The East Hampton School Board, meeting on Tuesday, officially adopted a budget of $68.3 million for the 2017-2018 school year.

“We went through this line by line, and have finally come up with a budget as fair as possible to the taxpayer,” Richard Burns, the superintendent, said.

“The school board will continue to put the needs of the kids above all else,” Jacqueline Lowey, a board member, said.

A public hearing on the budget will take place at 6:30 p.m. on May 2, at the high school.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Mr. Burns reminded board members to read and assess the environmental impact review report handed to them at their last meeting by David M. Wortman, a senior environmental manager at V.H.B., the engineering and planning company looking into the possible construction of a school bus depot on Cedar Street.

Also at the May 2 meeting, board members will offer their reactions to the report, and Mr. Wortman will answer questions about the project. The report is available online at easthamptonschools.org, under the heading “Announcements.”

A global effort to raise money for emergency famine relief in Africa has taken root here, with children from across the South Fork coming together with a sense of urgency in a Fight the Famine campaign. Now, a fund-raiser will be held at the Bridgehampton Community House on Main Street on April 29, a Saturday, from 4 to 7 p.m. Proceeds will directly benefit UNICEF, an organization that works in 190 countries and territories to put children first.

UNICEF estimates that 1.4 million children from South Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, and Somalia are at risk of imminent death from severe acute malnutrition — the effects of famine brought on by massive droughts and climate change, conflict and war, and economic inflation. Across the continent, 16 million people are desperately in need of food, water, and medical treatment, with devastating effects for some of the world’s most vulnerable children.

When students were asked why they wanted to help people so far away, their answers were potent. “Kids just like us are starving,” Atlas Geirsson, a student at the Hayground School, said.

“I care because even if we live in different countries, we’re all human, and if we have food, they have every right to food as well,” said Madeline Grabb, a Bridgehampton School student.

The fund-raiser will feature finger foods thought up and prepared by high school students from Bridgehampton’s nutrition and culinary program; table decorations by children in the nursery program at the Green School in Bridgehampton; fabric art by Hayground students featuring flags and indigenous trees, birds, and flowers of the afflicted African countries; a crafts table manned by the kids from Montauk’s Camp SoulGrow; auction items and prizes procured and organized by Ross School students and kids from Shelter Island; drinks and table coverings by East Hampton’s John M. Marshall Elementary School students and PTA, and publicity and social media by students from Liz Bertsch and Mbachi Kumwenda’s class at Hayground. The event will also feature a D.J. and dancing.

“We commend the East End kids for their commitment to helping their peers around the world,” said Michele Walsh, the managing director for the New York region at UNICEF USA. “Every dollar raised helps UNICEF carry out its lifesaving work for children and families affected by the crisis.”

Tickets for the event are $12 for adults, $10 for children. Additional donations have been encouraged. The website to visit for tickets and more information is events.unicefusa.org/ event/fight-the-famine.

After 32 years of teaching at the Montauk School, Judith Pfister is looking forward to not having to wear a watch every day.

“For as long as I can remember, my whole day has been about looking at my watch. It’s a constant reminder of schedules — sort of an alarm clock around my wrist,” she said following the announcement of her retirement during a meeting of the school board on Tuesday. “I will have an extra 8 to 10 hours a day, and I will relish that time and enjoy every minute of it.”

Ms. Pfister grew up in Southampton and after graduating from high school attended East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, where she received her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She moved to New Jersey and taught English in an inner-city school for three years.

In 1985, while visiting her family in Southampton, she saw an advertisement in The East Hampton Star for a teaching position at the Montauk School. “I came back home,” said Ms. Pfister, who teaches reading and English language arts to the fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.

Unlike other schools on the East End, Montauk’s attendance figures have been dwindling. When Ms. Pfister began her tenure more than three decades ago, there were 420 students. Today, there are approximately 350.

Jack Perna, the district superintendent and principal, addressed the declining student population. “We are losing families every day because rents and property values in Montauk are simply unaffordable. If the town doesn’t do something to help, we will be looking at very small classes in the near future,” he said during a discussion of whether 21 prekindergarten students should be combined to form one class or remain as two smaller classes.

