Students in the Project MOST after-school program at the John M. Marshall Elementary School received a visit from State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle and Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. on Dec. 6.

    The two lawmakers visited the program, which also serves students in Springs and Wainscott, in recognition of a state grant awarded to it. They learned how Project MOST supports students academically and visited students doing various enrichment activities, from storytelling to dance and movement to computer technology and cooperative games.

    The program has received $2 million in state funding since its inception in 2001, and is also supported by East Hampton Town, the school districts, parents, and private foundations.

    Joining Mr. LaValle and Mr. Thiele on the tour were Richard Burns, the district superintendent, East Hampton Town Councilmen Dominick Stanzione and Peter Van Scoyoc, Robert Tymann, the assistant superintendent, Gina Kraus, the John Marshall principal, and Christina DeSanti, a school board member.

Happy New Year!

    Ten, nine, eight. . . . Children and their parents can do their own countdown to the new year 12 hours early when the Children’s Museum of the East End hosts a “ball drop” on Monday.  To prepare, kids can make holiday noisemakers that day at 11:30 a.m. At noon partygoers will be showered with confetti and toast 2013 with sparkling juice. The event costs $10 and is free to CMEE members. The museum will close for the holiday at 1 p.m.

    Parents looking to escape the house with the kids might find what they’re looking for during drop-in workshops at the museum today and tomorrow at 10 a.m. Today, children will make dog treats for animal visitors from the South Fork Animal Shelter. Tomorrow, they will create borax crystal snowflakes. The cost is $23, $10 for members. A solarplate printmaking class for kids 4 to 8 will be offered today and tomorrow, also at 10 a.m. It is free for members, $10 for others. Advance reservations are requested for all programs. The museum is on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton.

Early Countdown

    The John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor will also help kids get into the New Year’s Eve spirit during an early countdown on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. There will be snacks and party games. Advance registration has been requested.

Lizards and Party Poppers

    Reindeer are so two days ago. Now on to other exciting creatures.

    On Saturday at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton, kids of all ages can see, touch, and learn about snakes, lizards, turtles, tree frogs, toads, salamanders, and an American alligator, as well as several other species during “Erik’s Reptile Edventures Live Animal Show.” The one-hour show begins at 11 a.m. The library has asked for registration in advance. Children in seventh grade and above can try their hands at no-sew fleece pillow crafts through Monday during library hours. Tomorrow, from 11 a.m. to noon, kids 8 to 12 can get ready for New Year’s Eve by making party poppers.

Make Your Own

    With no puppet shows at the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor until January, kids experiencing puppet withdrawal can make their own festive puppets tomorrow at the East Hampton Library. The program runs from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Reservations have been requested.

Bugly Bugs

    Talking Hands Theatre will spin a tale of insects and what makes each one unique in “The Bugaboo Revue” on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor. The show is geared to children between the ages of 2 and 7. Tickets cost $10, $9 for members and grandparents, and $5 for children under 3.

Anybody Hungry?

    Children will learn about the feeding habits of creatures of a different sort on Saturday at 10 a.m. during feeding time at the South Fork Natural History Museum. Kids have been invited to help the museum staff in their duties, while also getting a lesson on strategies the museum’s animals have developed to survive. Advance registration with the museum, which is on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton, has been requested.

Move Baby, Move

    Music Together by the Dunes is bringing early-childhood music and movement programs to the East Hampton Methodist Church and the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton.

    The program is for newborns through 5-year-olds with a parent or caregiver and includes singing, dancing, rhythmic chants, and instrument play, with a songbook, CDs, and a parent guide DVD included with tuition, which is $195 for a 10-week session, $140 for an extra sibling, plus a $15 registration fee.

    The East Hampton classes, which began on Tuesday and yesterday, will continue on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. The Bridgehampton classes start tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. for babies and at 10:30 a.m. for a mixed-age group. Registration is online at mtbythedunes.com or by e-mail to Ina Ferrara at [email protected].

Tennis, Anyone?

    The Ross School Tennis Center will give kids 6 to 9 a chance to learn or improve tennis, soccer, and basketball skills during Saturday sports clinics starting this week from 4 to 6 p.m. Joao Casagrande will coach the sessions, which will run for 10 weeks and include clinics and games.

