Vacation Theater Camp

The Bay Street Theater and the Sag Harbor Center for the Arts will offer a three-day theater camp for children ages 8 to 12 from April 4 to April 6, during the school break

The workshop-style musical theater camp will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Bethany Dellapolla, a teaching artist, will work with students on a scenes and musical numbers from the hit Broadway musical “Annie!” Students will work on acting, singing, and dancing skills, culminating in a presentation for family and friends at the conclusion of the camp.

The cost is $282 per child. Registration is online at baystreet.org or by phone at 631-725-0818.

Journals, Slime, Bingeing

Journaling will be the focus of a writing workshop for high school students on Sunday from 3 to 4 p.m. at the East Hampton Library. Students will receive prompts and tips for starting a journal. 

Monday is Netflix Night for high school students, who are invited to binge-watch their favorite television shows and movies from 5 to 7 p.m. 

Parents who find evidence of slime-making in all corners of the house may want to get their kids 5 and older to the library on Tuesday for a slime-making session at 4 p.m. 

Next Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m., middle schoolers can create a unique piece of art by “upcycling” scraps from old magazines. 

Looking Into H2O at SoFo

The South Fork Natural History Museum will hold a family-friendly exploration and scavenger hunt along the Sagg Swamp trail on Saturday at 10 a.m. Crystal Oakes, a SoFo nature educator, will lead families over land and on a boardwalk through the swamp, pointing out the hidden messages of the tiniest lichens and mosses to large oak and maple trees. Participants will also make leaf-rubbings. 

On Sunday at 10:30 a.m., children 10 and up can learn all about Long Island’s glacial history and a unique geology that created aquifers, or underground water reservoirs that provide much of the area’s drinking water. Melanie Meade, a SoFo nature educator, will lead this educational class where students will learn how human actions can harm the drinking water supply and what can be done to protect this resource.

Art for All Ages 

At a teen advisory group meeting tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. at the Amagansett Library, kids will brainstorm future activities, paint portraits of pets for the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, and eat pizza. All teens will be welcomed.

On Saturday at 2 p.m. children ages 5 through 9 can create their very own artwork with the Art Nanny instruction kits, which come with watercolor tricks and techniques and a frame ready to take home and hang.

Children ages 9 to 12 can stop by Tuesday at 4 p.m. to decorate a wooden frame, which they get to take home.

On Wednesday at 3 p.m., 3 and 4-year-olds can listen to the story “I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean,” followed by songs and a giant squid craft. Registration is required for all activities. 

Slimy Fun and Fun Facts 

It will be slime time for all ages on Saturday from 1 to 2 p.m. at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor. Kids should be dressed for a mess.

Middle school trivia night is Saturday from 6 to 7 p.m. Participants will compete in teams of three to five players and navigate through increasingly difficult trivia. There will be prizes for the winning team and pizza for all. 

On Sunday from 1 to 2 p.m., families can take their laptops, tablets, e-book readers, and smartphones to the library for advice about how to connect with the library’s various tech resources including free online tutoring and homework help. 

In celebration of National Women’s Month, the Montauk Library will hold an informative session about female artists for kids in kindergarten and up on Saturday at 2 p.m. Children can then create their own colorful still life painting to take home.

The New York State Board of Education asks schools to ensure that students are “college and career ready,” said Christina DeSanti, the vice president of East Hampton’s school board, adding that the district “has done a fine job on the college ready side of the equation, and now we are beginning to focus on the career-ready part.”

The school board announced during its meeting last week that it will increase the budget for vocational education at the high school in an attempt to revamp the department by offering more relevant classes as well as modernizing existing ones. The goal is to help fill the growing demands of service industries with trained young professionals. 

Richard Burns, the district superintendent, informed those at the meeting that following discussions with the owners of Grant’s Heating and Cooling and Schenck Fuels, East Hampton companies, the high school will add $9,500 to the technology and manufacturing department to offer a first level safety course in heating, ventilation, and airconditioning, as well as a preliminary HVAC class. Upon completion of these semester-long courses, students will be able to take a certification exam on-site. The two local companies have agreed to offer certified students internships with possible offers of employment after graduation.

