Ashley Simons, who will graduate from East Hampton High School tomorrow, is the 2017 recipient of the Capt. William Rysam Fund scholarship, awarded annually by the East Hampton Town Trustees. The $500 award was announced at a June 1 scholarship awards ceremony at the high school.

Applicants for the scholarship were required to submit an essay to the trustees. At the governing body’s June 12 meeting, Diane McNally told her colleagues that Ms. Simons’s entry “explained how growing up in this community, going clamming, and being around the waters benefited her life and her family’s.” The trustees presented Ms. Simons a letter and certificate. When she provides documentation attesting to her college education, the scholarship award will be released.

“I have always enjoyed fishing, and I am pretty good with a rake,” Ms. Simons, who will attend Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa., wrote in her essay. “Digging in my secret spot at Sammy’s Beach, I’ve submitted clams each year to the Largest Clam Contest,” an event the trustees host in the fall to explain their role in town government and promote responsible stewardship of the town’s natural resources.

Ms. Simons, who plans to major in computer science and is interested in a double minor in Chinese and environmental science, noted in her essay that she is one of three students who were chosen for an internship in Montauk. They perform weekly monitoring of the flora and fauna of Big Reed Pond and issue regular reports on a blog. She also described herself as a champion of recycling, “and I love to monitor my home’s solar power and my mom’s hybrid.”

“Members of my family have depended on these waters for generations,” Ms. Simons wrote, “both for recreation, income, and all the fixings for a great clambake! I want to continue their interests and legacy and help preserve the area that future generations may enjoy, just like my family and I have for years.”

She also works at the East Hampton Library, and participates in the Southampton Town Police Department’s youth explorer program. “The program allows students like me to get hands-on training on what it is like to be a police officer,” she wrote in an email to The Star.

Hugh King, the East Hampton town crier, told the East Hampton Village Board on Friday that Capt. Rysam came to East Hampton “around 1790, with his five or six daughters,” so that they could attend Clinton Academy, which was co-educational. “When he died, he left in his will the sum of $500 to the East Hampton Town Trustees. . . . That fund is still in existence, and is still run by the trustees.” Interest earned on the fund balance, and the $1 entry fee for the Largest Clam Contest, support the annual scholarship.

“There is a tenor in this country at the moment where it has become acceptable to speak in a disrespectful way to anyone,” said Jacqueline Lowey, a member of the East Hampton School Board, at its meeting Tuesday evening, following an angry outburst by Paul D’Andrea, who took to the podium to lob some bombshells at J.P. Foster, the board’s president.

The issue once again was the proposed Cedar Street school bus depot. Concerned neighbors have formed the Cedar Street Committee, to which Mr. D’Andrea belongs, to oppose it, urging that the school district instead purchase a town-owned plot of land along the largely industrial stretch of Springs-Fireplace Road for its transportation hub.

Negotiations between the district and the East Hampton Town Board have been going on for several months, and the school’s failure to strike a deal and move away from Cedar Street has elicited mounting frustration. Members of the committee have at times suggested that the board be more forthcoming with details of the discussions.

The tension was further fueled during Tuesday morning’s town board meeting when Supervisor Larry Cantwell announced, “We were not able to come to a conclusion with respect to the school’s acquisition of the property. Based on our discussions, the [town] board should consider marking the property for sale to the highest bidder. . . . It’s been months now, and I’m not sure we will come to a conclusion that will result in a sale to the school.”

Mr. D’Andrea, who had seen the live-televised town board meeting, approached the podium that night and told Mr. Foster, “You met with Larry Cantwell earlier and basically told him to take a hike.”

“Were you in the meeting?” asked Mr. Foster.

Mr. D’Andrea did not seem interested in having a conversation. “You’re a liar,” he went on. “You tell the town one thing and then come here and say that you’re moving forward with discussions . . . You’re just one person on the board and you do not get to make decisions on your own behind closed doors. The taxpayers get to decide.”

