Bake, Drip, Splatter

With Thanksgiving around the corner, the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton will host a family workshop on Saturday from 10 to 10:45 a.m. on how to make cornbread muffins, an apt addition to the feast. The workshop is open to parents and caregivers with kids ages 3 and up. The cost is $19 per child, including museum admission, $5 for members.

Or, instead of baking on Sunday, how about drip painting at the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in Springs? This family workshop will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and includes a private tour of the renowned Abstract Expressionists’ historical house, located at 830 Springs-Fireplace Road for parents and caregivers with children ages 4 and up. The cost is $1 per adult, $5 per child, including a canvas board and paint supplies. 

Dance, Movies, Candy Sculpture 

There’s a lot going on for high school students at the East Hampton Library this week. Tonight from 5 to 6:30 a Just Dance party will include snacks. On Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., high schoolers have been invited back to watch the screening of “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” at 1 p.m., followed by “Paper Towns” at 3 p.m. Again, snacks will be provided. On Monday 4 to 5 p.m. they can learn how to create a cozy scarf on a loom in just an hour. The scarf can be taken home to wear or donated to a local person in need, for which students will earn community service hours. 

Finally, next Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m. Julie Raynor Gross, dubbed a leading expert in the field of college admissions, will talk with high school students and their parents or guardians about the process and then answer questions. 

For middle schoolers, the movie “ Guardians of the Galaxy” will be shown next Thursday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Snacks will be provided.

Wondering what to do with that extra Halloween candy? Kids ages 4 and up can stop by the library on Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m. to create a candy sculpture to hang or decorate the holiday table.

Registration is required for all events.

Book Club Party in Sag Harbor

Sixth through eighth graders can pop in to the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor on Sunday from 4 to 5 p.m. for a party to kick off the new biweekly book club. The first book will be handed out while participants chat about the club and choose a book club name. The goal is to read a book a month and meet every other week throughout the school year.

East, Sing, and Be Merry

On Tuesday between 3:30 and 4:30 at the Montauk Library, kids 4 and up who are interested in making healthy food choices can explore the world of grains, including lesser-known ones and gluten-free options. The session will end with a sampling of whole grain, booster-packed snacks, including a “healthed-up” version of a Thanksgiving favorite, according to the library. 

Lori Hubbard, a local musician, will be at the library next Thursday from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to celebrate Thanksgiving through song, dance, and play in a program for children 1 to 5. 

Education and Fun at SoFo

Children ages 8 and up can learn all about the science and mythology of the most prominent fall constellations at the South Fork Natural History Museum on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and then make constellation projectors to light up their rooms. This workshop will be led by Crystal Oakes, a SoFo nature educator. There is a materials fee of $5 for each participant.

On Sunday, at 10:30 am, Melanie Meade, also a SoFo nature educator, will teach children 6 and up to make a “water journey” bracelet to remind them of the journey a water molecule takes as it travels to all the places on earth where water is found. There is a $3 materials fee for this one.

He is not the first rapper from East Hampton, but Pr€sident, also known as Mizel Faison, a 17-year-old who attends East Hampton High School, is leading the charge to put the South Fork on the rap map. 

By that he means, unlike his forebears, such as T-Shyne, a homegrown rap success story who is never seen locally, touring instead with the likes of Wiz Khalifa and Young Thug, Pr€sident (he uses the euro symbol in place of the “e”) wants to remain anchored to the Hamptons, both musically and emotionally, even if and when fame and fortune come calling.

It certainly seems like perfect timing, as thus far news of rappers on the South Fork is usually limited to the number of zeros at the end of Jay-Z’s real estate deals.

The Pr€sident of the Beast Coast, as he is known among his friends, is part of the next generation of artists on SoundCloud — the online audio distribution platform that enables users to upload, record, promote, and share their originally created music. SoundCloud seems to be home to an entire universe of young, often school-age rappers, many with colored dreads and names containing a multitude of symbols and a distinct dearth of the “Lil” prefix prevalent in the early 2000s. Producing melodies inspired by emo, pop punk, and the latest mutations of Atlanta’s trap genre, these young musicians work on building fan bases on SoundCloud while they wait for the spotlight to pan in their direction. 