For Ms. Pfister, the unique qualities of the school — its small classes, low turnover rate of administration and faculty, and support for the staff’s needs — provide the opportunity to be “the best teacher you can possibly be,” she said. “They give you every opportunity here to be the best and nothing less.”

Mr. Perna listened to Ms. Pfister’s retirement letter as it was read at the meeting — in it she called the school “a diamond in the rough” — and then addressed Ms. Pfister. “I hope when it’s time to find a replacement for you, I can find someone with your teaching ability, your class and dedication to the kids and this school. Are you sure you want to retire?”

“Do you know,” she said later, “I almost wanted to jump up and say, ‘I’ll stay.’ ”

In preparation for district-wide school board elections, candidates’ nominating petitions are due at the various district clerks’ offices no later than 5 p.m. on April 17. The elections will be held on May 16, a Tuesday.

In East Hampton, two board members, Jacqueline Lowey and John J. Ryan Sr., will complete their terms on June 30. Ms. Lowey has announced she will seek re-election. In an email to The Star, she wrote that “I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished these past six years and would like one final term to continue working for the families of East Hampton.”

In Bridgehampton, the terms of two board members, Jeff Mansfield and Kathleen McCleland, also end in June. Neither has said yet whether they will run again.

In Springs, the vice president of the school board, Timothy Frazier, will seek re-election. Elizabeth Mendelman, a board member, has not declared her intentions.

The terms of Diana Kolhoff, president of the board in Sag Harbor, and the board members Theresa Samot and Sandi Kruel, are up in June as well. None have announced their plans for the future.

East Hampton, Bridgehampton, and Sag Harbor schools named their valedictorians and salutatorians this week.

Philippe Zablotsky is East Hampton High School’s 2017 valedictorian. He will graduate as a National Merit Scholarship Commended Student, with 17 honors and Advanced Placement courses. Philippe is a member of the National Honor Society, the French National Honor Society, and the Spanish National Honor Society. Outstanding achievement in math and science earned him recognition for the Bausch and Lomb Award from the University of Rochester. He also received the Suffolk County All-League Coaches Award in varsity baseball. In addition, Philippe has completed over 260 hours of community service, volunteering at a local food pantry, library, and summer fairs. He has not yet decided which college to attend.

East Hampton’s salutatorian is Dylan Schleider, who received a Gold award as one of the students with the highest grade point average in the class, and achieved a perfect score on the National Latin Exam. Dylan, a Lions Club Student of the Month, also won the Veterans of Foreign Wars Award and an East Hampton Star All-Star Award. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Business Honor Society, and the World Language Honor Society. Last year, she traveled to Nicaragua with other students and helped build a school for a poverty-stricken community.

At Sag Harbor’s Pierson High School, Eve Bishop is this year’s valedictorian. Eve received a National Merit Scholarship letter of commendation and earned outstanding achievement awards in biology, English literature, and mathematics. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the Quiz Bowl Team, Math League, and the Pierson Press. Additionally, she plays the oboe and is an accomplished photographer whose work has been published in Newsday and exhibited at Guild Hall and the Parrish Art Museum. Eve will attend Pomona College in the fall.

Ella Parker is Pierson’s salutatorian. Ella, who received outstanding achievement awards in geometry, global history, Spanish, and visual arts, is a 2016 recipient of the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award. She is a member of the National Honor Society, student council, a teen leader for the Retreat, and  a member of the Math League and Quizbowl.

Max Cheng has been named Bridgehampton High School’s valedictorian, with a 95 grade point average earned in Advanced Placement classes in U.S. history, literature, language and composition, environmental science, and politics and government. Max, who will complete college-level calculus, also played varsity basketball. He is co-founder of the Culture Club and the Sprouts farm stand project. Last summer, he completed an internship in Berlin, where he worked as a translator and in website design.