An additional $5,000 also will be budgeted for the family and consumer science department, which will offer 10th, 11th, and 12th graders the opportunity to obtain a food handler’s certificate for summer jobs in the restaurant and catering businesses. The school will also develop a baking club to be run in conjunction with the business department, with the idea of potentially selling what it bakes.

East Hampton High School, like almost any other around the country, has offered technical courses over the years — known traditionally as “shop” — designed to provide students with introductory skills in carpentry, automotive repair, and more recently coding, robotics, and drone technology. Students with a more serious desire to pursue careers in those trades have an option to enroll in two-year programs at the Suffolk County Board of Cooperative Educational Services centers in Riverhead, Mastic, and Bellport. 

“Those kids were spending up to an hour and a half each way traveling there and back,” Mr. Burns said, which often meant students not only missed out on school work but also the chance to take part in school life and activities. “They very often gave up on the courses because it was just too time-consuming.”

Vocational training in schools around the country has largely been overshadowed by a concerted push to send more kids to college. This nationwide trend took root after the deep recession in 2008 led to a downsizing of American manufacturing, which bulldozed plans for many young people for whom a career in trade jobs was preferred. Many of those youngsters were then forced to ontemplate a new path: college.

East Hampton High School is no exception. Since 2008, Karen Kuneth, the school’s college coordinator, said the rate of graduating seniors planning to attend four-year or two-year colleges has risen. Last year’s graduating class saw 85 percent commit to higher education, up from 74 percent from 2008.

“But college is not for everyone,” Mr. Burns said, adding that he regularly sees students go to college simply because it is the prescribed route and soon realize it’s not for them and drop out. “So, it is just as important to provide opportunities to all our students, whether they want to go to college or join the workforce.” 

Additionally, Ms. DeSanti said, “We live in a resort community where most of the full-time jobs are in the food and hospitality business, real estate, and service trades.” Local business owners in these industries, she said, all say they have jobs to offer but few skilled workers to fill them. “Many of these companies offer good salaries and benefits,” she continued, “but they simply cannot find skilled employees. So, we’re beginning to focus on bringing back vocational ed programs as our next academic initiative.”

A report in The New York Times last year stated that while employment among recent college graduates has shown signs of recovery, the more revealing number is that 43.5 percent of college graduates ages 22 to 27 were employed in “non-college,” or service-related jobs, compared with 41.8 percent in 2007.

Many colleges and universities have responded to the need to prepare students for skilled jobs. The State University at Farmingdale in Nassau County recently introduced a natural-gas technician certificate program in partnership with National Grid, an energy provider, with an alluring promise appearing under the course description on the school’s website: “How would you like to take a 12-week, 90-hour training program and be hired practically the minute after you’ve been handed your certificate?”

In East Hampton, the school board plans to look into offering certification for early childhood education with the hope that such training would result in job opportunities for high school students and keep them in the area, Ms. DeSanti said.

How far the school’s in-house vocational education will expand also depends on East Hampton’s voters. A bond referendum for the purchase of town-owned property on Springs-Fireplace Road, which is to become the school district bus depot and a vocational training center, will be on the ballot on May 15. 

“Should the voters approve the construction of the new bus barn facility, designed to include classrooms for student vocational program learning,” Ms. DeSanti said, “it will even allow us to offer programs such as boat and small engine repair, welding, and automotive repair, which are now only offered by BOCES in UpIsland locations. Of course, even if the bond is approved, these programs would not be in place until construction is completed, so they are longer range plans,” she said.

A farmer, a fishmonger, a beekeeper, and a shellfish grower walked into an eighth-grade English class . . . and it was fun, agreed the children.

The East Hampton Middle School’s eighth-grade English language arts class was assigned the task of reading “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan, an investigative look at the politics and trends behind the food supply and consumption in today’s society.

It is not exactly scintillating material for most 14-year-olds but with a lesson in experiential learning instituted by Meredith Hasemann, an English teacher at the school, and the rest of the English department, the otherwise dry subject matter was lifted off the page.

Over the course of a month, several local food purveyors, farmers, and chefs visited the middle school to speak about the industry and, essentially, illustrate an overarching directive from the book’s author: Know thy farmer. The health-conscious theme also ties into a health and wellness thread that runs throughout the middle school.

On Tuesday, a combined class of about 50 students gathered in the school library to hear from Ian Calder-Piedmonte, a partner at the popular Balsam Farms in Amagansett and East Hampton. As an introduction, Ms. Hasemann reminded the students of the book’s focus. 