On Halloween, Pr€sident dropped his latest song on SoundCloud. Called “Goners,” it offers sharp observations on the hazards of labeling youngsters. The “bad” kids at school, the song goes, are called “goners,” a euphemism for not going anywhere, since they are into drugs and partying and are failing at school. Yet despite turning his life around and displaying some talent, the singer says, he still feels like a goner “because at the end of the day that’s what they called us all, goners.”

Labels stick, is his message, so be careful what you call your children.

In person, Mizel is poised and displays a remarkable facility for language, which is unusual in most teenagers and helps explain the lyrical honesty that is especially apparent in the most recent of his eight tracks on SoundCloud. Like nearly all rap today, it is explicit, not unnervingly so, like the more violent “drill scene” that came out of Chicago’s South Side. Mostly, however, there is much to read between the lines of his insights on growing up, including this from “Goners”: “If I learned my lesson in adolescence / That its pressure can form perfection.”

He talks easily and openly about his life and music, even offering a self-deprecating critique of his early attempts at rap as being “just words with no flow.” He admits that he has never been a terribly good student but has always loved English. “I started writing poetry really early,” he said, around age 10. Focusing on particular words, their cadence, and the effects of certain sounds on people has turned into something of an obsession.

“Lost in thought and that’s the train you’ll never catch” was a line he wrote when he first started dabbling in rap lyrics. He shared it with his grandmother Laura Grossman, who was a member of the East Hampton School Board for more than 20 years, and she encouraged young Mizel to keep going, to pursue his passion as a musical wordsmith. 

Today, she is his talent agent, working on getting him bookings and maybe signing with a record label. He has lived full time with his grandparents since he was 2 — his grandfather is Stephen Grossman, an attorney with an office in Sag Harbor. Mizel said they are hugely supportive of his music but added, with a smile, “They just kinda earmuff when they hear something they would have rather not.”

Three months ago, the young rapper released “Beans and the Flats” on SoundCloud, and it became a party hit of the summer in East Hampton and even New York City. His following rocketed from 20 people to about 90. Today he has 126, which doesn’t sound like a lot by today’s “going viral” standards, but SoundCloud is still relatively new. The song, which was listened to more than 5,000 times on the site, was a collaboration with Damma Beatz, a talented young music producer who Pr€sident credits as “a big reason the song blew up.”

In July, Mizel was in Manhattan with his father, who lives in Los Angeles. They went to the Bitter End club on Bleecker Street to listen to an uncle, a resident singer there. Suddenly, said Mizel, his uncle called him up onstage and handed him the mike. Mizel seized the opportunity, spewing his lyrics in front of a wildly appreciative audience in a performance that harked back to the old-school format of grime M.C.s freestyling live onstage or on the radio, long before the era of SoundCloud.

He intends to go to college, he said, to study music management and production. Until then, his main focus is on shooting music videos and securing live performances at places like the Bitter End, or out here at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, which he hopes will add an occasional young rapper like him to its roster. 

That, he believes, will truly help him jump over the orange-and-white SoundCloud and go from URL to IRL.

Salamanders and Celebrations at SoFo

A celebration of the Long Pond Greenbelt on Saturday at the South Fork Natural History museum will feature free guided trail walks, games, craft making, and a variety of activities provided by local environmental and community organizations.

The greenbelt includes coastal plain ponds, freshwater swamps, wetlands, and woodlands that stretch from Sag Harbor to Sagaponack. The Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt, the Children’s Museum of the East End, Peconic Land Trust, Group for the East End, Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons, Hampton Library, the Perfect Earth Project, the Long Island Native Plants Initiative, the Long Island Nature Organization, Quality Parks, the Nature Conservancy, and the Southampton Town Parks and Recreation Department are all joining the celebration, which will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. Complimentary ice cream and refreshments will be served. 

