Seventy-six years to the day — June 13 — when a Nazi submarine ran aground on a sandbar off Atlantic Avenue Beach in Amagansett, third graders at the John M. Marshall Elementary School got a history lesson, as well as a few drama tips, when their teacher, David Cataletto, took them to the place where all the action had unfolded, the Amagansett Life-Saving and Coast Guard Station museum on Atlantic Avenue.

Mr. Cataletto, who grew up in East Hampton and attended the elementary school himself, donned a heavy wool sailor’s jacket and cap and dramatized the action of the brave Coast Guardsmen who manned the station between 1902 and 1945. The teacher animatedly recreated all the tension and bravery of the times and appointed the children his crewmen. If at any time their attention wandered, the teacher would call, “Attention!” to which the children would respond, “Aye aye, captain!” snapping right back into the moment.

“I am a huge history buff, especially local history,” wrote Mr. Cataletto in an email. “I am a trustee for the Life-Saving Station and the chairman of the education committee. My goal is to expose as many kids as possible to the museum and our local history.”

The history lesson took the children through the building, which was meticulous restored over eight years. After the Coast Guard Station was decommissioned in 1945 and was condemned for possible demolition, it was bought by Joel Carmichael for $1 in 1966 and moved to a plot of land on Bluff Road. In 2007, the family gave the building to East Hampton Town for $1 and the structure was returned to its original site, where it stands today. 

Following their walk through the house, and a re-enactment of the events of June 13, 1942, when a young seaman foiled the Nazis’ plan to blow up munitions factories and other sites across the country, the teacher took them on a hunt for German supplies, which he said were buried on the beach. 

Mr. Cataletto, who was a lifeguard growing up, once sailed to Canada single-handed. After graduating from East Hampton High School, he attended the University of Massachusetts, where he studied anthropology. 

“I wanted to be a maritime archaeologist but that never panned out,” he said. After teaching in New York City public schools for several years, he moved back to East Hampton eight years ago.

“My favorite part of teaching kids is to make history come alive for them. So many people think history is old, dusty, boring books but it can actually be very exciting,” he said.

The kids certainly seemed to agree as they excitedly uncovered the buried “treasure” on the Amagansett beach: stickers and granola bars.

In an era in which Facebook has made “friend” into a verb, when we can often confuse the ambient intimacy of an online world with the authentic intimacy of personal relationships, suicide rates in America have increased — by 25 percent since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The deaths of the fashion designer Kate Spade and the celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, both of whom committed suicide earlier this month, are the latest markers of what is being called a national public health crisis. In a recent article, The New York Times stated that suicide is now the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, and nearly 45,000 Americans killed themselves in 2016, twice the number of homicide deaths.

But before the celebrity suicides thrust the issue into the spotlight, the South Fork had already suffered a spate of suicides among high schoolers between 2009 and 2013. Those were followed in 2014 by Tyler Valcich, then 20, who committed suicide at home in Montauk, and by Matthew Lester, who took his ownife in 2017 at the age of 17. 

“This area in Long Island has been identified as a potential for cluster suicides,” said Cynthia McKelvey, an education specialist who works for the Family Service League in East Hampton, a social service agency that provides emotional and physical aid to people in crisis. 

Recently, under pressure to do more for the South Fork’s young who are struggling with depression, and to de­stigmatize the illness, schools and government agencies have stepped up their efforts. Regular training sessions for young adults have been held through SafeTALK, a half-day training program designed to help people recognize warning signs and to connect those in crisis with community resources and personnel trained in suicide intervention. 

Ms. McKelvey also spearheads the Tyler Project, a nonprofit initiative established by Tyler’s family to increase and improve coordination and delivery of mental health services for students, young adults, and families here. 

As a result of a brainstorming session a few years ago among the Family Ser­vice League, Long Island Communities of Practice, the Youth Power organization, and the New York State Office of Mental Health, Ms. McKelvey formed the East End Chat and Chill program, open to anyone between the ages of 15 and 30. 