“The author undertakes an investigation into food and how it arrives in front of us,” said the teacher. “The book is broken into four food groups: industrial food, such as McDonald’s, industrial organic food, such as Whole Foods Market, industrial local and sustainable foods, like farm stand produce, and the hunter and gatherer D.I.Y. food chain, where the author goes out and shoots a boar for his dinner.”

Together with Ms. Hasemann, Matthew Ward and Judy Horan, the other eighth-grade English teachers, helped curate a list of guest speakers that would best illustrate each of these groups. Scott Chaskey, the director of the Peconic Land Trust’s Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, represented the local and sustainable food group in the book. Peter Topping of the East Hampton Town Shellfish Hatchery spoke about the hunter and gatherer category and told students where to find oysters and clams for dinner. Mary Woltz, a beekeeper and manufacturer of the honey-based Bee’s Needs products, straddled the hunter-gatherer and local and sustainable groups. Charlotte Sasso, the owner of Stuart’s Seafood Shop in Amagansett, covered both the industrial organic group and the hunter-gatherer type. John Halsey, of the venerable South Fork farming family, spoke about his connection to local and sustainable agriculture.

And on Tuesday, it was Mr. Calder-Piedmonte’s turn. The students seemed genuinely engrossed by the farmer’s story of how Balsam Farms got started (he met his business partner, Alex Balsam, while studying philosophy at Cornell University). After a brief overview of their produce and practices, it was the students’ turn to ask questions. Several hands shot up.

“Do you spray vegetables with chemicals?” Only naturally-derived and organically-approved ones.

“Are you rivals of Quail Hill?” No, we’re friends, said the smiling farmer.

“Do you grow anything exotic?” The children learned that the farm will soon be offering kiwi berries, a semitropical fruit, and artichokes, mostly propagated in Mediterranean climates, two offerings made possible by the unique weather patterns of eastern Long Island.

Experiential, or hands-on, learning is a buzzword in educational circles today, the theory being that it helps students absorb information better and think more critically than they would by simply listening to a teacher speak in a classroom. It has, in fact, been around for a very long time, loosely based on Aristotle’s philosophy: “That which we learn, we only learn by doing.”

The East Hampton Middle School seems to be wholeheartedly encouraging teachers who want to take teaching outside of the classroom. “All middle school learning should be hands-on,” acknowledged Charles Soriano, the school’s principal. 

Earlier this year, seventh graders in Cara Nelson’s social studies class went on a far-flung learning experience when their teacher participated in the World Marathon Challenge and ran seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. With the aid of Google Classrooms technology, Ms. Nelson connected with her students from each destination, offering the youngsters firsthand lessons about the places and topics being covered in the classroom.

For Ms. Hasemann, the goal of bringing in the speakers was to help students “make informed choices about the foods they buy.” 

“If, indeed, they interview a farmer as they would a contractor or a doctor, they can make more informed choices,” she said. “I want them to know what is available here in East Hampton, that they can go clamming for their own food, or eat food grown in their neighborhood, and that they can support local food solutions.”

Having heard from local food sources, the next task for her charges is to complete a project, displaying a proficiency of the subject matter. After reading about the slaughterhouse in the book, some children, said Ms. Hasemann, will choose to be vegetarian or vegan for a week. Some will compare the food chain in Ecuador, or their grandparents’ home in Ireland, to the foods they eat in America. Some grow seeds. Others go fishing or clamming, and some prepare a healthy meal for their family.

“In some way, each student will investigate the food chain and write a seven-page paper on it,” said the teacher.

Two years ago, she said, this final project led one student to compare a McDonald’s sandwich with another from the East Hampton Middle School cafeteria, and an organic, breaded chicken sandwich from Harbor Market in Sag Harbor. The experiment found that the school’s sandwich withstood mold and decay the longest, leading the student to conclude that it contained the most additives of the three. As a result, the school has changed much of the food it serves its students.

Theatrical Garden Party

Next up in the Neo-Political Cowgirls’ offerings for kids is a Young Cowgirls Garden Party workshop for girls 8 to 12, which begins on March 21 at Guild Hall in East Hampton. Participants will “create their own theatrical garden party,” according to Guild Hall’s website. 