  Nia Dawson is Bridgehampton’s salutatorian, with a grade point average of 94. She has completed Advanced Placement language and composition, literature, environmental science, and politics and government classes, as well as honors English and college-level precalculus. She was elected senior class president and is a member of the National Honor Society and the school’s Tewa Marimba Band, and is a recipient of the Suffolk Zone High School Leadership Award and the John Niles Award. Along with Max, Nia co-founded the Sprouts farm stand project.

Hip Hop Hurray

Kids who celebrate Easter will be in a lather awaiting the overnight delivery of their bright baskets filled with chocolate rabbits and marshmallow chickens. They can get a hop, skip, and jump on their candy fix at a cluck-cluck clutch of egg hunts to be held on Saturday.

Herrick Park on Newtown Lane in East Hampton will once again be the scene of a mad egg-collecting dash at 10 a.m., as the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee hosts the free-of-charge, free-for-all hunt (really, more of a race) that has become an annual tradition. As ever, the Easter Bunny himself is expected to put in an appearance, and there will be games, raffle prizes, and cheerful sugar-induced mayhem.

Marders nursery on Snake Hollow Road in Bridgehampton will be the scene of a hunt, also starting at 10 a.m., that is a bit more challenging and that in years past has featured actual hard-boiled eggs, hand-decorated by the nursery’s staff, as well as chocolates. The hunt at the Amagansett Youth Park on Abraham’s Path will kick off at noon; families have been asked to drop off a donation of a dozen plastic eggs and a bag of individually wrapped candies (but none with peanuts) before the start whistle blows.

On Sunday afternoon, once the cellophane wrapping has been ripped open and the jelly beans and foil tossed all over the living room, kids who want more, more, more Easter kicks can be treated to two more hunts.

Members of the Sag Harbor Lions will play bunny’s helpers for an egg hunt at Mashashimuet Park. There will be three start times for three age groups. The 2 to 4-year-olds will start at 1 p.m., with adults holding their hands; then the 5 to 7-year-olds will make a run for the eggs, followed by 8 to 10-year-olds. There will also be pony rides. A rather more serene springtime scene is expected along a water-view trail near Long Pond, where the Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt will present their annual hunt, co-sponsored by the Southampton Trails Preservation Society; this one is reserved for children 8 and under. Participants will meet at Poxabogue Park, south of the railroad trestle on Old Farm Road in Sagaponack. It begins at 1 p.m. sharp.

The Minecraft Mob

The weekly Wednesday evening Minecraft Club at the Hampton Library on Main Street in Bridgehampton has become quite popular, despite the rather late 7 p.m. start time on a school night. If you still do not know what Minecraft is (and you don’t have a child nearby to explain it to you), it is the second-best-selling video game of all time, in which imaginary worlds are constructed on screen and imaginary pigs, chickens, and cows — beset, in some modes, by nasty spiders, skeletons, and zombies — leap and fly about as they gather building materials and tools.

The club’s age range is 7 to 12, and kids are required to sign up in advance. Sometimes, the library’s computers are all claimed, and children take their own laptops to play alongside, but even in that event reservations are necessary.

You’re Grounded!

Earth Day is coming. Looking ahead to next week, there are a couple of earthy events that parents might want to R.S.V.P. for on the early side. At 3 p.m. on April 22, a Saturday, the friendly children’s librarians at the Amagansett Library on Main Street are planning a workshop at which sunflower seeds will be sown in biodegradable containers and a farmer from Amber Waves Farm will offer the kids insights into the cycle from seed to soil to thriving plant. Registration is being taken on the library’s website.

The next day, April 23, at the Montauk Library on Montauk Highway, families will celebrate the Earth in an unusual fashion: by manipulating dough, tomato sauce, and cheese to create pizzas that look like our world or places on the map. The event, which starts at 2 p.m., will be limited to 15 families, and reservations are being taken at 631-668-3377.

A legal clinic organized by the Organización Latino-Americana will take place at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton today from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

“The goal of this legal clinic is to help parents prepare for the possible transfer of parental decision-making to others in the event of parental arrest or deportation,” a press release from CMEE said. A panel of lawyers will be present.