“No decisions were made,” retorted Mr. Foster, “It was one meeting in the negotiation process. Negotiations can get tough.”

“It’s intolerable to me that people can come in here and call my colleague a liar. Let’s work productively and work together on this,” said Ms. Lowey.

Chuck Collins, another member of the Cedar Street group, followed Mr. D’Andrea to the podium and struck a more decorous note. “We want to stay involved and help push things through. But can we promise each other to work together on this and do so transparently?” he asked the board.

Just as it seemed that the board and the audience had arrived on the same page, John J. Ryan Sr., a board member, said, “We would have to pay $2 million or $2.6 million, or whatever the property costs, at a cost to the taxpayer. If we can save the taxpayer this burden and build safely on property already owned by the school, why shouldn’t we consider this?”

Shortly after that morning’s town meeting, Mr. Cantwell said that the school board had been in touch looking to resume negotiations and that he, together with his board, had agreed to hold off putting the property on the market.

The Joys of Music

The Ellen Johansen Music Studio in East Hampton has two new classes starting next week to introduce young children and toddlers to the joys of music. Family Music: Playing Outdoors will run on Wednesdays or Fridays from next week through Aug. 24, with classes from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. for families with children between 1 and 4 years old. Families can try out a first class on Wednesday or Friday, July 7, for $25.

Baby’s Musical World, a class for parents or caregivers and babies up to 15 months old, will teach parents about “creating a fun musical environment” on Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. starting next week.

The cost for a series of eight classes is $250, including home materials. Families can try out a class next Thursday for $20. The studio is at 8 Stratton Square. Registration is required and can be done online at ellenjohansenmusicstudio.com or by phone at 631-324-9648.

Cartooning With Spacek

Cartooning in the style of Charles Addams, creator of the much-loved Addams Family characters, will be the focus of two weeklong workshops for kids 7 and up at the Bridgehampton Museum. Peter Spacek, an artist and illustrator who is also The Star’s cartoonist, will lead the workshops at the museum’s archives building in Bridgehampton. There will be two sessions: the first from July 10 through 14 and the second from Aug. 7 to 11, both running daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $225, and advance registration is required at 631-537-1088 or by email to [email protected]. A show of student work will take place at the end of each session.

CMEE’s Morning Kids Club

There are so many classes and workshops happening at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton this summer that it would be hard to list them all. Suffice it to say that no fewer than a dozen new offerings are on the schedule next week for kids ranging in age from 2 months to 16 years old, most of them for kids 5 and under, with more being added the week after that.

A morning kids club for ages 3 and 4, early independence programs for 2-year-olds, gardening, yoga, cooking, and clay play are just some of what’s in store. Sessions tend to run for four to six weeks. Among the workshops is computer coding for ages 7 to 16, which will teach the fundamentals of computer programming by building games, websites, apps, and robots. This one meets on Mondays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and costs $75 per class.

Another interesting one: a farm-to-table program at Bridge Gardens in Bridgehampton for parents and children 2 to 4 covering the basics of the plant life cycle and sustainable gardening, with songs and stories thrown in. It meets Tuesdays starting next week from 9:15 to 10 a.m. and costs $260 for four classes, $190 for museum members.

On Friday, July 7, parents can drop kids 3 and older at the museum for an evening dance party from 5:30 to 8 while they hit the town on their own. The cost, which includes dinner, is $55 per child and $25 for each additional sibling, $40 and $20 for members.

A more complete list of classes and workshops can be found in the children’s listings in today’s arts section or online at cmee.org.

To the Bay Street Stage

Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor has a multitude of children and teen theater programs heading to its stage in July and August. The first, My Life: the Musical, for ages 9 to 12, runs from July 10 through 14. Working with Kristen Poulakis, students will develop original scripts and receive instruction in acting, singing, dancing, and musical theater history each day from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Another session for that age group will run from Aug. 14 to 18, and one for younger would-be thespians age 7 to 9 will be held from July 17 through 21.