The performance and esteem-building program will meet on Wednesdays through May 9 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. The cost is $230, $220 for museum members. Advance registration is required by emailing [email protected].

“The Puppet Princess”

Goat on a Boat’s series of puppet shows at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor will continue on Saturday when WonderSpark Puppets presents “The Puppet Princess” at 11 a.m. According to the theater, the story line of the interactive show is this: “When her best friend, Sprig the horse, goes missing, it’s up to the princess (with the audience’s help) to find him again.” Tickets cost $15. 

After-School Art

The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill is gearing up for its spring session of free after-school art programs, which run from March 26 through May 24. Registration begins on Monday for residents of the Tuckahoe and Southampton School Districts and on March 19 for others. 

Workshops for prekindergartners will be on Thursdays from 2 to 2:45 p.m. Those for children in kindergarten through fifth grade will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. The classes generally fill up early, so parents interested in having their children take part have been advised to mark their calendars. Registration is by email to [email protected].

A Nod to the Irish

Following hot on the heels of the Oscars, the East Hampton Library will celebrate its own young filmmakers with a screening of teen films and an awards presentation this afternoon at 3:30. Pizza will be served. 

Also for teens this week, on Sunday high school students have been invited to stop by the young-adult room for some 3-D doodling from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday is Netflix night at the library, when high schoolers can watch favorite movies or shows on the streaming service from 5 to 7.

Younger children ages 4 and up will make life-size leprechauns as they listen to festive Irish music during an art program tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. In another nod to Irish heritage, kids 4 and older can make their own illuminated manuscripts on Wednesday at 4 p.m. 

Rainbow glitter vases will be the craft of the day in a program next Thursday at 4 p.m. for sixth through eighth graders. 

At the Montauk Library, kids 5 to 12 can get ready for St. Patrick’s Day by making their own leprechaun hats on Saturday from 2 to 3 p.m. “Perfect for . . . the Montauk St. Patrick’s Day parade,” the library notes. 

Kids 9 to 12 will come away from a Saturday program at the Amagansett Library with washer necklaces. The crafting happens from 3 to 4 p.m.

Advance registration has been requested for most programs.

Feeding Time

What do the feeding habits of the South Fork Natural History Museum’s animals tell us about food webs, carnivores, omnivores, and energy trophic levels? Children 9 to 12 who are intrigued by those subjects can find answers on Saturday at 10:30 a.m., as they join Xylia Serafy, a nature educator, at the museum’s feeding time. Space is limited and advance sign-up has been suggested.

The East Hampton School Board unanimously agreed to move forward with a full-day in-house prekindergarten program at the John M. Marshall Elementary School beginning in the 2018-19 school year.

“The board agreed that this can take place and should take place,” said Richard Burns, the school superintendent. “As soon as we’re ready to start the registration process, we will alert the community as to when and how that will take place. We want parents to know we will have a seat for every 4-year-old in the district.”

For the past 20 years, the district has outsourced pre-K education to the Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center, formerly the East Hampton Day Care Learning Center. Two years ago, the services expanded from a half day to a full day, and the budget for the services increased as well. 

At the regular school board meeting on Tuesday night, board members discussed the costs to the district for paying the center to run the full-day pre-K program as having increased from $500,000 in 2016, to $644,000 in 2017, to a proposed $844,000 in 2018. According to Mr. Burns, “That number is 1 percent of our entire budget.”

Board members also cited the center’s ongoing resistance to accepting a multi-year contract. “We tried to get a long-term contract two times unsuccessfully,” said James P. Foster, the school board president. “We made it clear that we need to look into other options.” The center’s current one-year contract ends in June.

It was estimated at the meeting that the proposed change could result in an immediate savings to the district of ­approximately $300,000, though the amount saved can be expected to increase annually, since the costs of incorporating the program will be highest up front.

Despite the substantial savings the change represents, the decision to move the pre-K program to John Marshall from the Eleanor Whitmore Center is still being classified as a consequence of declining enrollment. “It came about organically,” Mr. Burns said. “Sometimes in life these things occur. And then, next step, the numbers made sense.”

“Previously we couldn’t get the pre-K into our system,” John Ryan, a school board member, said at the meeting. “Now because we can, I’m fully supportive.” Mr. Ryan added of the Eleanor Whitmore Center, “We appreciate what they have done. They stepped up. We hope to continue to have a relationship with them. We have kids who will continue to need care there.”