The program is designed to help parents deal with practical issues. OLA also is in the process of creating a document explaining how parents could keep their children at home and in school should anything happen to them.

Minerva Perez, the executive director of OLA, said, “A key component of this clinic is to de-escalate the fear of parents who don’t really need to be worrying about this. It’s tricky, though, because we don’t want to contribute to greater concern, but there are families who would benefit from having a plan like this in place. If it brings some peace of mind, it’s a good thing.”

Ms. Perez said many families are “anticipating the worst: Your kids come home from school and you’re not there. It’s not for anyone to question why they’re so afraid, but in terms of giving them whatever they need so they don’t have to spend money, this seems to be the right forum.”

In a related event, tomorrow from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Bridgehampton Community House, OLA, in conjunction with Long Island Jobs With Justice, a coalition of labor unions and community and faith-based organizations, as well as students, will discuss “rapid responder” training, in other words, how residents can support immigrants dealing with minor infractions by accompanying them to court. The event will include a light dinner.

“We are already creating accompaniments for people,” Ms. Perez said. “This will give everyone a broader scope of how they can be involved.” Those who take part do not have to speak Spanish, she said. “You’re essentially a witness.”

On April 5, Ms. Perez met with 25 East End school superintendents to ask that schools adopt a consistent approach to helping children who might face the possibility of parents being arrested or deported. She said the superintendents assured her that the East End schools would do what they could to support these families and that the schools would remain safe places for children, regardless of race or immigration status.

With Reporting by Christopher Walsh

“Cinderella” for Spring

Young dancers in the Hampton Ballet Theatre School are gearing up for their spring production, “Cinderella,” which will be on the Guild Hall stage from Friday, April 28, through April 30. The comic ballet is set to a score by Prokofiev and choreographed by Sara Jo Strickland, the school’s director.

Rose Kelly, a student at the school, which is in Bridgehampton, will dance the title role. Adam and Gail Baranello of the A&G Dance Company will appear as the father and the evil stepmother, and Nicholas Sipes, a guest artist, will dance as Prince Charming. Costumes are by Yuka Silvera and lighting design is by Sebastian Paczynski.

Show times will be 7 p.m. on Friday, April 28, and April 29, with matinees at 1 on April 29 and at 2 on April 30. Orchestra tickets cost $25, $20 for children under 12 in advance, or $30 and $25 the day of the show. Tickets can be reserved at 888-933-4287 or online at hamptonballettheatreschool.com.

Theater Workshops

From Page to Stage, eight-week theater workshops for kids 6 to 18 with the artists from Our Fabulous Variety Show, will start Wednesday at Guild Hall. Participants will work on fundamental acting and improv skills while developing their own stories for the stage. They will be divided into three age groups, with classes from 4 to 5:15 p.m. for ages 9 to 11, from 5:15 to 6:45 for ages 12 to 18, and from 7 to 8:15 p.m. for ages 6 to 8. The cost is $225, $220 for members of Guild Hall. Advance registration is required with Jennifer Brondo at 631-324-0806.

About Planting Seeds

A farmer from Amber Waves Farm in Amagansett will lead families in a seed-planting workshop on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Amagansett Library. Participants will learn how to make biodegradable planters, and each will each take their seeds home, where they can care for them and watch them grow. Advance registration has been requested.

Learn, Play, Grow

Learn, Play, Grow, a five-week program at the Montauk Library for parents and young children 12 to 36 months old, will begin on Saturday. The free series addresses child development and early learning while encouraging parents and children to interact, play, and explore together. A different topic will be covered each Saturday. After an orientation this week, early literacy will be the subject. On April 29, it will be speech, hearing, and language development; May 6, child development; May 13, music, and May 20, nutrition and health. The program will run from 11 a.m. to noon. It is free, but advance registration is required.

On Sunday, families can make pizzas with the Baking Coach from 2 to 4 p.m. and then take them home to bake for dinner.