The summer schedule also includes Shakespeare workshops for ages 7 to 9 and 9 to 12, an introduction to theater arts for ages 4 to 7, puppetry for ages 4 to 7, and weeklong scene work and costume design workshops for teens. Bay Street will also hold single-day teen master classes in improvisation, audition techniques, singing, acting, dancing, and Shakespearean verse.

The cost for weeklong programs is $475 for one week, $850 for two, and $1,000 for three. Teen classes start at $125 for one class, $220 for two, and $325 for three. Advance registration is a must and can be done online at baystreet.org.

Hands-On 3-D Printing

At the Montauk Library next Thursday, kids 7 to 15 can try their hands at 3-D printing using the Tinkercad website and the library’s 3-D printer from 4 to 5 p.m. A program on Friday, July 7, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. will introduce all ages to bats and the importance of these flying creatures. There will be no live bats, but participants will head outside to see if they can find signs of them near the library.

Computer Coding Club

A computer coding club for ages 6 to 12 at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor will have its first meeting of the summer next Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. Participants will learn the basics of coding as they play around on popular coding websites and will work individually or in groups. Prior experience is not necessary and laptops will be provided. Advance registration has been requested.

On Saturday, the library will bust out the same sort of green screen used to add adventure-packed backgrounds in the movies during a program for ages 3 to 6. Kids have been invited to dress in a superhero costume or borrow one from the library and see themselves soaring through a city, battling a villain, or working with other superheroes to save the day. The program runs from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., and registration ahead of time has been requested.

Puppets, Circuits, and Beasts

At the East Hampton Library, kids 4 and older will make paper-bag puppets tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. A Pop Art portrait workshop for the same age group will take place on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Next Thursday at 3, kids 7 and older can learn the basics of electronics in a Snap Circuits workshop.

The first family movie of the summer, the 2017 version of “Beauty and the Beast,” will be shown at the library on Friday, July 7, at 2 p.m.

An essay on integrity and peer pressure by a John M. Marshall Elementary School fifth grader has earned her a place in the top 20 finalists in her age category at the nationwide Breaking Barriers in Sports, in Life essay contest.

Lola Garneau was one of 11,000 fourth through ninth graders who submitted their work to the annual contest, which is sponsored by Jackie Robinson’s daughter, Sharon Robinson, and Scholastic Books.

The personal essay assignment was the culmination of Erin Abran’s and Jessica Sinacori’s fifth-graders’ study of the biography “Promises To Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America,” written by Ms. Robinson about her father, the American sports icon who broke the color barrier in baseball.

The contest asked students to write about a barrier they have faced and how they were able to overcome it using one of Mr. Robinson’s nine values: courage, determination, teamwork, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment, and excellence.

According to the teachers, Lola’s essay focused on the sports legend’s famous words, “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me . . . all I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” The young writer used the theme to illustrate how she was able to navigate her way through peer pressure while maintaining her integrity, staying true to herself, and being loyal to all of her friends.

In her essay, Lola wrote, “I think that as you get older you face more drama, and friends start to separate. You start losing that ‘everyone is friends with each other’ vibe. I have noticed how things come and go out of style, like songs and clothes. Even friendships change at some point in every person’s life: They can get old too. I started going through that. I stayed true to myself and that is how I used integrity. I know it will follow me through middle school and high school as life gets more complicated. It will stop me at some point again along with the drama, but I will face it head- on with integrity.”

“Knowing this is a common barrier for kids in school, many students and teachers shared the positive impact that hearing her essay had on them,” Ms. Abran said.

Lola received a letter from Ms. Robinson, a certificate, and a pair of batting gloves.

In her letter, Ms. Robinson wrote, “I’m honored that my father’s values have continued to help young people understand how and why they have been able to overcome difficult situations in their lives.”

Family Cooking Classes

The Wellness Foundation is teaming up with Stefanie Sacks, a culinary nutritionist from Montauk, to offer plant-based cooking classes for families this summer at Amber Waves Farm in Amagansett. Ms. Sacks will share useful tips and easy strategies for cooking with farm-fresh ingredients. Classes will be held on June 27, July 4, July 11, and July 18 from 11 a.m. to noon. The cost is $25 per class for a parent and child, $35 for a parent with two children. The cost for the full series is $75 for a parent and child, $115 for a parent with two children. Advance registration is online at wfeh.org.