    Participants must be members of the Ross Tennis Center. The cost is $75 for drop-ins, $500 for all 10 weeks. Registration is at [email protected].

    An East Hampton School Board vote to approve a medical leave extension through Friday, Jan. 18, for Charles Soriano, the middle school principal, got people talking at a board meeting Tuesday night.

    Rumored to have contracted Lyme disease, Dr. Soriano has been away from his post since early fall. A former principal, Thomas Lamorgese, has served as interim principal at the school since mid-November.

    Claude Beudert, a special education teacher at the middle school, thanked the board for allowing Mr. Lamorgese to step in. “Thank you for providing us some leadership. We couldn’t have done it without him,” said Mr. Beudert, reading from prepared remarks. “I don’t know whose idea it was but it was a terrific one and it has helped get us through a very difficult time.”

    While many were hoping Dr. Soriano, who had been the district’s assistant superintendent until this school year, might return before the holiday break, his continued absence provoked discussion. Near the end of the meeting, Brian Anderson questioned the basis for his extended medical leave, asking for more information related to his health. Mr. Anderson’s wife, Alison Anderson, is a board member.

    The superintendent, Richard Burns, said he was unable to comment further because it is a personnel matter.

    After much go-round at last month’s meeting, the highly disputed girls varsity softball team’s annual spring training trip to the ESPN Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Kissimmee, Fla., was finally approved Tuesday night, once the team arranged to take a later flight — enabling the girls to miss just two days of instruction versus the three that had originally been planned.

    Going forward, Jackie Lowey, a board member, asked that it be communicated to all sports teams “that they should come to the board before any tickets are purchased.”

    In the wake of the Newtown, Conn., shooting, Mr. Burns said the district was in the process of upgrading its security. So far, two meetings have been convened with the district’s principals and custodians to specifically address concerns related to building safety, he said.

    The board also updated those in attendance about the ongoing lawsuit between the district and Sandpebble Builders over a multimillion-dollar school construction contract that dates back to April 2002. According to George Aman, the board’s president, witnesses from the district are still being deposed, a process expected to last until sometime next month.

    Also on Tuesday, Joseph Vasile-Cozzo, known as Joe Vas, East Hampton High School’s athletic director, announced that the school had been recognized first in Suffolk County for its sportsmanship.

    With the New Year comes an earlier meeting time for the East Hampton School Board. The meetings, which routinely last upward of three hours, are normally held at 7:30 p.m. on alternating Tuesday nights. Going forward, they will now convene at 6:30 p.m. in the hopes of making it more convenient for people to attend them.

    Later this winter, beginning on Jan. 29, the board will convene regular work sessions related to the 2013-14 budget — with additional meetings scheduled for Feb. 12 and 26, March 12, and April 9. During these work sessions, board members will review the budget on a line-by-line basis. The public may attend, but there will be no public comment periods.

    On April 16, the board is scheduled to adopt the budget proposal, with the public hearing scheduled for May 7. The annual budget vote and election of East Hampton School Board members will take place on May 21.

    The Amagansett School Board voted unanimously to hire a consultant to develop a new math curriculum that will best prepare students for state tests.

    At its first meeting of 2013, on Tuesday evening, the board agreed to enter into an agreement with the Great Neck Math Enrichment Center. A consultant will analyze existing curriculums for all grades and identify strengths and weaknesses in mathematics; identify areas that require further staff development; collaborate with the superintendent, principal, and teachers to understand existing curriculum alignment as well as integration of current regulations; integrate topics in newly designed curriculum guides for grades three to six; examine existing resources and make recommendations regarding their integration in the newly designed guides, and deliver newly designed guides to the district and make adjustments based on feedback received.

    For this, the consultant will be paid $1,500 per day for a total of 21 days. The consultant, said Eleanor Tritt, the district superintendent, has proposed meeting with teachers to see what resources they are using at present and develop a coherent kindergarten through sixth-grade math curriculum. The consultant’s expertise in the state’s direction with regard to math curriculums will be valuable, Ms. Tritt said. “This will also contribute to staff development,” she added.

    “I think we would benefit from bringing in someone from outside,” Mary Lownes, a board member, said.