Mosaics and Comic Art

Pets, comic book art, and a bilingual celebration of books are on the agenda this week at the East Hampton Library. Today at 4 p.m., kids in sixth through eighth grades can use paint chips of the sort you might find at a hardware store to make mosaic artworks.

Kids 5 and older can learn about pets they might have at home or in school while visiting with a few real pets tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. And fans of graphic novels and comic books may want to make time for a workshop on Tuesday at 4 p.m., when sixth graders six through eighth graders can look through the library’s collection for inspiration for their own comic books or graphic novels. Templates will be provided.

Next Thursday is El Dia de los Ninos/El Dia de los Libros, a celebration of reading and literacy for ages 4 and up that will include refreshments and a craft. The program runs from 4 to 5 p.m.

Make Your Own Dog Treats

The Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton has designated Saturday as Pet Appreciation Day and invited people to decorate homemade dog treats to show their love for the special canines in their lives. Treats and decorations cost $4 per person, $3 for members.

The Cedar Street bus depot debate was reignited on Tuesday evening during a school board meeting in East Hampton. Michael J. Guido Jr., an architect hired by the East Hampton School District last October to work on the plan to build a bus maintenance barn and refueling facility on the Cedar Street side of the high school campus, was present at the meeting. He introduced David M. Wortman, a senior environmental manager at V.H.B., an engineering and planning company appointed by the school board to carry out an environmental-impact assessment of the bus depot, should it in fact end up on Cedar Street.

In New York State, most projects or activities proposed by a state agency or unit of local government require an environmental-impact review as mandated by the State Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQRA. The assessment required under SEQRA and presented by Mr. Wortman is neutral on the issue it examines; it will be up to the school board to interpret its contents and draw conclusions.

During an hourlong presentation and discussion, Mr. Wortman offered board members their first glimpse of the assessment, which identifies potential areas of environmental impact around the site, such as traffic, water, and noise, as well as aesthetic concerns. (As of press time, the environmental-impact document had not been made public, although the school is required to do so.)

Mr. Wortman advised the board that, under the SEQRA rules, their next step would be to identify themselves as the lead agency of the process. Following that, the board would have 20 days to make either a positive or negative environmental-impact declaration to New York State.

A negative impact declaration would be made if the school board members determine that a bus depot sited on Cedar Street would have an insignificant environmental impact. The determination, in its official written form, would need to identify and thoroughly analyze the areas of concern, and explain why they were considered insignificant.

Alternatively, should the board determine that the proposed construction might result in a significant adverse impact, it would be required to file a positive declaration and prepare an environmental-impact statement.

J.P. Foster, the president of the school board, suggested that board members take a month to carefully consider the findings of the V.H.B. assessment before any declarations are made. “It is the board’s intention to understand this assessment thoroughly before we can move forward,” he said.

Mr. Foster also pointed out that the board was about to embark on another SEQRA review, for another possible bus depot site, alluding to the potential purchase of the long-disused scavenger-waste facility on Springs-Fireplace Road, which it began exploring as an option to the Cedar Street plan after objections arose.

During public commentary, Jeffrey Bragman, an attorney representing the ad hoc Cedar Street committee, mostly comprised of concerned neighbors, spoke and demanded a public hearing for the plans. “We want a chance to be heard and speak at length, not just a three-minute sound bite,” he said, referencing the time allotted to each member of the public wishing to address the board. 

Mr. Bragman also offered the board some friendly advice, “Take a deep breath and pause,” he said. “Get all the information you need to make an informed decision, because all you have now is information provided by your expert and his report.”

“But the plan isn’t complete,” continued Mr. Bragman. “It isn’t enough to say there are solutions for issues like noise control. We need to know exactly where those berms would go, and what visual impact they would have. I’m not being critical, I’m simply urging you to take your time and make an informed decision.”

“I thought that’s what we’ve already agreed to do,” said Jacqueline Lowey, a board member. “We just said we were going to take our time and study the report.”

Richard Burns, the district superintendent, commended the presentation, calling it “a very comprehensive analysis for what the board needs to make a decision.”