At last week’s budget meeting, Beth Doyle, John Marshall’s principal, advised the school board that her school had seen a loss of 150 elementary students between 2014 and 2018.

This year, “per grade the number works out to about 67 students in kindergarten, 68 in first grade, 74 in second, 86 in third, 112 in fourth, and 100 in fifth,” Ms. Doyle said.

“We looked at a number of different scenarios for incorporating the pre-K program. The one that made most sense was for every grade to have four sections instead of five. The average class size might be 22 to 23 per class grades K-4, but for next year’s fifth grade, the number of students might be 26 to 27.”

This was the only concern raised by parents at Tuesday’s board meeting in relation to the proposed change. Those who spoke applauded the addition of the pre-K program, but said they were worried about overcrowding for next year’s fifth graders. 

Ms. Doyle understood and has taken this into consideration. She said she attempted to correct for this by making sure every section has two adults, a teacher and an assistant, in order to maintain a 1-to-13 adult-to-child ratio. She said it is also possible that some of the current fourth-grade students could leave the district.

In terms of new hires, Ms. Doyle said the inclusion of the pre-K will only require one new full-time teacher. She will first draw from among the staff who are certified to teach the pre-K classes. She plans to ask them their preferences before posting for the position.

Regarding parents who might need early drop-off and late pick-up, the district is considering all options. For example, Ms. Doyle said that John Marshall has a breakfast program that begins at 7:30, which could accommodate pre-K students, and that Project Most runs an after-school program there for kindergarten through fifth graders. 

“We would love to continue to have a cooperative relationship with the Eleanor Whitmore Center,” Mr. Burns said. “It would help with children’s needs before and after the school program. We look forward to having that discussion with them at the appropriate time.”

Residents in the Springs School District voted 484 to 323 Tuesday to approve the $16.9 million bond necessary for the school’s fiercely debated expansion. The district has also been cleared to apply $6 million from an existing capital reserve fund to help offset the total cost of construction, which is not to exceed $22.96 million.

“I was extremely thrilled to see that over 800 residents came out to vote,” said Debra Winter, the school’s superintendent. It was double the number who had cast ballots in the last budget vote in May 2017. “Special thanks to our board for their vision and persistence, to the community members who asked questions, visited our school, then supported us. . . . To those who wrote to the editor, thank you! To my colleagues for their diligence in coming out on weekends and staying late to make presentations, thank you,” she wrote in an email yesterday. 

The community’s endorsement of the project has finally decided the fate of the cramped school building, originally intended for 350 students but serving 734 today. Talks of an expansion first surfaced in 1999 as enrollment increased but eventually took root in 2014 when the school board formed a facilities committee composed of various school and community stakeholders, and upon whose recommendation it was determined that additional space was needed. 

Three years later, the final set of plans prepared by B.B.S Architects and Engineering, show an expanded Springs School with approximately 24,000 square feet of additional space that allows for seven new classrooms, including a technology and science lab, a middle school regulation-size gymnasium with locker rooms, renovation of the art and music rooms, and renovation of 17 small instructional spaces to support New York State Education Department compliance standards, a new septic system, parking and traffic improvements, and junior high regulation-size soccer and baseball fields.

Ms. Winter outlined the district’s next steps. “My job now is to ensure we get the detailed plans to the New York State facilities planning department and we will pay to have them expedited. As soon as they are approved we can go out to bid. Once the bids are received and contractors are selected and approved by the board, work can begin.”

The school’s first priority, she said, will be to replace the roof and install a new nitrogen-reducing septic system, funding for which was denied because of a technicality, but which the superintendent is optimistic will come through.

As was expected, the margin of victory in Tuesday’s vote was not particularly large. Many residents have been critical  of  the school board’s decisions regarding the expansion. The group has called the project “grandiose” and even labeled it “the Taj Mahal,” and signs urging people to vote no were posted around the district in the lead-up to Tuesday’s vote. During the last two weeks a string of emails to residents urged them to vote the bond down, citing what they believe was the board’s lack of due diligence in exploring more cost-effective solutions.

With the bond green-lighted, the school estimates that construction will begin in July 2019, following the approval of required permits, with work projected to be completed in 2021.