“Mostly, we have young adults from 18 to 30 years,” she said. The group meets twice a month, often around a bonfire on the beach for two to three hours. There is always a social worker present, a free meal, and usually a speaker to discuss a recreational topic such as fishing, photography, yoga — interests that participants might like to explore.

But at its core, these fireside chats act as a successful therapy group for young adults who are either in crisis mode themselves or have friends going through severe depression and need the tools to help them.

The group met a week after the two celebrity suicides, and the conversation, Ms. McKelvey said, largely revolved around the fact that no one, not even those enjoying worldly success and with “dream profiles,” is immune to suffering from depression.

“They even brought up Robin Williams,” she said, and wondered how someone so funny could be so unhappy. “I was glad we had that meeting. It created a meaningful conversation and we went over the steps to take and the number for the national hotline, and the number to text, and made sure that everybody always has those numbers handy.”

For Valinda Miller Valcich, Tyler’s mother, who lives in Montauk with her husband, Mitchell (Mickey) Valcich, the owner of Mickey’s Carting and Mickey’s Montauk Mowing, the question Why? was all she could ask after hearing about the two high-profile suicides. Her mission, she said, remains to have more therapy available for kids, especially those who cannot afford the usual $250-an-hour sessions. 

On Oct. 7 in Amagansett, the Tyler Project will host the fifth annual Tyler Valcich Car Show, which will include raffles, food and drinks, and live music in the hope of raising money to provide more services and increase awareness of this mental health issue.

Like Ms. Miller Valcich, the pain of prematurely losing a son is etched on Dana Lester’s face. His name, Matthew, is also etched on her left arm — a tattoo she got after he committed suicide on Martin Luther King’s Birthday in 2017. 

Sitting outside White’s Apothecary in East Hampton, where she works, Ms. Lester spoke about her constant struggle to live without her son and her attempts to make sense of what happened. 

Every experience of grief is unique, but an emerging body of research has begun to consider the distinct challenges faced by those who have lost loved ones through suicide. Studies have found that the experience of suicide is likely to prompt those left alive to question their own sense of purpose, often leading to a particularly difficult mixture of grief, anger, blame, relief, and a search for answers.

“It’s very painful to think that I did not recognize the signs,” Ms. Lester said, and it seemed clear that most of her reckoning swirls around an internal struggle with feeling that she could have done more.

“I had noticed a change in him. But he was a teenager . . .” she said, her voice trailing off. Then, she added, “He came to me and said, ‘I have friends, I have a girlfriend, I’m doing well at school, but I still feel sad.’ ” Matthew received counseling through the Family Service League for about six months and had even started on medication about three weeks before his suicide.

While her husband and daughter went into counseling following his death, Ms. Lester did not. “I just want my son back and no amount of counseling will bring him back,” she said. 

Bettina Volz, a clinical psychologist in Amagansett, firmly believes that for any significant change to occur, the stigma of mental illness, which includes depression and suicide, must be challenged.

“Clinical depression, which can lead to suicide, is a disease just like diabetes,” she said. “It needs to be treated.”

In her experience of working with young people in the grip of depression, what they want most is to talk to someone and for someone to listen. In a way, it comes back to technology and a generation of young people who can too often be imprisoned by their phones even in crowded cities and at noisy parties. When someone is in the depths of depression, doctors continue to stress, engaging in conversation and sharing life’s challenges with someone who cares can sometimes be a lifesaver.

“Feeling connected to even just a few people can make a huge difference,” Dr. Volz said, offering some basic advice for anyone who has noticed a family member or friend in crisis. “Talk therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medication,” she pointed out, are available treatments designed to increase emotional and cognitive regulation in depressed people by showing them the triggers that lead to reactive states.

As for the warning signs, she said, isolation is usually the most glaring. Other signs are a change in personality, such as no longer wanting to engage with others, sleeplessness, or an inability to find pleasure in anything. “And giving away treasured objects,” she added. “That’s usually a sign of someone contemplating suicide.”