    Ms. Tritt also discussed with the board a number of changes made to the school’s security protocol. “A great deal of attention has been paid to what we need to do, what would be best for us,” she said. These changes include nametags for family members when they are onsite, and placement of a cart in the vestibule on which things to be delivered to students, faculty, or administrators will be left in order to limit visitors to the school. Everyone will be required to enter through the front door, Ms. Tritt said, and the door handles will be changed to allow doors to be locked from the inside while still allowing security personnel to enter.

    School officials will be meeting with a security company today, Ms. Tritt said, that will provide a preliminary assessment of the school’s security. A lockdown practice will be held next Thursday. Police officers will attend, and no one will be allowed to enter or leave during the lockdown. Parents will be notified of the drill, said the superintendent.

    In other news, the sixth grade is doing an excellent job interviewing alumni for the school’s “Then and Now” project, Ms. Tritt reported. Hugh King, East Hampton’s town crier, was due to visit the school this week as part of the project, and the board has set a tentative date of May 8 to present it. “Kids and alumni are loving it,” Ms. Tritt said.

    The Montauk School Board went into executive session on Tuesday to discuss its plan to comply with a state-mandated teacher evaluation system. The district is the last on Long Island to approve a plan. The deadline is Jan. 19.

    If a plan is not submitted to the State Department of Education by that date the district will lose its state financial aid. When the executive session ended, the board unanimously approved the program. Teachers were set to give their approval today.

    Also at the meeting, the board considered changing the school’s class-size policy. Speaking in front of a large group of concerned parents, board members made it clear that it was just a discussion and that a vote would not be taken until the next meeting.

    Diane Hausman, the school board president, told the parents that the district’s hands were tied because of the state-imposed 2-percent cap on tax levy increases. She said that with increased health insurance premiums and retirement payments, other areas had to be cut. It was pointed out that several other programs had already been cut in the last year, including the summer school program and after-school and morning programs.

    The school’s current class-size policy for kindergarten through eighth grade aims at 18 to a class, with a maximum of 24 students. If approved, the new policy would see 18 to 20 in a class, with a maximum of 28.

    Prekindergarten would be increased to 21 in a class. Last year, the board had to reduce the preschool program to a half-day session to keep the numbers down. If enrollment were to drop, the board could reinstate the full-day program.

    In a statement on the school’s Web site, the board reserved the right to stray from the policy, depending on the unique nature of each class.

    “I don’t care what research there is, the less kids I have as a teacher the better my instruction will be,” said Jack Perna, the district superintendent, who was a fourth-grade teacher before he became vice principal and then superintendent. He said that even in the larger classes, students are often broken up into groups and taken to specialized learning, such as the English as a second language program.

    Parents worried that if the class sizes were to increase their children wouldn’t get individualized attention from teachers. One asked if the school could bypass the 2-percent tax cap.

    Mr. Perna explained that it could pierce the cap but doing so would have to be approved by 60 percent of district voters. If after two tries that vote fell short, the school could lose its ability to increase the budget at all. “If you don’t have the 2 percent, you get zero,” he said.

    Colette Clancy, the president of the teachers union, said after the meeting that increasing class size would be a mistake, especially in light of the programs that were cut last year. Summer school, she said, kept the ball rolling for students, and teachers were proud of how well students have performed as a result of small classes. “It’s a no-brainer, small class size is a proven,” she said.

    A parent asked how 28 students in a class would stack up to the rest of Long Island and was told that the average was 25.

    Board members insisted that changing the class-size policy would only be a precaution. “We have to take hard looks; it’s painful for all of us,” said Ms. Hausman. “This gives us the flexibility if we need to make changes and we’re stuck,” she later added.

    Charles R. Soriano’s three-month absence from his post as principal of the East Hampton Middle School reached a crescendo in the last week, with anticipation  that he would return to work on Tuesday, following the district’s observance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday on Monday, and, at the same time, with kind words for Thomas Lamorgese, the interim principal.

    Since Dr. Soriano began an extended medical leave early last fall, purportedly for Lyme disease, Dr. Lamorgese, who is well known in the district, has filled the position. Before retiring in 2011 at the age of 58, he had overseen the middle school and before that was principal of the John M. Marshall Elementary School.

    Since an East Hampton School Board meeting on Jan. 8, when the board unanimously voted to approve an extension of Dr. Soriano’s medical leave through Jan. 18, rumors  concerning his whereabouts have picked up steam.