Also on Saturday at the museum, Andy Sabin, a.k.a. Mr. Salamander, will help unearth some fascinating creatures living under rotting logs on the forest floor, including two unusual native salamanders: the blue-spotted and the four-toed. Advance registration is required for this walk, which is suitable for all ages. 

Member Appreciation Day

The Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton will hold its second annual member appreciation day on Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon. Museum members have been invited for a morning of games, crafts, food, music, fun, and maybe a few surprises. Open to families with kids of all ages. Admission is free for members. 

For those wishing to join the museum, an annual family membership costs $110 and includes free admission any time, four one-time guest passes, discounts on classes and workshops, and early registration for some events and parties. An additional $55 extends membership to two additional adults and one additional child. 

Tricks, Treats, and Trivia

Sixth through eighth graders can make a vegan and gluten-free pumpkin latte sugar scrub at the East Hampton Library on Tuesday at 4 p.m. 

For kids ages 4 to 6, Wednesday is bug story time and craft making. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Ages 4 and up can get ready for Halloween on Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. by making one spider web, one brain, and one mummy Twinkie — theirs to take them home and enjoy with friends.

High school students who love trivia can compete against peers every Thursday evening from 6 to 7. Each week features a different theme.

Scribble Bots in Sag

On Saturday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., kids 8 to 12 can learn how to make a scribble bot at the John Jermain Memorial Library on Main Street in Sag Harbor. This robot, made out of a motor and markers, moves around on a page and leaves colorful marks in its path. Registration is required. 

Hansel and Gretel in Montauk

The Solé East Resort in Montauk will host the Sprouts Children’s Musical Theatre production of Hansel and Gretel tomorrow at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 for children and $20 for adults and can be purchased at eventbrite.com/e/hansel-gretel-tickets-38166580269 or at the door. Solé East is at 90 Second House Road. Its Backyard Restaurant will be open for dinner both nights. 

Art and Amaryllis

The East Hampton Library will spark the imagination of young artists 4 and up tomorrow from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., by delving into the realm of the surrealist artists Dali, Magritte, and others. There will also be art games and a magazine collage project. Children under 7 must be accompanied by an adult.

On Saturday, from 11 a.m. to noon, the same age group can learn how to make several easy bird feeders to help feed our feathered friends.

An educator from the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons will work with children in kindergarten through third grade to plant amaryllis bulbs in containers on Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m. All materials will be provided and participants can take home the planted bulbs and watch them grow. 

High school artists have been invited to stop by the young adult room on Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m. to draw a sketch that could be used to create a new wall-size mural in the room. Every sketch will be considered.

Advance registration is required for the art workshop and the bulb-planting session.

Family Day at the Watermill Center

A family day at the Watermill Center on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. will include movement and music workshops for children 7 to 12 and a chance to explore the center and its grounds. 

Matty Davis of Boomerang and Denis Mei Yan Hofmann, a composer, will lead 90-minute music workshops at 1 and 4 p.m. 

Families will collaborate to create and perform together. Tickets cost $10 for children, $15 for adults, and can be reserved online at watermillcenter.org or by phone at 631-726-4648. Space is limited and advance registration is required. 

Apples, Tricks, and Treats

With apple picking season in full swing, the Children’s Museum of the East End will lead an outing on Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. to the Milk Pail’s U-Pick Farm. The cost is $13 per person, $10 for members, which includes five apples and one pumpkin per child. 

Looking ahead to Friday, Oct. 20, the museum’s annual Halloween Bash will feature ghoulish games, trick or treating, creepy crafts, a costume parade, and more from 4 to 6 p.m. Tickets cost $12; members get in free. The event usually sells out, so advance registration is recommended. Those who are members can register any time; registration for nonmembers opens Monday. 

Beach Trash and Treasures

The South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton has invited families to join it in its mission to “pick up as much trash as possible” from South Fork beaches this fall. To that end, it will head to a different beach each Saturday starting this week from 8 to 9 a.m. During the season, the museum plans to tally up what type of trash is found and eventually weigh it all. “Over time,” the museum writes, “we will be able to get an idea of the kind of trash that is washing up on our beaches‚ and we can advocate avoiding those materials in the future.” 