Often, she said, simply checking in with a loved one and asking, “Hey, how bad is it?” could make all the difference. It gives a person struggling with depression a chance to admit to the illness, and accepting it is the first step toward seeking treatment and resolving it.

Dr. Volz was quick to acknowledge, however, that people suffering from depression can be masters at disguising their emotions and often present convincing reasons for dissociating themselves from friends and loved ones. Many of those with untreated depression lack friends because the illness saps the vitality that friendship requires and immures its victims in an impenetrable shield, making it hard for them to speak or hear words of comfort.

If You Need Help

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be called at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The National Institute of Mental Health website is suicidepreventionlifeline.org. 

The Crisis Text Line, inspired by teenagers’ attachment to texting but open to people of all ages, provides free assistance to anyone who texts “help” to 741-741. Its website is crisistextline.org.

On the South Fork, the Family Ser­vice League can be reached at 631-427-3700 for critical or immediate help.

Fish-Print Tees

Sue and Al Daniels will teach families about the variety of fish in South Fork waters while leading a hands-on fish-print T-shirt workshop at 10 a.m. on Sunday at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. There is a $12 materials fee per person for the shirts and supplies. Participants have been advised to dress for a mess with a smock or cover-up. Advance registration is required.

Science, Smurfs, and a Submarine

At the Amagansett Library, this week’s offerings begin with a family screening of “Smurfs: The Lost Village” tomorrow at 3 p.m. Looking ahead to Saturday, July 7, kids 5 to 9 will learn about fluorescence and phosphorescence while making their own glow-in-the-dark rocks and capturing their shadows on a glow wall. Mary Riotto will head up this science program at 3 p.m. A Science Buddies program on July 10 will give kids 6 and older a close-up look at chemistry at 4 p.m. 

There’s a story time for 3 and 4-year-olds at the library on Wednesday at 3 p.m., and next Thursday new readers can practice reading aloud with Valentino, an American Kennel Club-certified Canine Good Citizen. The program runs from 11 to 11:45 a.m., and children must be accompanied by adults. Advance registration is requested for most library programs. 

At the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton, kids ages 7 to 12 will make dog toys to donate to the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons next Thursday at 4 p.m. On Friday, July 6, the library will show the animated Beatles musical “The Yellow Submarine” at noon. Popcorn will be provided. 

SAT Prep

The Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike is offering SAT prep classes throughout the summer to help high schoolers get ready for the college admissions process.

Classes will be held on Sundays from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., beginning July 8 and ending on Aug. 19. The last class will be on Aug. 24 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The cost is $40. For more information and to register, high schoolers can send an email to [email protected] or call 631-537-0616.

So Much at CMEE

Monday marks the beginning of a plethora of summerlong offerings at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton for kids from 2 to 5 years old.

A daily drop-off program for 3 and 4-year-olds will run Mondays through Fridays from 9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The first session runs through July 27; the second from July 30 through Aug. 24. The cost is $1,300 per week, $4,750 per session, or $6,450 for the full summer. For members it’s $1,150, $4,250, or $6,050. For 2-year-olds, a program fostering early independence will run the same days, but only from 9:15 a.m. to noon. The cost is $650 per week or $2,300 per session; $575 and $2,100 for members.

Also on tap are a farm club for children 2 to 5 at Amber Waves Farm in Amagansett, offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays; a garden program at Bridge Gardens for kids 18 months to 4 years old; a child-directed outdoor play series; toddler time, cooking, music, and movement at the Madoo Conservancy in Sagaponack with Marlene Markard for ages 16 months to 3 years, clay play, art studio workshops, a creative arts camp, and soccer. Prices vary, and advance sign-up is a must. Full details of the museum’s many summer programs can be found online at cmee.org.

Movies, Magic, and Music

Kids who have seen all the new movies in the theaters might want to return to some old favorites at the East Hampton Library, whose schedule this week includes three family films: “Toy Story” today at 2, “Wall-E” tomorrow at 2, and “Inside Out” next Thursday at 4 p.m. 

