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.

Puppets  and Crafts

A Couple of Puppets will perform its version of “The Three Little Pigs” at the Amagansett Library in a program on Saturday at 3 p.m. that is best for ages 2 to 7.

Sharks will be the focus of a program at the library next Thursday at 6 p.m., when the presenter will be a marine educator who is also the survivor of a shark attack. Geared to ages 5 to 12, with parents welcome, the evening will offer insight into current shark research while dispelling common misconceptions about these creatures. Advance registration is required for both programs.

The first of what will be weekly story time and craft gatherings of the library’s summer reading club for kids 4 to 7 will be on Monday at 3 p.m.

Soulful Summer Fun

Camp SoulGrow, a not-for-profit offering workshops, volunteer opportunities, and adventures for kids 7 and up, will have a full schedule of offerings starting next week.

The week will begin on Monday with boxing with Richie Daunt at the camp’s downtown Montauk studio from 5 to 6:30 p.m. From 6:30 to 8, kids can join other campers for a pizza party on the downtown green while listening to the free Monday night concert there. Tuesday it’s meditation at the Montauk Salt Cave from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., surfing with Austin’s Surf Camp from 1 to 2:30, and a visit to Navy Beach with the Navy SEALS from 2:30 to 4. A bus will leave the downtown studio at 11 a.m. and return at 4 p.m.

On Wednesday at Third House in Montauk County Park, kids can make stained glass with Ralph Perricelli from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., do gymnastics from 1 to 2:30, and make art with Carol Sharks from 2:30 to 4. There’s a pool party planned at the Montauk Yacht Club next Thursday from 1 to 2:30 p.m. On Friday, June 30, camp activities will be back at Third House, where there will be a hike of the Amsterdam Beach trail from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., carpentry with Christopher Conroy at 1, and a waterworks party from 2:30 to 4.

Kids who plan to take part in activities that span lunchtime have been asked to take a bagged lunch with no nuts or products containing nuts. Camps are offered on a donation basis, but a one-time contribution of $100 has been requested upon registration at the start of the season to help support the camp. Those unable to pay will not be turned away. Registration for individual sessions is online at campsoulgrow.org.

CMEE Book Swap

Kids tired of reading the same old books can inject new life into their home libraries just in time for summer at a book swap at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Lemonade will be served, and kids can make bookmarks for their new reading material.

Headdresses and Electronics

After looking at some examples of African tribal headdresses, kids 4 and older will have a chance to make one of their own on Monday at the East Hampton Library. The program runs from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

And that’s just the beginning of next week’s fun. On Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m., a Snap Circuits workshop will introduce kids 7 and older to the basics of electronics. Butterflies will be the topic and the special visitors in a program next Thursday at 3 p.m. for kids 4 and older. Also that day, teens who will be freshmen next year will be welcomed in the library’s young-adult room at 3:30. The room is reserved for high school students.

On Friday, June 30, kids 4 and older can make paper bag puppets and put on a show from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Raptors and Strawberries

From henna art in Bridgehampton to strawberry DNA in Sag Harbor to birds of prey in Montauk, the other libraries in the area have much to pique a kid’s interest.

Folks from the Quogue Wildlife Refuge will visit the Montauk Library on Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. with a collection of birds of prey native to New York and the stories about how each one came to live at the refuge. On Tuesday at the library, kids 6 and older can celebrate Independence Day early by making wooden American flag crafts and decorating chocolate-covered pretzels from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Strawberry season usually brings shortcake to mind, but on Sunday at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor, children 8 to 12 can instead extract stringy DNA from squished-up berries. The program runs from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

At the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton, teens will learn about the history of henna body art and then have a chance to create their own temporary designs at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

Advance registration has been requested for all library programs.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.”

An agenda item on Tuesday’s East Hampton School Board meeting caused alarm among several audience members until they were reassured that it did not mean the board had decided to build a bus depot on the high school campus.

What is known as a negative declaration in an environmental impact study prepared by the district’s engineering company, V.H.B., regarding a bus depot near Cedar Street caused the alarm. Such a study is required if the board goes ahead with the plan, and V.H.B. found that doing so “would not result in a significant adverse environmental impact.”

J.P. Foster, the board president, cooled down the reaction of those at the meeting who are members of the ad hoc Cedar Street committee by announcing that the board was continuing to investigate the possibility of building a depot on Springs-Fireplace Road, along a mostly industrial stretch.

Vito Brullo, a member of the Cedar Street committee, said he had prepared remarks but, in light of Mr. Foster’s assurances, would reserve his comments “until further developments come about.”

Mr. Foster reminded those present that the district does not own the Springs-Fireplace Road site and would need to purchase it from East Hampton Town. “We’re working with the town,” he said, adding that Supervisor Larry Cantwell is “very aware of our intentions, and we’ve made our intentions very clear to him. . . . We’re going to do our best.”

In response, Chuck Collins, who was in the audience, voiced relief. “Thank you guys for listening to our concerns. I trust and hope you will continue to listen. I’m heartened to hear you are still looking at Springs-Fireplace, which we feel is a good option,” Mr. Collins said.

Over $300,000 worth of scholarships was awarded last week to 58 graduating seniors at East Hampton High School, out of a class of 171.

The East Hampton Ladies Village Improvement Society presented 18 scholarships for a total of $146,000. Fourteen of the following recipients received $8,000 each, one received $4,000, and three received $10,000 each: Cybele Adamcewicz, Georgia Aldrich, Theodore Calabrese, Dylan Camacho, Freddy Sanchez Charchipulla, Jillian Czarnecki, Cecilia de Havenon, Francesca Denaro, Samantha Dossantos, Emma Foster, Jordan Foster, Danielle Futerman, Kathleen McGovern, Margaret Ryan, Marikate Ryan, Olivia Suter, Andrew Wilson, Philippe Zablotsky.

Ms. Denaro and Mr. Wilson each won a $10,000 four-year scholarship from the Greater East Hampton Education Foundation, the first year the organization made two such awards. The two were the evening’s top award-winners, with 14 and 12 scholarships respectively.

In addition, the education foundation presented 10 book scholarships, to Grace Amaden, Ciara Bowen, Mr. Calabrese, Ms. Dossantos, Jacqueline Espinoza-Perez, Emma Foster, Abby Nanci-Ross, Ashley Simons, Ms. Suter, and Elizabeth Tigre.

Four fire departments presented scholarships to residents of their districts. In Amagansett, Brendan DiSunno was the recipient. In East Hampton, the winners were Ms. Czarnecki, Trisha Estuye, and Marikate Ryan. The Springs Fire Department’s David M. King Memorial Scholarship went to Karen Blandon, Sandra Arevalo Fajardo, Ms. Futerman, and Ruby Talmage, and the Montauk Fire Department gave scholarships to Gavin Moucha, Vanessa Hammond, Dylan Schleider, and Ms. Adamcewicz.

The two-hour presentation ceremony also saw scholarships awarded from local businesses such as Riverhead Building Supply and Bridgehampton National Bank; personal ones set up by families as memorials to loved ones; arts organizations, including the Hamptons International Film Festival; teacher associations, PTA committees, and political groups, including the East Hampton Democratic Committee and the East Hampton Republican Club.

Altogether, some 66 local organizations awarded scholarships