Mineral Scavenger Hunt

Families with children ages 8 to 12 can join SoFo for a mineral scavenger hunt at Camp Hero at Montauk Point on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Led by Victoria Como, a geologist, participants will scour the beach for some of the most commonly found minerals and some rare ones, too. A bucket or backpack is recommended for carrying rocks. 

On Sunday at 10:30 a.m., children 9 and up can learn about the mysterious world of bats from a naturalist while creating a detailed bat-themed craft to take home. There is a $5 materials fee.

Advance sign-up is requested for all programs.

Giving Back 

Saturday is the Great Give Back day and local libraries are offering patrons different ways to show their appreciation for their communities. 

The Hampton Library in Bridgehampton will lead a family beach cleanup at 9:30 a.m. Gloves and trash bags will be provided.  

In Amagansett, between 1 and 4 p.m., children will be encouraged to write a thank-you note to a person deserving praise or applause. The library will help track down snail-mail addresses when possible, but email notes work too. Community service hours are available to teens who take part. 

Meanwhile, at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor, kids 5 to 9 can give back to their community between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. by decorating reusable bags and filling them with donated food for families who visit the food pantry. 

Costume Sundays

Also at the Amagansett Library, three costume-making sessions on Sundays starting this week will give kids a chance to prepare for Halloween. Fun fabrics will be the theme this week. On Oct. 22, cardboard will be the material of choice, and on Oct. 29, yards of yarn will be on hand. Each session meets from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. and is open to the entire family. 

Pre-School Music, After-School Snacks 

The Montauk Library will celebrate Halloween early on Saturday with a screening of the movie “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” at 2 p.m. After the film, which is appropriate for ages 5 and up, kids can make pumpkin patches and spooky witch’s fingers.

Schoolchildren who want to learn more about the nutritional benefits of leafy greens, berries, and other superfoods, as well as how to incorporate them into dishes, can visit the library on Tuesday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. They will learn how to make a green smoothie, and everyone will get a taste. 

Registration is required for all events as space is limited. 

An environmental impact study of a proposed East Hampton School District bus depot on a Springs-Fireplace Road parcel owned by the town, which the district hopes to buy, was neutral on the issues it examined, with the firm that conducted the study recommending that it move forward with the plan. 

The sale of the property has yet to be finalized, the town having chosen to wait until the environmental report, required by the State Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQRA, was published. The property is a former scavenger waste facility along a mostly-industrial stretch of road. 

During an East Hampton School Board meeting at the high school last week, David M. Wortman, a senior environmental manager at V.H.B., the engineering and planning company that conducted the study, presented its conclusions. They include a modest increase in traffic during peak hours, increased electricity and fuel demands since the lot is vacant now, a potential risk to human health as hazardous wastes had been disposed of there from 1967 to 1987 (although no residual environmental problems have been identified), and no significant adverse impact to groundwater. 

The study was conducted in collaboration with several state and local agencies, including the East Hampton Town Board and Highway Department, the Suffolk County Water Authority and Department of Health Services, and the State Department of Environmental Conservation, among others.

A similar study had been made of the controversial Cedar Street property initially earmarked for the bus depot. Despite the fact that the study, presented in April, had concluded “no significant adverse environmental impact” would result, outraged residents of the Cedar Street area rallied and eventually forced the district to look elsewhere.

The Springs-Fireplace Road site is approximately 2.95 acres. The waste center there closed its sewage treatment and disposal operations in 2012, after which it served as a transfer station until the facility closed permanently in December 2014. The V.H.B. report noted that the property has a “vacant one-story building (formerly used as a sludge drying bed), asphalt-paved driveways, grassy and wooded areas, and perimeter fencing.”