A summer book club for high school students will meet for the first time tomorrow at 2 p.m. to pick up a copy of the first book of the season and get to know each other. Sweet treats have been promised. This week, high school students who join the library’s young-adult summer program will get a journal filled with ideas for fun, creative, insightful activities to keep them busy. Each completed journal entry will win them a ticket to weekly raffles. 

The Great Zucchini, a children’s entertainer from the Washington, D.C., area, will bring an interactive magic show for ages 2 to 7 to the library on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. He has performed at embassies, the World Bank, and even the White House!

On Tuesday, the first Snap Circuits program of the summer season — offering a primer on electronics — will be held at 2 p.m. for ages 7 and up. Snap Circuits offers a primer on electronics. 

Ellen Johansen, an early-childhood music and movement specialist who runs a studio in East Hampton, will head a weekly music program for toddlers up to age 3 and their adults starting next Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the library. 

Inquiring high school students who enjoy hashing out the issues of the day and more philosophical matters can do so during the library’s new Socrates Cafe next Thursday at 4 p.m. Participants will vote on topics of discussion, and coffee, tea, and hot chocolate will be provided.

Finally, on Friday, July 6, a workshop for ages 4 and up will have children molding animals out of self-hardening clay. The fun begins at 3 p.m.

Registration is required for most library programs, as space is limited. It can be done by phone, online, or in person. 

Making Lemonade

Children passionate about helping animals can channel their energy this summer into a fun fund-raising effort for the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons. ARF has put together lemonade stand starter kits to give entrepreneurial kids the basics they need to set up shop and also contribute to the organization. 

Kits include a Lemonarf poster, so that customers know the stand is raising money for ARF, a Lemonarf minibank, cups, buttons, and ARF tattoos, as well as recipes for lemonade and cookies. Last year members of the Lemonarf kids club raised $4,000. Kits can be picked up at ARF’s adoption center on Daniel’s Hole Road in East Hampton. 

At Madoo

The Madoo Conservancy in Sagaponack will play host to a variety of children’s happenings this summer. 

All summer long, the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton is taking a weekly story hour on the road to the conservancy on Mondays at 10 a.m., weather permitting. Families with children up to 5 have been invited to take a blanket and even pack a lunch to enjoy on the garden’s grounds afterward for this free offering. Before heading out when the weather is iffy, people have been advised to check with the library.

There may still be space in an art workshop for kids 9 and older with Karyn Mannix that takes place this evening and next Thursday from 5 to 6:15. This one, focusing on acrylics, will have participants working to recreate “Pink Field, White Field,” a 1965 painting by Robert Dash, the founder of Madoo. Students will concentrate on plein-air painting on July 19 and 26, and on Aug. 2 and 9, the focus will be on botanical illustration using ink and watercolor. Adults have been invited to take part, too. The cost is $80 for each two-class session, and registration is at madoo.org. 

Marlene Markard’s Nature’s Music program on Thursdays from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. this month encourages an appreciation of both music and the outdoors. Geared toward children 16 months to 3 years old and their caregivers, it is part of the early childhood music education curriculum Musikgarten. The cost is $250, or $180 for members of the Children’s Museum of the East End. Instruments and a CD are included. 

On Wednesdays starting next week, the conservancy will offer Madoodles, an arts and crafts class for children 4 to 8 years old. Classes will run through Aug. 22 and cost $25 each or $20 for Madoo members, with a discount for those who sign up for all seven. 

Perlman Family Concert

The Perlman Music Program, which offers training to “young string players of rare and special talent,” according to its website, will hold a free family concert on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at its Shelter Island campus.

Performers will include the cellist Merry Peckham, associate director of the summer music school, as well as other faculty, fellows, and students. It will give young audiences an introduction to classical music through songs, skits, and costumes. Afterward, children can try out some of the instruments they’ve heard at an “instrument petting zoo.” The Perlman campus is at 73 Shore Road in Shelter Island Heights. 

Theater Games

Kate Mueth of the Neo-Political Cowgirls, a theater educator whose workshops are well known to South Fork kids, will lead a weeklong theater games camp for kids 8 to 13 starting Monday at Guild Hall.

