The Hunt is On

    Tomorrow at 3:30 p.m., children in grades K through 6 have been invited to a monster hunt at the Amagansett Library. The children’s search is sure to take them all through the shelves and many Dewey-decimal destinations.

    Starting on Saturday, those same grades can attend a series of art workshops sponsored by the Parrish Art Museum. In the 11 a.m. workshops, which continue on Nov. 10 and Nov. 17, children can create art in mixed media inspired by the museum’s permanent collection, including works by William Merritt Chase, Fairfield Porter, and Roy Lichtenstein. A fourth session will be held on Dec. 1 at the Parrish’s new home at 279 Montauk Highway in Water Mill. That visit will include a tour of the galleries and time to create a work of art in the museum’s Open Studio.

    The workshops are free, but space is limited and advance registration is required.

    Next Thursday, all have been invited to meet in the field behind the library at 7 p.m. for stargazing. Joe Malave, a local teacher and guest astronomer, will point out constellations, binary stars, and planetary nebular. The rain date is Nov. 15.

Family Fiesta

    A family fiesta will be held at Guild Hall on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m., called “Cuentos: Tales From the Latino World,” featuring David Gonzalez, a storyteller, from 3 to 4 p.m. and crafts throughout the afternoon. Refreshments will be served.

Pumpkin Decorating

    Kids ages 8 to 12 will have the opportunity to decorate pumpkins on Saturday from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton. Organizers say the event is not appropriate for children with peanut allergies.

    Through Sunday in the young adult department, seventh graders and up will be making Thai string dolls during library hours.

Stories About Turtles

    Crystal Possehl and her puppet, Lodo the River Otter, will tell stories about turtles to kids ages 3 to 5, Saturday at 10 a.m. at the South Fork Natural History Museum on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton. The museum has requested registration in advance.

    Meeting on Election Night, the East Hampton School Board considered how to make up for the five days the school was closed because of Superstorm Sandy. Rather than hold classes on holidays, the board seemed more in favor of making school days longer.

    District Superintendent Richard Burns said legislation might be proposed in Albany lowering the required minimum 180 days of school due to the storm.

    Mr. Burns thanked the grounds crew, maintenance, custodians, and other school employees who “were terrific during and after Sandy.” When he visited the school immediately after the storm, he said, “I could barely tell a storm came through.”

    The high school will continue to offer hot showers to the community from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. daily as needed, the superintendent said.

    Jackie Lowey, a board member, praised Mr. Burns himself for his response to Sandy. “He was here day and night,” she said.    

    Earlier in the meeting, Ms. Lowey expressed disgust that the district has a budget item to pay for seventh and eighth grade students to attend the Hamptons International Film Festival. She said the $3,580 charge “rubs me the wrong way. I’m surprised that a nonprofit is charging us for a community event.”

    Noting that students miss classes to attend the festival, she said that “we should take a close look at this in the next budget.”

    Toward the end of the meeting, Ms. Lowey suggested that in subsequent years the board not meet on Election Night.

    When Julia Tyson, a junior at East Hampton High School, heard about the Sept. 29 suicide death of David H. Hernandez, an alleged victim of bullying at the school, she was saddened, but not surprised. According to Julia, bullying is a fact of life for many students, even in her honor-track classes.

    Julia, 16, an honor student and a junior at the school who is starring as Eliza Doolittle in the school’s production of “Pygmalion” this weekend, is in the preliminary stages of work on a documentary about bullying.

    It is, she said, a familiar topic for her and “one that I thought was a good fit. I’ve seen many films about bullying. ‘The crusade for justice.’ That is all well and fine. I’m not sure how practical it is. I want to focus on bullying and the more practical aspects of it, from the victim’s point of view. Not like, ‘Bullies are this and must be smoked out.’ ”

    Julia, who was herself a target for bullying in lower school and, to a lesser extent, in middle school, is critical of the rationalization that adults frequently make in such situations: “(Maybe) they are friends. Maybe they didn’t mean it. Maybe it was this; maybe it was that. Yeah, the kid really wants to be my friend, that’s why he shoved me off the playground,” she said.

    At the high school, she said, “I’ve given up on the teachers and the administration. . . . They drag us into the auditorium and give us a vague talk. ‘A certain person in this class is feeling threatened,’ ” she said they are told, followed by what she views as equally vague solutions.

    In her classes at school, she said, “there is a boy who is very smart, he is very quiet, and he is emotional.” That, said Julia, makes him an inviting target. When the boy answers a question in class incorrectly, the boys seated around him moan, mocking him. “They heckle him. It is rude.”

    Teachers usually don’t say anything, she said. “There is a kind of ‘boys will be boys’ attitude about it: ‘They’re just teasing him.’ There is a very fine line between bullying and teasing.”

    She said the aggressive behavior toward her began in preschool. “A lot of the stuff was fairly subtle. I’d sit down at a table and everybody would get up. Or I’d be reading a book and somebody would grab it out of my hands.”

    Her mother, Lori Marsden, has painful memories of that time. “She used to come home crying. When they’re little, you know how they would have to sit in a circle? No one would want to sit next to her.”

