a library escape room, arts and crafts, and kids' movies coming up this week.

Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. of Sag Harbor has signed on as a co-sponsor of three bills aimed at updating and balancing the state’s system of designating money for schools, which were introduced by Assemblyman Nader J. Sayegh of Yonkers. “More and more demands are being placed on local school districts to meet higher standards. . . . To achieve better quality education for all, there must be adequate support from the state,” he said in a statement.

The Sag Harbor School District announced plans late Wednesday to attempt an outright purchase of the properties on Marsden Street that have up to now been on the table for a joint purchase with Southampton Town, which held two lengthy public hearings on the matter over the last two weeks. 

Two conclusions emerged when Christine Cleary, principal of the Springs School, did a deep dive into the data surrounding her students’ proficiency levels in English and math.

In an email sent late Monday night to the Sag Harbor School District, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman pitched the idea of using C.P.F. money to buy development rights at Mashashimuet Park, which would then — in theory — be spent on renovations at the park.

Acknowledging that social media use is closely tied to students’ mental health, East Hampton High School administrators will hold two parent forums next week — in Spanish on Wednesday and in English next Thursday — to equip parents with information and tools to help their children navigate the digital world.

Starting this weekend, artwork by more than 1,000 children and teens from East End schools will be on display at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill. Plus: St. Patrick's Day activities, movie screenings, and plenty of family-friendly activities.

With names sounding like something from a cool animated TV show, the Springs School’s two robotics teams — the Lightning Bots and the Thunder Bots — have had a banner year in competition.

The school district is cutting to the chase in its search for a new principal, with applications due by the end of the day on Tuesday — just two weeks after the Springs School Board accepted the resignations of both Christine Cleary, the current principal, and Josh Odom, the assistant principal, effective June 30.

It’s part community service, part environmental initiative: A new children’s clothing swap effort at the Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center will be available to the public starting tomorrow. Anyone in need of clothes for their kids, sizes 2T to 7, can stop by the center on Friday afternoons or by appointment to choose from the overflowing racks and tables of shirts, sweaters, pants, jackets, hats, and mittens in good condition.

The Sag Harbor School Board has called a special meeting for Thursday night at 6:30 to update the community on the proposed purchase of land on Marsden Street for a sports field.

Project Most is offering a six-week photography class for students in grades four through 12 on Friday afternoons, titled See How You Feel, starting this week at the Most Holy Trinity school building in East Hampton.

During a Springs School Board meeting at which the resignations of both the school principal and assistant principal were on the agenda, tears were shed amid a tense atmosphere as teacher after teacher, parent after parent, stepped up to the lectern to decry a school culture in which, they say, morale is low, communication is lacking, and even students are starting to wonder what’s going on.

With subtle nods to the hit Netflix series “Wednesday” and a cast that was tasked with making iconic characters their own, East Hampton High School’s Drama Club will perform the musical “The Addams Family” this weekend. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1. Tickets can be bought at the door for $20 each or $10 for students and senior citizens.

On Saturday, East End Arts, a nonprofit based in Riverhead, kicks off a monthlong program called Fantastic Art Time for children. Plus: movies, crafts, and story time for kids, and community service opportunities for teens.

The Southampton Town Board chose not to close a public hearing and vote to commit community preservation fund money to a Sag Harbor School District project to build an athletic field and community park across from the school along Marsden Street. Instead, at its meeting Tuesday night, and much to school officials’ chagrin, the board voted to keep the public hearing open until its March 14 meeting.

With significant snowfall in the forecast, local school districts on Monday night began announcing delayed opening times for Tuesday.

The Springs School District on Monday announced the resignation of both its principal, Christine Cleary, and assistant principal, Josh Odom. Mr. Odom is set to succeed Jack Perna as principal and superintendent of the Montauk School.

Excelling both inside and outside the classroom, Nicole Velez and Aryan Chugh have been named valedictorian and salutatorian of East Hampton High School’s class of 2023.

The New York International Children’s Film Festival will host a matinee short-film program titled “Celebrating Black Stories” for kids 9 and up this weekend at the Sag Harbor Cinema.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, which compiled the extensive Youth Risk Behavior Survey in 2019, one in 12 teens experiences some form of physical dating violence. That's one reason why the Retreat's Teen Leadership Council has spent the month of February spreading awareness of the topic of teen dating violence.