The games don’t just teach kids about acting, they also help with focus and communication skills and build confidence. Camp will meet daily through Friday, July 13, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, and will culminate with skits performed for family and friends. The cost is $250, $245 for Guild Hall members, and advance registration is required. 

Swimming and Sailing

The second sessions of two-week swimming and sailing classes offered by the Town of East Hampton will begin on Monday. The swimming classes, which are free, are for children 4 and older at all levels and will be at Maidstone Park Beach in Springs on Monday through Friday through July 20. Registration is at the beach on Monday at 10 a.m. Participants have been asked to take goggles and water shoes. 

Sailing instruction for ages 12 and up is at Fresh Pond in Amagansett on Mondays through Thursdays through July 19. There are morning sessions from 9 to noon and afternoon ones from 12:30 to 3:30. The cost is $225 per person, with registration in advance at the Parks and Recreation Department behind Town Hall, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

At the Art Barge

Summer art classes for kids at the Victor D’Amico Institute of Art, a.k.a. the Art Barge, will begin on Monday. Virva Hinnemo, an artist and educator, will teach classes Monday through Friday from next week through Aug. 24, with a break the week of July 30. 

Students will experiment with painting, collage, and sculpture both in the studio and outside. Classes for kids 5 to 8 will be from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; those for kids 9 to 13 will run from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. The cost is $300 per week, or $275 for friends of the Art Barge. Materials are provided. 

Students in the East Hampton School District may also apply for tuition assistance, thanks to a grant from the Muchnic Foundation. Registration is at 631-267-3172 or online at theartbarge.com. The Art Barge is at 110 Napeague Meadow Road in Amagansett. 

In Amagansett and Montauk

This week’s schedule at the Amagansett Library sounded so good, we put it in the paper a week early by mistake. So if it sounds familiar, it is. 

On Saturday, kids 5 to 9 will learn about fluorescence and phosphorescence while making their own glow-in-the-dark rocks and capturing their shadows on a glow wall. Mary Riotto will head up this science program at 3 p.m. A Science Buddies program on Tuesday will give kids 6 and older a close-up look at chemistry at 4 p.m. There’s a story time for 3 and 4-year-olds at the library on Wednesday at 3 p.m., and next Thursday young readers can read aloud with an American Kennel Club-certified Canine Good Citizen, Valentino. The program runs from 11 to 11:45 a.m. 

At the Montauk Library, a bilingual story time on Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. will introduce children to the Spanish and English versions of the same stories through books, songs, and finger plays. Kids can continue in that vein later in the day at 4 p.m. when they enjoy a reading of Jorge Argueta’s “I Learn by Playing: Holy Guacamole!” (“Aprendo Jugando: Holy Guacamole!”) and then get to work making their own guacamole. There is space for just 10 kids. 

Next Thursday, Michael Albert, a pop artist and author, will take his cereal box collage workshop to the library from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Families with children 5 and older can take their own boxes to recycle into art or use ones provided by Mr. Albert. Advance registration has been requested for most library programs. 

Scream for Ice Cream!

Mr. Albert will be at the East Hampton Library earlier next Thursday, from 1 to 3 p.m., to lead the same workshop for kids 6 and older and their adults. 

Also at the library, Wednesday will mark the return of Mr. Skip, who leads the music and movement program Movin’ and Groovin’ With Mr. Skip at 10:30 a.m. for kids 2 and older. Kids 4 and older can use polka dot stickers to design their own artwork on Wednesday at 11 a.m. Homemade ice cream will be on the menu in a program for grades six through eight on Friday, July 13, at 3:30 p.m. The occasion? National Ice Cream Day. 

Family movies at the library this week are “Inside Out” today at 4 p.m. and “The BFG” next Thursday at 4. Registration ahead of time has been suggested for all programs, as space is limited.

Pony Rides in Amagansett

Stony Hill Stables on Town Lane in Amagansett will offer pony rides on Saturday and June 17, from 10 a.m. to noon. A $20 donation is suggested to support the Stony Hill Stables Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to promote equine sports through riding education and competitive opportunities for children and young adults on the East End. The pony rides are open to children of all ages.