Mr. Burns, during a phone interview, also acknowledged that the district is continuing its exploration of the Springs-Fireplace Road location as an alternative to Cedar Street. “We’re in a very deliberate mode,” he said. “This process has been going on for a year and a half. No one can say we’re rushing through it.”

Another spirited discussion at the board meeting centered around the East Hampton athletics department. The middle school has, for several years, allowed students from nearby, smaller districts to combine with East Hampton students on certain sports teams. Consequently, as East Hampton enrollment numbers continue to rise, middle school teams have ballooned to such an extent that many athletes are sitting on the bench with no playing time all season.

J.P. Foster, the board president, began the debate. “Our own students are losing out because we’re bringing in kids from other districts,” he said. “At some point, we have to reassess this, because I want our kids to play.”

Christina DeSanti, the board’s vice president, said, “I want our taxpayers’ kids to play.”

Adam Fine, the high school principal, ended the meeting on a high note, commending the class of 2017.

“Every year I say they just cannot get any better, but this year’s class is every bit as impressive in all that they have accomplished. We’ve had five acceptances to Cornell University, which is unheard of. Plus, Northeastern University, Bowdoin College, M.I.T., Bar­nard, Boston College, Loyola Mary­mount, and many others,” he said. “From a small district at the tip of Long Island, this group of students have quietly led the way to becoming outstanding human beings. I couldn’t be more proud.”

Lonely as a Cloud?

With the weather at its most changeable and, some might say, most romantic — moody days of gray and rain alternating with azure skies that cast sunshine on the new daffodils — it is probably fitting that April is National Poetry Month. At the Amagansett Library, on Tuesday afternoon at 2, kids ages 4 to 12 (probably starting to get a bit bored, alone at home over spring break) can get into the literary spirit by creating illustrations to accompany the poem of their choice from the bookshelves.

As ever, parents who would like to sign up their junior Whitmans and Dickinsons have been asked to contact the children’s librarian, Evan Harris, at 631-267-3810 or [email protected]. There is no charge.

Stingray Scientists

On Saturday morning at 10:30, the South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center, on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton, will be the scene of an intriguing event for fearless budding biologists: a stingray-dissection workshop. There is a materials fee of $20, and reservations must be made in advance by calling SoFo at 631-537-9735.

Participants must be at least 8 years old to attend. The long-tailed, slightly spooky-looking stingray is common in Long Island Sound, but it is not often that kids get to see inside of one.

Calling All Young Birders

Looking ahead to next weekend, April 15 is an important date to remember for East End students who have an interest in birds. The first-ever meeting of the Young Birders Club will convene at SoFo from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The club is open to anyone between the ages of 8 and 18 who would like to meet fellow birders and get advice from the club’s advisers, Frank Quevedo, SoFo’s director, and Barbara Blaisdell, who is on its board of directors. Hannah Mirando, a student at East Hampton High School, will be the club’s leader.

After a meet-and-greet and orientation, the group will head into the field, binoculars in hand. Those who would like to join the club, or just check it out, have been asked to phone the museum ahead, and to take along a field guide to birds of the eastern United States and binoculars, if they have them (SoFo has a few to lend).

Henna Tattooing

The Montauk Library will host a lunch-and-lesson workshop for students who would prefer to get their hands dirty in a decorous and elegant manner — with red-earth-colored henna. Spring-breakers in fourth grade and above will be given a lesson in the ancient Indian body art of henna tattooing. Pizza will be served at the event, which starts at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Space is limited, and those interested have been asked to phone for a reservation at 631-668-3377.

Growing Green Thumbs

Hot, hazy summer days of ripe tomatoes and nodding dahlias are already on the minds of event organizers at the Children’s Museum of the East End, on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton. They are joining forces with the folks from Amagansett’s Amber Waves Farm to host a seed-planting party called “Let’s Get This Garden Started,” scheduled for April 15 from 10 to noon. The cost is $2 for CMEE members, $15 for nonmembers (including admission to the museum). All participants will go home with a plant to call their own.