The school district proposes to replace the current building with one containing bus maintenance bays, an office, employee support spaces, and an area to be used for vocational training for students. A parking area would accommodate 25 full-size buses, 10 small buses, vans, and up to 40 employee vehicles. Access would be provided via a one-way entry driveway from Springs-Fireplace Road at the north end of the site. 

In addition to the conclusions listed above, Mr. Wortman cautioned that any demolition of an old building had the potential for the presence of asbestos. He also pointed out that groundwater samples showed elevated levels of sodium and iron, “because of ongoing Highway Department use.” As a result, his company recommended avoiding the use of the site’s groundwater.

As for the increase in traffic, Mr. Wortman said steady population growth in East Hampton means that the traffic routes between Springs-Fireplace Road and East Hampton’s schools would “eventually be impacted whether we build or not.” To allay concerns about possible hazardous materials underground, Mr. Wortman recommended that a geophysical survey of the property be carried out.

J.P. Foster, the school board’s president, said the district would “leave no stone unturned.” He recommended that board members study the report carefully before posing questions or concerns to Mr. Wortman at the next board meeting on Tuesday.

The full report is available on the district’s website, easthamptonschools.org. 

Short Films at the Playhouse

The Montauk Playhouse Community Center Foundation will screen short films from around the world in a family program tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. in the center’s gymnasium. Patti Greaney, an award-winning producer, selected the films. Tickets are $5 for children, $10 for adults, and $25 for a family. They can be purchased online at montaukplayhouse.org or at the door. 

Those who attend can enjoy popcorn, sweet treats, and games. Proceeds support the foundation’s effort to create ongoing cultural arts events in Montauk. People have been advised to take blankets or chairs to sit on. 

Scary Fun in East Hampton

High school students can get into the Halloween spirit in the East Hampton Library’s young adult room tomorrow from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and make an autumn treat like candy apples. Or, they can stop by on Sunday for back-to-back scary movies: “Insidious” at 1 p.m. and “The Visit” at 3. Snacks will be provided.

Sixth through eighth graders can get their own scary movie fix on Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m. with Tim Burton’s tamer “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Snacks will be provided for this one, too.

For kids ages 4 to 6, and accompanied by an adult, there will be a Halloween story time with craft activities on Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m.

Kids 4 and up can create a stacking, or nesting doll, monster family next Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. Make it scary or cute, green or pink, for play or display.

Wally, Literacy, and Planting in Sag Harbor

On Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon, at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor, children ages 4 and up can meet Wally, a friendly dog who loves kids and listening to stories. Children are welcome to pet Wally while someone else reads, or they can choose a short book to read to Wally. Advance registration required.

A workshop series for teens on the basics of information literacy and research continues on Sunday at 1 p.m. for students in grades 7 to 12. Students may attend any number of workshops, but advance registration for each is suggested by emailing [email protected]. Snacks will be provided. Future dates are Oct. 29 and Nov. 5 from 1 to 2 p.m.

The Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons will show kids 5 to 9 how to plant and care for an amaryllis bulb on Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m. at the library. Each child will be able to take a planted bulb home to watch it grow.

Halloween Time in Montauk

Children 5 and up can decorate a spooky pumpkin at the Montauk Library on Saturday from 2 to 3 p.m. Children should come dressed to make a mess. 

There’s also an opportunity to learn how to make healthier versions of Halloween snacks on Tuesday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the library. Reservations are required for both programs.

Nature Fun for the Family at SoFo

Xylia Serafy, a South Fork Natural History Museum nature educator, will lead a family walk through the museum’s Vineyard Field on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. to collect leaves and flowers. Participants will learn what different flower petals and leaves look like and the uses of the different parts of a flower and leaf. They have been asked to take a T-shirt, pillowcase, or any other piece of fabric to create a wonderful nature spray-dye masterpiece. There is a $5 materials fee for the program. 

On Sunday at 1 p.m. Ruby Jackson, an artist and educator, and Carol Crasson, SoFo’s education and communications director, will help children ages 6 and up create polymer clay animals and rocks. They will introduce kids to the colorful and fascinating world of this versatile medium. No experience is necessary. Sculpey clay and tools can be used for a $10 material fee, or participants can take their own.