Amazing Butterflies

A hands-on workshop about the life of butterflies will be held on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. for families with children over 10 at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. There will be a material fee of $3 per participant. Advance registration is required.

CMEE at Madoo

The Children’s Museum of the East End’s Pizza and Pajama night will be tomorrow from 6 to 7:30. For this one, kids will head to the Madoo Conservancy in Sagaponack for story time and a slice, followed by a scavenger hunt around the two-acre garden. 

The event is best for families with children 2 to 10. The cost is $10, but museum members get in free. Those who plan to attend are asked to reserve a spot and take a beach blanket or chair. The event will be canceled in the event of rain.

Young Writers in Sag Harbor

Participants in the John Jermain Memorial Library’s Jeannette Sarkisian Wagner teen writing workshop will read from their work on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the library in Sag Harbor. The workshop is part of the Young Artists and Writers Project, or YAWP, run through Stony Brook Southampton’s M.F.A. program in creative writing. Kids explore fiction, essay, poetry, and other genres of writing. In addition to hearing the work of teen writers at Sunday’s reading and reception, the work can also be found at YAWP’s online magazine at yawpzine.com.

At the Other Libraries

Registration is now open for summer reading clubs at the East Hampton Library. 

Tomorrow at the library, kids 7 and up can construct electronic circuits in a Snap Circuits workshop from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

High schoolers can join in a Fortnite video game tournament on Saturday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. The person with the highest rank within their Battle Royale will win a gift card.

Monday from 5 to 7 is Netflix night, when high school students can hang out and binge watch a favorite movie or television show. Middle schoolers can stop by on Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m. to color a fuzzy velvet poster, listen to music, and enjoy a snack. On Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m., children ages 4 and up can enjoy a story time and craft. The library’s family movies this week are “Alice in Wonderland,” today at 4 p.m., and “A Bug’s Life,” next Thursday at the same time. 

June is Adopt a Shelter Cat Month and kids 3 and older will have the chance to help by painting portraits of adoptable animals on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Montauk Library. 

At the Amagansett Library, a ladybug-themed story time for 3 and 4-year-olds will take place on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Dancehampton Onstage

The dancers of Dancehampton, a studio on Lumber Lane in East Hampton, will dazzle the audience with their 2018 recital “Wish It, Want It, Work It,” tomorrow at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 on the East Hampton High School stage. 

The recital will feature a range of dance styles from ballet to jazz to hip-hop, lyrical, and Irish step, performed by students as young as 3 up to 18. Tickets cost $20. 

The Hetrick-Martin Institute, the oldest and largest nonprofit agency to provide social services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth, will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its annual School’s Out gala next Saturday, June 16, at the East Hampton home of Lisa and James Cohen. 

Tickets, which range from $375 and up, offer access to cocktails only at 5 p.m., or, in addition, to a seated dinner at 7:30, in the company of Joseph Altuzarra, Tracy Anderson, Martha Stewart, and others.

According to the Hetrick-Martin Institute’s website, “The summer months are often difficult for our young people, as schools are closed and resources scarce. The money raised from School’s Out will help to ensure that our doors stay open, our hot meals continue to be served, and all our wraparound life-saving vital services remain available.”

The institute, with offices in Manhattan and Newark, offers youth between the ages of 13 and 24 and their families the opportunity to explore the arts, culture, tutoring, job skills, and health issues, all with an LGBTQ focus. Supportive services also help with housing, H.I.V. counseling, and family therapy.

It was founded in 1979 by Dr. Emery Hetrick, a psychiatrist, and Dr. Damien Martin, a professor at New York University, who were life partners. After hearing the story of a homeless 15-year-old boy who had been beaten and thrown out of his emergency shelter because he was gay, they created what was then called the Institute for the Protection of Lesbian and Gay Youth. In 1988, the organization was renamed the Hetrick-Martin Institute.