“Personally, after seven months in Springs, I can say this addition is so needed. I have never seen so many individuals sharing space and teaching in closets,” said Ms. Winter.

Barbara Dayton, the president of the school board, also expressed her joy that the referendum was approved, saying it is a victory for improved learning conditions. 

“I was impressed by the large turnout for the vote and very grateful that the majority of voters understood the issues facing our children and voted in favor of the proposed expansion,” she said, and added, “This is a win for Springs kids.”

As students across the country plan walkouts on Wednesday to mark the one-month anniversary of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., schools on the South Fork are preparing, as well.

Students from the Hayground and Bridgehampton Schools will have a joint walkout, and the Springs School will have a district-sanctioned event to memorialize the lives lost in Florida and assure students that safety is a top priority.

At East Hampton High School, while the walkout is not school-sponsored, administrators have rearranged the day's schedule so that students who wish to participate can do so without missing class. And at the East Hampton Middle School, the principal, Charles Soriano, has offered parents the option of signing their children out themselves, if participation is important to them.

Adam Fine, the East Hampton High School principal, has been working with student leaders to plan and prepare for the student walkout.

"Coordination with students is key," said Mr. Fine. "I support their right to participate and to express themselves, but my number-one concern is for their safety."

East Hampton High School has a student population of approximately 900, though not all are expected to take part in the walkout. 

Mr. Fine said he would have adequate coverage both inside and outside the building to prepare for any eventuality, and that there would be a police presence at the high school that day. "Not because I expect a problem," he said, "but because I want everyone safe. We want to make sure it is a positive experience."

"There's been a lot of back and forth about their ideas," Mr. Fine said. "All have been simple and in good taste. They've proposed making signs bearing the names of the lives that were lost, and possibly standing in some sort of formation. Right now we’re thinking the football field would be the best location. We will probably have a photographer there."

"If you feel (strongly) that your child needs to participate in a walkout experience, and that the lessons learned would outweigh his or her attending class, please follow our regular school procedures and sign them out of school, wherein you will assume direct supervision for your own child," Mr. Soriano wrote in an email to middle school parents. "For example, a handful of parents signed their daughters out for the Women's March in Washington, D.C., which I think was a wonderful opportunity for those youngsters who were socially and emotionally ready to handle such an experience — under the watchful eyes of their parents. You know your child best."

Sydney Salamy, a junior at East Hampton High School, is looking for gently used sports equipment and clothing as part of her mission to ensure that students don’t “miss out on playing a school sport simply because they can’t afford it.” That is, afford to buy the often expensive equipment and apparel required to participate. 

Sydney, a student-athlete herself, has started a nonprofit, student-run charity at the high school called Play It Forward East Hampton, which is dedicated to helping underprivileged youths take part in sports regardless of the gear required.

The next collection for the cause will be on Monday, and students have been encouraged to take their unwanted or unused sports equipment and clothing to the high school’s main office, where a collection bin will be available. Sydney will facilitate the distribution of the donations to students in need across Long Island.

Among the items acceptable for donation are balls, shoes, tennis rackets, bats, and clothing for baseball, basketball, cross-country, field and ice hockey, football, golf, kickball, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. In addition, protective gear such as gloves, goggles, shin guards, and shoulder and kneepads are also sought. Items not accepted include skis and ski boots, snowboards, bowling balls, and helmets.

“During our last drive, in November,” Sydney said, “donations of eight bags of equipment and clothing went to Chris Agostino, the director of athletics at Elmont Memorial High School, which consists of 99 percent minorities of whom 50 percent receive free or reduced lunches.”

Play It Forward East Hampton is a chapter of a national organization started in 2017 by a group of athletes from Keller High School in Texas and is a part of the Pro Players Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.

Sydney is looking forward to many students donating on Monday because, as she put it, “we hope to fill the gap between wanting to play and being a player.”

The 13th annual student job fair will be held on April 18 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at East Hampton High School. In preparation, the event’s organizers are looking for business owners and members of the work force to participate. This is an opportunity for them to speak with students and potentially scout employees for internships and summer or weekend jobs.

According to Debbie Mansir, the high school’s programs coordinator, the objective of the job fair is to help students find summer employment as well as help businesses here connect, interview, and even hire young, enthusiastic workers in an efficient manner. 