Breakfast at the Farm

The Children’s Museum of the East End and Amber Waves Farm in Amagansett will team up for a breakfast at the farm on Sunday from 10 to 11. It will feature fresh eggs, fall veggies, Carissa’s Breads, freshly squeezed juice, and coffee for the grown-ups. Following breakfast, families will be invited to decorate and carve their very own jack-o-lantern. The cost is $30 per person, $25 for museum members. Advance registration is required and can be done by calling the museum or visiting its website, cmee.org. 

Ghoulish Fun at Bay Street

Stages, a Children’s Theatre Workshop will have a three-day run of its annual Halloween production, “Frankenstein’s Follies,” next week at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor. Performances will be on Friday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 28 at 2:30 and 7:30, and Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. 

The Halloween-themed musical review will feature monsters and ghouls with a cast of local young performers. Tickets are $15 and are available at the Bay Street Theater box office.

Michael Buquicchio is not called a librarian because East Hampton High School’s library is not called a library anymore. 

It is now known as the media center, and Mr. Buquicchio is the school’s media specialist. This more contemporary title is, in fact, fitting for someone only 10 years older than the current class of seniors, having graduated from East Hampton in 2007. It is even more appropriate given that Mr. Buquicchio recently spearheaded a renovation of the school’s media center, helping to modernize it and bring it up to speed — full-throttle internet speed, that is.

Over the summer, the center was transformed, moving even further away from simply housing tomes — “We still have books!” Mr. Buquicchio stressed — to and toward connecting learners to 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration. In other words, instead of being an archive, the school library, like so many around the world, has become something known as a “learning commons.” 

Today’s digital world has even changed the focus of curriculums in schools, which are moving from fact-based to inquiry-based learning. The model of one-way communication from teacher to students has become an anachronism. 

In fact, last year, East Hampton was one of 650 schools nationwide selected to be an Advanced Placement Capstone school, an offshoot of A.P. that focuses on collaborative teamwork and communication skills through research, with the goal of cultivating scholars who learn to make evidence-based decisions. All Capstone classes culminate in oral, written, and digital presentations in front of an audience.

It is hardly surprising then, that the school library has transitioned from a place to merely check out books to a mixed-use space for research, study, collaboration, global connection, and more — with librarians embodying the all-important connection between resources and students. For a 21st-century librarian, it seems there is a whole lot more to the job than stamping due dates.

The Robin Hood Foundation, a charitable organization that attempts to alleviate problems caused by poverty in New York City, recognized the need for school libraries to evolve as early as 2004 when it began a library initiative, aimed at redesigning conventional libraries in underserved New York City public schools into more versatile learning centers of the future. To date the initiative has reconfigured over 60 inner city school libraries. While a graduate student at Queens College, Mr. Buquicchio worked in a Robin Hood library in Far Rockaway. 

He returned to his alma mater four years ago and recently became tenured. Although he said it was immediately apparent that the old space needed a 21st-century face-lift, it was not until East Hampton officially became a “one-to-one school” (one Chromebook per student) last year that it became a priority.

“As technology advances, schools change,” Mr. Buquicchio said. The technology space within the old high school library, he explained, consisted of a long counter with 26 individual desktop computer stations. However, with every student in possession of a laptop, those desktops became obsolete. It was then that the district’s school board signed on to an official renovation. 

First, Mr. Buquicchio joined an organization called Future Ready Librarians, whose purpose is to better equip this new age of library gatekeepers to support teachers and students in their transition to a digital learning environment.

Last winter, Mr. Buquicchio and a team of administrators enlisted the help of East Hampton High School students enrolled in a design and drawing class. Using a modeling software program, they created 3-D blueprints of their version of a state-of-the-art learning space designed to facilitate the way students consume and digest information in today’s world. The team discovered that one feature stood out as a priority: the need for tables around which groups of pupils could work in Socratic circles rather than individual workstations. 