“Decadance”

The young dancers at Dancehampton in East Hampton will present their annual recital, “Decadance,” tomorrow night and Saturday afternoon at East Hampton High School. The studio’s competition dancers will take the stage in a special showcase at the high school on Saturday evening at 7.

Tickets to “Decadance,” which will be staged tomorrow at 6 and Saturday at 1, are $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

Music Fair

At the Children’s Museum of the East End’s free music fair on Saturday, kids can listen to, learn about, and play a variety of instruments between 10 a.m. and noon. There will be performances by local musicians and a range of interactive activities for all ages. Advance registration has been encouraged. The museum is on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike.

Tiny Worlds

A terrarium workshop on Saturday at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton will give families the chance to learn about ecosystems and their importance. The workshop will start at 10:30 a.m. and is best for families with children 8 and older. There is an $8 materials fee.

For kids 6 and older, there’s a meet and greet with some of the South Fork’s snake species on the agenda at 2 p.m. that day. After an introduction to the museum’s milk and corn snakes, participants will head into the field behind the museum to search for black racers.

Advance registration is requested for all museum programs.

Fun With Dad

At the Amagansett Library, Saturday is the first day to sign up for the summer reading club. The theme this year is Build a Better World. On Sunday, which is Father’s Day, of course, kids can stop by with their dads at 1:30 to make something together.

Crafty Kids

Starfish, dream catchers, and birdfeeders are the projects on the schedule this week at the East Hampton Library.

On Sunday, the library will provide the materials for building a birdfeeder in a session at 2 p.m. for high school students. A starfish storytime and craft for ages 4 to 6 will be held on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Next Thursday, kids in sixth through eighth grade can learn about dream catchers and make one of their own from 5 to 6 p.m.

The animated family movie “Wreck-It Ralph” will be shown on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Summer Reading Kick-Off

The Montauk Library will kick off its summer reading club with two events this week: a screening of “Lego Batman Movie” on Saturday at 2 p.m. and a cupcake decorating session on Friday, June 23, at 3 p.m.

At Saturday’s screening, early reading club registrants will get prizes and learn what raffle prizes are in store for those who keep up with their reading throughout the summer. There will be popcorn and refreshments.

Build a Better Cupcake is the theme of the Friday, June 23, event, playing on the summer reading theme Build a Better World. Everyone will get two cupcakes to decorate, and prizes will be awarded to the winning designs. The gathering is geared to children 4 and older. Advance registration has been requested.

Deborah A. Haab, the outgoing superintendent of the Highland Central School District in Ulster County, N.Y., has been appointed the new part-time superintendent of the Wainscott Common School District. She will replace Stuart Rachlin, who resigned from the position in January after serving in that role for five years.

Ms. Haab has worked in the Highland Central School District since 2009. Prior to that she was the superintendent of Altmar-Parish-Williamstown School District, near Syracuse. Between 2001 and 2005, she was the business administrator at the Bridgehampton School District, and before that she worked for many years in Hampton Bays as an assistant superintendent and business administrator.

Earlier this week, Ms. Haab announced her retirement from full-time service, effective Sept. 8. In a press release, Alan Barone, the president of the Highland School Board, praised Ms. Haab’s strong leadership and said she would be missed. Mr. Barone noted that under Ms. Haab’s guidance, the district overcame financial obstacles and is currently in very good fiscal standing, with a healthy fund balance, capital reserve, and negotiated contracts in place.  “And we still have the smallest school budget in Ulster County,” he said.

Ms. Haab said by phone that her plan had been to retire after the 2018-19 school year but she had often wondered if she was really ready to leave the world of education. “I truly do love my work and I realized I’m not ready to give it up.” She called the opening at the Wainscott School a “unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that was just too good to turn down.” She will be leaving a school district of approximately 1,800 students and joining one with 22 students in kindergarten through third grade.