    “He’s coming back on Tuesday. Friday will be my last day,” Dr. Lamorgese said yesterday morning. “This is his building, and I was only here temporarily.” During his absence, Dr. Lamorgese confirmed that the two have exchanged e-mails. “We’re happy that he’s returning, and we’re looking forward to his return,” said Richard Burns, the district superintendent.

    While Dr. Soriano declined to discuss his leave, he responded by e-mail to The East Hampton Star earlier in the week. Confirming his return on Jan. 22 “pending my doctor’s approval, which I think he will provide,” Dr. Soriano said, “I look very forward to getting back to work.”

    Given the duration of his absence and what some described as a mystery surrounding it, a handful of teachers and parents have speculated that Dr. Soriano may be in the process of filing a lawsuit against the district, which they surmise might be related to a decrease in his salary this year. No one at the district office would confirm or deny such speculation.

    Prior to being appointed principal last summer, Dr. Soriano had been the district’s assistant superintendent for nine years under Raymond Gualtieri, the previous superintendent. According to records compiled by the Empire Center for New York State Policy, Dr. Soriano received a salary of $205,369 from July 1, 2011, until June 30, 2012. From 2008, his salary had gone up by nearly $20,000.  But when Dr. Soriano went from being assistant superintendent to middle school principal, his compensation decreased to $180,000.

    By way of comparison, according to the same database, Dr. Lamorgese was paid $166,985 in 2011. Superintendent Burns’s salary last year was $172,827.

    Asked about Dr. Soriano’s contract, Robert Fullem, deputy general counsel at the School Administrators Association of New York State, said, “By taking a new position, the former assistant superintendent is agreeing to forego the rights he had under the prior contract. There’s nothing forbidding them from entering into a contract at lesser pay.”

    Dr. Soriano earned a doctorate in organizational leadership and education from the University of Pennsylvania. He has an M.A. from Middlebury College, a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross, and a second M.A. in educational leadership from Rutgers University.

    Keith Malsky, the assistant principal of John Marshall who is president of the district administrators union, declined to comment, refusing to say whether a lawsuit had been filed against the district on Dr. Soriano’s behalf. 

    Given Dr. Soriano’s prolonged absence, some expressed concern about the possible need for him to rely on the district’s sick leave bank. However, George Aman, the East Hampton School Board president, dismissed that, saying, “he had plenty of sick days — and could even be covered until the end of the school year if need be.”

    In Dr. Soriano’s absence, several people described his leadership style as cold and aloof, while, anticipating his return, numerous parents have expressed regret at the possibility of seeing Dr. Lamorgese go. Claude Beudert, a special education teacher at the middle school who is vice president of the teachers union, was cautiously optimistic about Dr. Soriano’s return. “If he does come back, it would be a positive thing, because it would mean that the man’s healthy,” he said. “But I hope that he uses the resources in the district to help him do his job — namely the faculty, staff, and the community. It’s really tough to go it alone.”

    “At this point, the parents don’t really know Dr. Soriano very well. We haven’t had the opportunity to work with him much,” Wendy Geehreng, president of the middle school PTA, said. She mentioned that many parents feel particularly comfortable with Dr. Lamorgese because he is a familiar face. 

    One of Dr. Lamorgese’s daily rituals has been to stand outside the school during drop off each morning. With a smile and a nod, he customarily greets every student by first name.

    “His being there has meant a lot, I can’t even begin to tell you,” said Jody Kalafut, a former vice president of the school’s PTA. “They feel so comfortable walking into school. He knows them, he knows their names, their strengths and their weaknesses.”

Hailing Student Art

    A reception for the first part of Guild Hall’s annual Student Art Festival, which opened over the weekend, will be held on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m., giving students, families, and the public a chance to see work in the galleries and on the John Drew Theater stage by children in kindergarten through eighth grade from schools across the South Fork.

    The exhibit will be open through Feb. 24. While it is up, there will be free open studio workshops for kids 5 and older on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays, except this week, from noon to 5 p.m. Materials will be supplied.

Celtic Rock for Kids

    Darlene Graham will visit the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to perform music with pop-country and Celtic-rock roots for kids. Ms. Graham grew up in Newfoundland and performed widely in Canada and the United States before moving to New York City. Her shows on Saturday will cost $10, $9 for theater members and grandparents, and $5 for children under 3.