“We needed to facilitate a space where students could easily connect and collaborate, and where nothing is too permanent, so that everything and anything could be quickly reconfigured to meet the changing needs of students and their projects,” he explained. 

Robert Hayman, the school’s director of technology, visited the Manhattan offices of a manufacturing company that specializes in office furniture and technology products for schools and universities and invited them to brainstorm for the East Hampton project. The company offered an estimate of $100,000 to furnish the space, which Mr. Buquicchio described as “multiples of our budget.”

Ironically, in looking for solutions to transform an outdated library into an innovative space, old, unused materials provided the team with answers.

“Repurpose became the word of this project,” Mr. Buquicchio said. The school’s head of maintenance, Reno Salsedo, took defunct countertops from an adjoining boardroom and made seven high tables, each finished with wooden edging repurposed from the old computer workstations. Old carpeting was ripped up and replaced by tiles found in storage. Discarded room partitions were cleaned up and repurposed as dividers between the technology lounge and the still-thriving printed books area.  

The only items purchased, said Mr. Buquicchio, were two large-screen monitors for each table, compatible with students’ laptops to facilitate their presentations. “And the chairs around the table,” he said, adding “though the wheels on them were found in storage.” 

Mr. Buquicchio said that several staffers pitched in with manual labor. Even the district’s superintendent, Richard Burns, and the assistant superintendent, Robert Tymann, rolled up their sleeves, helping to rip out carpet and do whatever was necessary.

Other upgrades included wireless printers in the media center, with the entire school connected to a program called Paper Cut, which tracks each student’s paper footprint. As for the future, he is aware that constantly evolving technology will render even the revamped media center outdated before long. “It’s impossible to be future-proof,” he said. “But we are future-ready.”

Black Sheep Dreams Big

Joan Dupont, the author of the picture book “Philippe the Black Sheep,” Ellen Shire, its illustrator, and the editor George Held and art director Bryan Canniff will present a dramatic reading of the book on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at BookHampton in East Hampton.

The book tells the story of a lamb in France who “grazes with the flock but dreams of being an artist and plans his escape . . . to a new life, but new perils,” according to the author. It will be available for purchase.

Splatter Paintings and Gear Swap

With most schools closed today, children of all ages can head over to the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton and join the author, illustrator, and educator Joyce Raimondo at 10 a.m. for a Jackson Pollock painting workshop. Kids can learn to drip, drop, and splatter paint in the style of the legendary Abstract Expressionist. The cost of $1 is payable at the front desk.

The museum’s first ever baby gear swap will take place in the museum’s lobby on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. New and expectant parents can stock up on clothing, cribs, strollers, and other baby equipment. Early childhood educators and providers will also be on hand with information for new parents and parents-to-be. The event is free, however admission to the museum is extra. Those interested in donating can email [email protected].

Something for Everyone at the Library

There is a lot for high school students to do this week at the East Hampton Library. A slime-making workshop will be held on Sunday afternoon from 2 to 4. On Tuesdays from 4 to 5 p.m. starting this week, the library will offer LibArt sessions, at which high schoolers involved in the creative arts will be invited to inspire other teens to explore music, photography, art, writing, and other artistic endeavors. A crash course in online resources for homework help will be offered to students of all ages on Monday from 3 to 6 p.m. And there’s a game night in the young adult room on Wednesday from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

For high school seniors only, tutors will offer college application essay help on Monday between 3 and 5 p.m. Space is limited, and interested students have been asked to sign up for 30-minute session on Monday or Oct. 2, by contacting the young adult librarians by phone or by emailing [email protected].

Middle schoolers in sixth through eighth grade can pop in for a watercolor bookmark-making class on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

For younger kids, ages 4 to 6, there’s storytelling time with crafts and apples to eat on Wednesday afternoon from 4 to 5. On Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. kids ages 4 and up can create embossed drawings on metal foiling and color them using melted wax techniques. Advance registration is requested.

Montauk Library Movie Night

The Montauk Library will show “Captain Underpants” on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. A popcorn cart with freshly popped popcorn and refreshments will be on hand. Registration is not required.