By becoming Wainscott’s part-time superintendent, Ms. Haab said she will accomplish three goals: Continue to work with children for as long as possible, ease into retirement more gradually, and move back to her house in Springs, which she and her husband, Glen Haab, bought about 40 years ago. Her husband is a retired charter boat captain who worked in Montauk for several years when Ms. Haab was employed in Bridgehampton and Hampton Bays. The couple raised two daughters in Springs; both graduated from East Hampton High School and followed careers in education.

A press release from David Eagan, the Wainscott School Board president, stated that the new superintendent’s start date has not been finalized although Ms. Haab confirmed that she will officially start shortly after the beginning of the new school year and will be present at the school over the summer. Until then, Mr. Eagan said, Wainscott will continue working with the Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services for interim superintendent services. Ms. Haab said that she and her husband are very much looking forward to returning to Springs as full-time residents.

Approximately 175 ribbons were awarded on Tuesday to students from across Long Island who had submitted artwork for an exhibition at the LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton.

East End schools, including Amagansett, East Hampton, Montauk, Bridgehampton, Springs, Southampton, Sag Harbor, and Ross, collected the lion’s share of awards in painting, photography, sculpture, computer-generated design, and fashion, among other categories.

The curated show of art inspired by the gardens and sculpture at LongHouse was displayed on the lawn in the 16-acre reserve. Community members, students, teachers, and participants and their families from as far as Longwood and Tuckahoe milled among the art, while the Bridgehampton School’s marimba band performed. Prize-worthy work from kindergarten through fourth grade received winning ribbons, while fifth through 12th graders received first, second, and third-place ribbons.

According to Selena Rothwell, the chairwoman of LongHouse’s education committee, 97 percent of winners and their families were present for the ceremonies, including those who had traveled more than two hours to get there.

“It means everything to us to be able to give kids the opportunity to be showcased and to shine,” she said. “And to have almost every winner present to collect their award, that speaks for itself in terms of how much this meant to them.”

Ms. Rothwell said that the young artists were urged “to be inspired by LongHouse but not limited by it.” By encouraging them to think outside the box, she said, it forced the organization to create new categories for works borne out of the kids’ “sheer creativity and ingenuity.”

The best in show ribbon was awarded to “Seasons of LongHouse,” a stained- glass collaboration by 12th graders from the Longwood School District.

Two scholarships were awarded to high school seniors who will be pursuing an education in the arts. Karen Blandon of East Hampton High School and Sarah McErlean of Pierson in Sag Harbor each received $3,000.

Many of the student pieces will be on display in the East Hampton and Sag Harbor branches of People’s United Bank (formerly Suffolk County National Bank) through Labor Day.

Another school year is almost over. Friday marks the official last day for most schools in the area, leaving high school seniors with the pomp and circumstance of graduation celebrations to look forward to.

East Hampton’s high school graduation will be at 6 p.m. Friday. Of the 157 in the 2017 graduating class, 85.5 percent will attend two- or four-year colleges. Adam Fine, the school’s principal, will be the keynote speaker, with specifics by this year’s valedictorian, Phillipe Zablotsky, and Dylan Schleider, the salutatorian.

In Bridgehampton, of the 14 high school graduates, 13 will head to college. Graduation will be on Sunday at 4 p.m. Sandy McFarland, a Bridgehampton graduate and 2016 Hall of Fame inductee, will speak.

At Sag Harbor’s Pierson High School, Don Lemon, a CNN news anchor, will be the guest speaker at the graduation ceremony Saturday at 5 p.m. Of the 53 students in the Class of 2017, 50 have plans to attend college this fall.

The Ross School graduation took place Saturday, featuring Mary Ellen Hannibal, a writer of such books as “The Spine of the Continent,” as keynote speaker. The graduating class was comprised of 73 students, of which 97 percent are heading to higher education; two are taking gap years.