The event will take place in the high school gymnasium, with each business having a designated area where students can be spoken to and where they can fill out applications and schedule interviews.

Any business owner who would like to participate can email Ms. Mansir at [email protected] or call 631-329-6462 before April 12. Those unable to participate but nonetheless eager to have students learn about or apply for summer or weekend positions have also been asked to contact Ms. Mansir. There will be a table at the job fair at which those employers who are unable to attend can leave information.

Happy Birthday to Me!

A celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday will be held at the Amagansett Library on Tuesday from 3 to 3:45 p.m. Kids ages 3 and up can listen to a few Dr. Seuss classics, make a craft, and enjoy a healthy snack. Children must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver.

Big Bad Wolf Meets Goat

Goat on a Boat’s puppet theater series at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor will continue on Saturday at 11 a.m. with A Couple of Puppets’ “Little Red Riding Hood.” Suitable for kids ages 2 to 7, the show will feature hand puppets, music, and changing scenery. Tickets cost $15.

Activities Galore in East Hampton 

On Saturday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Dawn Christian, an SAT and ACT tutor, will lead a writing workshop at the East Hampton Library designed to help high school students increase essay scores on their SAT or ACT college application tests. Students will learn strategies and tips for planning, writing, and revising during the test.

High school students can also join in a scavenger hunt and perhaps win a prize on Sunday between 1 and 4 p.m.

Children ages 5 and up will learn how to make sugar body scrubs with essential oils and other natural ingredients on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

High schoolers have been invited to take in their favorite movies on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The group will then decide which movie to watch that evening. Snacks will be served.

“Peter Pan” the movie will be screened next Thursday at 4 p.m. and is suitable for all ages.

The countywide Battle of the Books competition will take place on Friday, March 23, at Connetquot High School in Bohemia. High school students have been invited to travel by bus and cheer on the library’s team. The bus will leave East Hampton at 4 p.m. and return by 10. Seating is limited, so advance registration is required, as is a permission slip, which can be found on the library’s website.

Coding, Reading, and Movies 

A new series of coding club classes for children ages 7 to 10 begins today and continues every Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. through April 26 at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor. This informal, self-paced club will allow kids to play on popular coding websites, move favorite movie characters through mazes, and design computer games. No experience is necessary.

Wally, the extra-friendly dog who loves kids and listening to stories, will return to the library on Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon.

From 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, families with kids of all ages are invited to watch the 2003 version of “A Wrinkle in Time.” Popcorn and drinks will be served and a discussion about the 2018 version of this movie, which is in theaters this month, will follow the screening. There will also be a raffle drawing, with winners receiving free tickets to the latest “A Wrinkle in Time.”

The book that inspired the movie, but in graphic format, will be the subject of discussion at Sunday’s meeting of a graphic novel club for fourth through sixth graders. From 12:30 to 1 p.m., kids will discuss a version of Madeleine L’Engle’s book illustrated by Hope Larson. The club meets once a month. “Invisible Emmie” by Terri Libens is the next one up for consideration on Sunday, April 22. The books are available at the main desk.

Also on Sunday, kids ages 8 to 11 can concoct magnetic slime from 3 to 4 p.m. as part of the library’s STEAM Sundays series.

Go Irish in Montauk

Children in kindergarten and up can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the Montauk Library on Sunday from 2 to 3 p.m. by making some sweet treats such as leprechaun houses out of graham crackers, icing, candy, and Lucky Charms. Then, children will design and make St. Patrick’s Day-themed chocolate-covered pretzels and marshmallows. Registration is required as space is limited.

Birding, Stargazing, and Frogs 

On Saturday at 10 a.m., John Shemilt, a South Fork Natural History Museum program and workshop presenter, will lead a program that offers firsthand experience in caring for purple martins, one of Long Island’s native birds. Participants will learn the importance of feeding purple martins at this time of year and methods to help them prepare for the upcoming nesting season. 

At 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Xylia Serafy, a SoFo Museum nature educator, will teach kids ages 6 and up about constellations and their meaningful patterns or images in the night sky.

Also on Sunday at 10:30 a.m., Eleni Nikolopoulos, another SoFo nature educator, will teach kids about frogs and their winter hiding places. The group will then make an edible model of where they think those hiding spots might be. There will be a materials fee of $3 per child.

Advance registration is required for all programs.