Fleece Scarves Craft

    If this week’s cold snap puts you in mind for something a little more snuggly than the winter wear we’ve been getting away with until now, the East Hampton Library could help. Next Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m., the library will have kids 9 and older making their own fleece scarves. Advance registration has been requested.

    The accolades keep coming for Christopher Merkert, who heads the science department at the East Hampton Middle School.

    Mr. Merkert was recently nominated for a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science. It’s the federal government’s highest honor for kindergarten through 12th-grade math and science teachers.

    According to Mr. Merkert, 40, who has taught at the middle school since 1994, it’s the first time a teacher at his school has been nominated for the prestigious award. Though Mr. Merkert received word of his nomination in last week’s mail, the person who nominated him remains a mystery.

    “I’ll definitely give it a shot,” he said. The application is due on May 1, with winners announced later in the spring.

    He went on to say that innovative teaching doesn’t exist in silos but is part of a shared culture where individuals are given the freedom to pursue their varied interests.

    “Over the years, I’ve received such great support from administrators and parents,” said Mr. Merkert, a resident of East Hampton. “If you encourage a student, you’ll be amazed at what a kid will do. And the same thing goes for teachers.”

    In October, Mr. Merkert was one of 50 educators chosen to attend Google’s Teacher Academy in New York City. In May, the Science Teachers Association of New York State named him Suffolk County’s science teacher of the year for his use of “flipped teaching,” where students can watch short, instructional videos at home rather than using valuable class time.

    Mr. Merkert, who teaches eighth-grade science, is an advocate of bringing technology into the classroom whenever possible. He routinely posts questions related to his teaching on Twitter — allowing him to instantaneously interact with educators from around the country and improve upon his lesson plans accordingly.

    For the Presidential Teaching Award, applicants must demonstrate mastery of content, the use of instructional methods and strategies to track student achievement, and leadership outside the classroom, among several other factors.

    Since 1993, more than 4,200 teachers have received the award, with more than 100 educators from around the country chosen every year.

    In addition to receiving a signed certificate from President Obama, honorees will receive a $10,000 grant from the National Science Foundation and a trip to Washington, D.C., this summer.

    When Marilyn Van Scoyoc, a music teacher at East Hampton High School, thinks of her former student Gregg Rickards, she recalls a young man playing his beloved bass.

    Mr. Rickards, who grew up in Amagansett, died in August after a recurrence of cancer. He was 23.

    A member of the high school’s orchestra and jazz band, Mr. Rickards graduated in 2006. He then attended the State University at Oneonta, receiving a degree in music in 2010.

    On Friday, Feb. 1, a memorial concert will take place at 7 p.m. in the school’s auditorium. While admission is free, donations at the concert will help establish the Gregg Rickards Memorial Scholarship Fund. Following an audition, a $500 scholarship will be awarded each spring to a college-bound East Hampton High School senior planning to major or minor in music.

    “Music was a real joy in his life,” his mother, Teresa Rickards, said. “That’s really what Gregg was about — his love and his passion for music.”

    Crossroads Music in Amagansett is sponsoring the event and supplying sound equipment. It has also donated a practice amp and a custom-designed Tom Bono guitar, both of which will be raffled off at the concert. Dell Cullum, a photographer, has donated a framed photograph, and organizers are soliciting donations from other businesses.

    “He was a good customer and that’s why I asked to be involved,” said Michael Clark, the owner of Crossroads. His eldest son graduated from high school the same year as Mr. Rickards. “I would see him on a weekly basis, coming in for strings and buying several guitars.”

    Besides Mr. Clark, Mr. Rickards’s aunt, Patty Collins Sales, Ms. Van Scoyoc, and Liz Pucci, an East Hampton School Board member, are among the organizers.

    The East Hampton High School’s jazz band, which Ms. Van Scoyoc directs, will open the concert, joined by other student bands. Later, local professionals will play, including Peter Martin Weiss and Jane Hastay, the Jet Set Renegades, Casanova Frankenstein, Little Head Thinks, Third Estate, Steven and Jackson Clark, and Mama Lee and Friends, among several others.

    Anyone wishing to make a donation can also write a check to the Greater East Hampton Education Foundation,  noting that the money is to be designated for the Gregg Rickards Memorial Scholarship. The address of the foundation is P.O. Box 4175, East Hampton 11937.