As a precursor for what awaits them four years from now, eighth graders in East Hampton and Sag Harbor celebrated their graduations Wednesday at 7 p.m. and 10 a.m., respectively. In Springs, eighth graders will enjoy a moving-up ceremony Thursday night at 6 in the East Hampton High School auditorium, while Montauk graduates will celebrate theirs Thursday night at 6 at the Montauk School.

Correction: Pierson's graduation ceremony is on Saturday, not Friday, as originally reported. 

From swimming to tennis to basketball, sailing, and games and crafts, the East Hampton Town Parks and Recreation Department has plenty on the schedule to keep kids busy this summer, most of it beginning next week.

Game and craft programs at the Montauk School and the Springs School are offered each weekday from Monday through Aug. 18 for kids 5 through 12. Morning sessions run from 9 to 12:30, and afternoon sessions go from 12:30 to 4. The cost per week for a half-day program is $100 for one child and $50 for each additional sibling. Children can take part in the morning and afternoon programs. Registration is at the Parks and Recreation Department’s office behind Town Hall weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The town runs free swimming lessons for children 4 and up from Monday through July 7 at Havens Beach in Sag Harbor at 10 a.m. Water shoes and goggles are required. Registration is at the beach on Monday. Later in the summer, lessons will be given at Maidstone Park in Springs, East Lake Beach in Montauk, and Albert’s Landing in Amagansett.

Sailing instruction is offered from Fresh Pond Beach in Amagansett for ages 12 and up Monday through July 9 from 9 a.m. to noon or 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $225. Three additional two-week sessions have been planned for July and August. Registration is at the Parks Department.

Tennis for kids in kindergarten and up will run from Monday through July 20 at the Montauk Racquet Club. Lessons for kindergartners and first graders are given on Monday and Wednesday from 4:15 to 5 p.m., with lessons for second and third graders following from 5 to 6. On Tuesday and Thursday, fourth and fifth graders have the courts from 4 to 5 p.m., and sixth graders and up take over from 5 to 6. The cost is $125 for two days a week, $65 for one. Registration is at 619-831-5721.

There are basketball and tennis clinics at the East Hampton Youth Park next week through Aug. 17. On Mondays and Wednesdays, it’s basketball for kindergarten and first grade from 5 to 6 p.m., and for fourth and fifth grade from 6 to 8. Those same days, tennis runs from 6 to 7 p.m. for second and third grade, and from 7 to 8 for sixth grade and up.

Tuesdays and Thursdays bring basketball for second and third graders from 5 to 6 p.m., and for fourth and fifth graders from 6 to 7. Also those days, there will be tennis for kindergartners and first graders from 6 to 7 p.m. and for fourth and fifth graders from 7 to 8. The cost is $45 for the full summer of tennis or basketball, $60 for children who do both. Registration is at the Parks and Recreation Department or at the Montauk Playhouse.

Kids entering 9th through 12th grades can blow off steam during weekly recreation programs at the East Hampton Middle School on Saturdays from 5 to 9 p.m.

The Hampton Racquet club in East Hampton will host a tag sale to benefit Project Most’s summer learning program on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The enrichment program is a hands-on, interactive initiative for kids in prekindergarten through eighth grade, held at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in East Hampton during July and August each year.

Susan Hanley, who was recently appointed development director of Project Most, described the program as “a great opportunity for kids to really do things over their summer break.” Activities include organic farming, cooking lessons, dance classes, and reading and math instruction. This year, a double-Dutch jump-rope specialist will visit to teach kids a few tricks.

Saturday’s tag sale, Ms. Hanley said, will be a fun family day with bargains on items such as a unicycle, bongo drums, furniture, toys, and artwork. “Everyone will walk out with something,” she said.

In addition, there will be face painting, artisans selling their handicrafts, children selling homemade lemonade, a raffle drawing, and a silent auction featuring artwork donated by East End artists.

Hampton Racquet is at 172 Buckskill Road. Admission to the tag sale is free.