Tickets for Saturday’s School’s Out gala can be purchased on the institute’s website at www.hmi.org.

I-Tri, a nonprofit organization that offers a transformation-through-triathlon program for girls in middle schools from Moriches to Montauk, is looking for volunteers on Saturday from 11:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Springs School. 

The organization will be helping to outfit some 140 girls with the correct size helmets and bikes as they begin bike training in preparation for the Hamptons Youth Triathlon in July, when each girl will attempt a 300-yard bay swim, a seven-mile bike leg, and a mile-and-a-half run.

Interested volunteers have been asked to get in touch with I-Tri through itrigirls.org.

Dragonfly Day at CMEE

Children can celebrate the importance of dragonflies, and learn about recent legislation to protect them, on Saturday at the Children’s Museum of the East End. The day begins at 10 a.m. with a craft-making workshop, followed by a guided walk at the South Fork Natural History Museum from noon to 2 p.m. The event is free and open to kids of all ages.

Make a Doll in Amagansett

Using recycled items, including a wire hanger and fabric, children ages 6 to 12 can learn the art of doll-making on Saturday from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Amagansett Library.

Drawing and Night Life at SoFo

Beginning Saturday at 11 a.m. at the South Fork Natural History Museum, and continuing for the following two Saturdays, children ages 6 to 12 can learn about nature drawing.

On Saturday at 3 p.m., children ages 8 and older can learn about the other night life of the Hamptons: scarab beetles, tiger moths, sphinx moths, ichneumon wasps, and leaf hoppers, and thousands of other insects that are active at night.

On Sunday at 10:30 a.m., kids ages 6 and up can explore the ecosystem that lives under a fallen log in the woods. 

Something for All Ages in East Hampton

Beginning Monday from 5 to 7 p.m., a virtual reality program at the East Hampton Library will be held for high schoolers. It will continue every other Monday.

Toddlers from 18 to 36 months can participate in Jump Bunch, a fun, uncompetitive soccer class from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday. At 4 p.m. that day, children ages 4 and up can learn about the history and art of Zen gardening, and even create a tranquil garden to take home. Then from 4 to 5, high school students can design a D.I.Y. project for the Young Adult room; it will count toward community service hours.

On Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m., kids ages 4 and up can listen to a Father’s Day story and make a craft for their dads.

Regents Reprieve Week in Bridgehampton

The Hampton Library in Bridgehampton will help kids take a break from Regents exams with the following events, all scheduled between 2 and 4 p.m. On Tuesday there will be board games and pizza, Wednesday will be a Battle of the Books meeting at 3 p.m., and next Thursday, it’s Wii games and snacks. On Friday, June 15, kids can experiment with 3-D pens and enjoy some sweets, while on Monday, June 18, they can practice green-screen techniques. Finally, on Tuesday, June 19, everyone’s invited to an ice cream party and karaoke. 

Movie Time in Montauk

Families with kids of all ages can enjoy Saturday afternoon at the movies at the Montauk Library with a screening of “A Wrinkle in Time,” rated PG, at 2 p.m. Popcorn and refreshments will be served.

Feeding the Farm 

The Green School of Sagaponack will hold a spring farm-feeding event on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon open to families with children of all ages. Admission is $45 per child, which includes a feeding basket for the animals and a pony ride. There is a $15 charge per adult. Registration is required and can be done by calling 631-237-1148 with a credit card to reserve a spot. Directions to the location will be given upon registration. The rain date is Sunday.

CMEE’s Music Fair

The Children’s Museum of the East End will host its sixth annual music fair on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. It’s a family-friendly sonic experience for music fans with live performances by local musicians, opportunities to learn about and play instruments, as well as interactive activities. The event is free.

Sharks at SoFo

On Saturday at 2 p.m., children ages 10 and up can join Greg Metzger, the chief field coordinator for the South Fork Natural History Museum’s Shark Research and Education Program, for an informative program about the science of shark research.

Etch, Scrub, Make at the Libraries

A metal etching class for children ages 4 and up will be held Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m. at the East Hampton Library. 