Saturday Morning at SoFo

Families can kick off Saturday with a 9 a.m. bird-spotting walk with Frank Quevedo, the executive director of the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. Mr. Quevedo will lead adults and families with children ages 8 and up along neighboring beaches to observe land and shorebirds that migrate through this Atlantic Flyway “migration traps” — areas where migrating birds congregate. If possible, binoculars or a spotting scope, and a field guide to the birds of eastern North America should be taken along.

  At 10:30 a.m. a representative from the Quogue Wildlife Refuge will teach families about bats, including their anatomy and physical adaptations, as well as their ecological importance to the planet. Participants will also learn about the conflicts bats are facing and why the United Nations declared 2011-12 the International Year of the Bat. The program will include a presentation of taxidermy bats, a bat skeleton, posters, and a bat fossil replica.

Advance reservations are required for both events at 631-537-9735.

Paint Like Pollock

On Saturday at the Amagansett Library, from 3 to 4 p.m., children 5 and up can discover how Jackson Pollock and other artists expressed their feelings with paint during a fun slide show presented by the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center. Then, kids can let their emotions out and create their own expressionist abstract paintings. Registration is required.

Yoga Story Time on Main Street

Susan Verde, a children’s book author and yoga instructor, will read from her new book, “I Am Peace,” at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Bookhampton in East Hampton. Children can discover their inner peace through the gentle narrative and a kid-friendly guided meditation. The shop promises that readers of all ages will feel grounded and restored.

Tinkergarten at CMEE

Every Wednesday this fall, from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m., parents and preschoolers can meet outdoors at the Children’s Museum of the East End to connect and learn through play. Jennie Skilbred, a Tinkergarten leader, will facilitate play scenarios allowing children 18 months to 5 years old to explore, problem solve, communicate, collaborate, and create together. The cost for the six-week series is $200 per child, with a 50-percent discount for each sibling. Registration is required with the museum. 

The museum’s next Pizza and Pajama Night on Friday, Oct. 6, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. will include mask-making and a reading of Rhode Montijo’s “The Halloween Kid.” The cost is $12 and advance registration is strongly encouraged. Members get in free. 

Book Trivia and Good Ideas

Teenagers who love to read should head to the East Hampton library on Sunday for a short informational meeting from 3:30 to 4 p.m. to learn about the library’s Battle of the Books team. An annual Suffolk County-wide competition, Battle of the Books, consists of teams of teens who compete in a contest of trivia from three selected novels. Practice sessions will be held at the library to prepare for the competition on March 23. Alternatively, high school students wishing to develop leadership skills and earn community service hours by helping out at the library should attend the first Teen Advisory Board meeting on Sunday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Board meetings will be held on the first Sunday of each month to brainstorm, organize, and publicize young adult programs, services, and materials. Registration is required. There will be a screening of “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie” next Thursday at 4 p.m. for kids of all ages.

Hogwarts and Other Magic

At the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor, students in sixth through eighth grade can experience the craft of writing outside of the classroom on Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m. starting this week. This workshop will include writing prompts, discussion of craft and technique, and constructive group critique. Snacks will be provided. Registration is not necessary.

A six-round trivia competition for teens will be held on Saturday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Participants will compete in teams of three to five players and navigate through increasingly difficult trivia questions. Teams can be formed ahead of time or at the library. Winners get prizes and everyone gets free pizza. Advance registration is required. Photographic wizardry with green screen techniques is coming to the library on Sunday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. With the help of a green screen, kids ages 6 to 12 can create photographs of themselves as if they were flying through a game of Quidditch with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hogwarts costumes are optional.

A limited number of spots are available for 3 and 4-year-olds looking to join the early learning program at the Neighborhood House in East Hampton. Classes run weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon and will continue until June of next year. The monthly fee is $360. 

The Neighborhood House is at 92 Three Mile Harbor Road. Registration information is at 631-324-0175 or by email to eh­[email protected].