Also at the library, high school students can earn community service hours by helping with spring cleaning in the young adult room on Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m.

On Friday, June 15, at 2 p.m., the movie “Paddington 2” will be screened.

At the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor, Wally, a dog that loves to listen to kids read, will be back on Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon.

A middle school maker’s club begins on Saturday at John Jermain and will continue every week at 2 p.m. through July. The club will encourage sixth through eighth graders to work with peers on hands-on creative art and technology projects.

Kids ages 6 to 10 can practice folding techniques and make original origami creations to take home on Sunday from 2 to 2:45 p.m.

On Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Montauk Library, third graders and up can make their own unicorn body scrub from scratch and take it home in a jar. There will also be a unicorn coloring contest with themed prizes.

Registration for the Amagansett Library’s summer reading program is now open. The program, designed for all ages, begins on Saturday and will continue until Aug. 18.

Pony Rides in Amagansett

Stony Hill Stables on Town Lane in Amagansett will once again offer pony rides on Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon. A $20 donation is suggested to support the Stony Hill Stables Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to promote equine sports through riding education and competitive opportunities for children and young adults on the East End. The pony rides are open to children of all ages.

Students, faculty and staff, board members, state officials, parents, and residents gathered on Friday on the back lawn of the Bridgehampton School, the very spot that, roughly 18 months from now, will be covered by 35,440 square feet of brand-new school buildings.

“This is a ceremony for all those who made this happen,” Robert Hauser, the district superintendent, said at a groundbreaking event. Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. and State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle were present, as was Lois Favre, the recently retired superintendent, whom many credit for championing the project and shepherding it though community resistance and controversy. The crowd gathered under a giant tent as the school’s marimba band played and the fourth and fifth-grade chorus sang.

Although at times some residents were opposed to the school expansion because of the additional cost to taxpayers, no voices of dissent could be heard on Friday. 

Mr. Hauser announced each new facility the school will be able to take advantage of in 2020, and cheering, clapping, and joyous hollering followed. “We will have a new fitness center, so no more treadmills and weights on the stage,” he said. “Bridgehampton will finally have a new, regulation-sized gym. There’ll be a new music and chorus room, a bigger, better cafeteria, a new, huge library, locker rooms for our athletes, a new family and consumer science classroom with a kitchen, and no more portables.” 

The last item — several 40 and 50-year-old temporary buildings that sit adjacent to the parking lot and are used for music, prekindergarten, science, special education, and home economics classes — drew a particularly raucous round of applause.

It was in December 2016 when Bridgehampton voters approved the $24.7 million bond required for the construction project, which will more than double the building’s size when completed. Apart from a new roof, windows, and elevators, the building has seen no improvements since it was built in 1930. Meanwhile, enrollment has risen steadily, Mr. Hauser said, from 150 students seven years ago to the current 205.

He said the school will be the first public school on Long Island to have a geothermal heating and air-conditioning system, though Newsday reported in 2015 that the Valley Stream Elementary School was the first in the United States to test a new type of geothermal heating and cooling system. Bridgehampton is certainly the first on the South Fork to install this inexpensive, nonpolluting type of heating and cooling facilities. Springs and East Hampton are expected to follow in the near future.

Construction in Bridgehampton is scheduled to begin within three weeks, Mr. Hauser said. Of the anticipated result, “I like to say it will be bigger, better, and beautiful. The three Bs,” he said, alluding to the Killer Bees, the school’s mascot. Once completed, it will be one of the few schools in Suffolk County to house all 12 grades in one building.

Ms. Favre took to the podium and reminded everyone of her mission when she began the push for an expansion. “This school is surrounded by mansions,” she said. “These students deserve a mansion. Or, at least, a great school building.”

Ronald White, an alumnus and the president of the school board, told students and teachers, however, “that the apple tree is only as good as the fruit it bears. . . . We need to continue to raise the bar,” he said. “It’s go time for Bridgehampton!”

Members of the board, state officials, Ms. Favre, and two students then donned hard hats as they each scooped up a token shovelful of dirt.