    Ms. Marsden is critical of the training teachers receive for such situations. Citing as an example having children partner themselves, allowing for some children to be deliberately omitted. It is at that point that the teacher has to step in and not repeat the same exercise, she said.

    As children grow older, the aggressive tactics of the bully are refined. “A little more sophisticated,” Ms. Tyson remembers. “They’d jokingly invite me to do something, then say, ‘We’re just kidding. We didn’t want you to come along anyway.’ ”

    Things began to improve for Julia at the beginning of her fifth grade year. She’d lost more than 40 pounds over the summer, weight she’d put on because she is diabetic. “No matter what people say, they do judge by appearances,” she said.

    Another change for her that year was discovering theater. “I decided to try out for [the school] musical. I did it and I loved it.” She performed in the school play, and has been auditioning and performing in her school plays ever since.

    And, she said, “I started to get my own group of friends.”

    The self-confidence she gained is the key, she feels, to ending bullying. Asked if she is ever bullied anymore, she paused. “I’m sure things have happened that would have driven me over the edge in the past.”

    The local council of the Girl Scouts of America have approved her documentary project for consideration for the Scouts’ Gold Award, the highest honor the Girl Scouts of America bestows. It is given for completion of a project that requires a minimum of 80 hours of work and can benefit the larger community.

    She has to complete the project by next fall for it to qualify.

    As for her longer-term plans: “I’d like to go into acting,” she said, but allowed that directing was ossible career path.

Stories and Song

    Jack’s Waterfall will offer a mix of songs and storytelling during a family concert on Saturday at Miss Amelia’s Cottage in Amagansett.

    The group was founded by the singer-songwriter Jack Licitra, whose pop, blues, jazz, folk, and gospel influences will lead kids on a melodic adventure starting at 1 p.m.

    The Amagansett Library is hosting the show and in case of rain, it will be held in the library’s community room.

Go, Suzi!

    Suzi Shelton, a Brooklyn songstress and “all around children’s rock goddess,” will bring down the house at the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor next Thursday, Friday, Aug. 31, and Sept. 1 at 11 a.m. Suzi and friends will play tracks from their CDs “No Ordinary Day” and “Simply Suzi” — catchy songs like “Scooter Boy” and “Going on a Road Trip.”

    This morning, tomorrow, and Saturday at 11 a.m. Gustafer Yellowgold will entertain kids at the Goat. Tickets for all shows are $10, $9 for members and grandparents, and $5 for kids under 3.

Mosaics, Wildlife, and Cupcakes

    Mosaic’s origins can be dated back 4,000 years. On Monday from 3 to 4 p.m., at East Hampton Library kids 8 and up will learn to make a faux version of the ancient art form to hang at home.

    High school students will get tips for writing the perfect college essay on Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. This will be the last of the three-session series, so new attendees have been encouraged to come with already-written essays. The instructor will critique and inform students on how to create an expressive, unique, and well-crafted piece that will make admissions representatives stand up and take notice.

    A Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons educator will teach kids 4 and older what to do when they find an injured animal on Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m. Kids will also get to meet a hawk, an owl, and an opossum.

    Kids 4 to 7, accompanied by an adult, will learn the fine art of decorating cupcakes next Thursday, from 11 to 11:45 a.m. Budding pastry chefs will sprinkle, sweeten, and pour perfect, tasty confections. All ingredients will be provided.

    Budding artists 4 and older will study famous hard-edged paintings and then create their own on Friday, Aug. 31 from 3 to 4 p.m. Participants will use tape and paints supplied by the library.

    Advance registration is requested for all library programs.

Tennis and Art

    On Saturday, East Hampton Indoor Tennis will host Free Arts NYC and Kidsfest: Hamptons, a family celebration in which kids will be encouraged to explore their individual creativity through tennis, art, and culture. The event will be co-chaired by Kelly Rutherford of “Gossip Girls” fame. Tickets are $75 kids, $100 for adults and free for toddlers under 2. Proceeds will support mentoring programs for underserved youth.

    The event runs from 1 to 4 p.m. The tennis club is on Daniel’s Hole Road.

Pirates!

    Pirates will take over Guild Hall on Wednesday afternoon.

    First, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., kids 5 and older will create their own pirate maps and hats in the education center. The workshop costs $10, $8 for members.

    The buccaneers will continue their revelry at 5 p.m., when Captain Courage and the Maritime Pirates Stage Show pay a visit to the theater. Kids from ages 5 to 105 will listen to the pirate storyteller as he shares “The Legend of Captain Courage” and the story behind the Maritime Pirates. Songs will roar, sword fights will ensue, and imaginations will soar. Prices are $16 for adults, $13 for kids, $14 and $11 for members. Argh!

    The Sagaponack School Board appointed Lynn Schwartz of Miller Place as the district’s part-time superintendent on Aug. 14.

    Mr. Schwartz began his job the following day, at an annual salary of $43,000.

    The Sagaponack School District serves grades one through four in one of the last remaining one-room schoolhouses in the state. The district has tuition agreements with the East Hampton and Sag Harbor School Districts for its students in kindergarten and 5th through 12th grades. There are 12 students enrolled at the school, with an additional 25 attending the East Hampton and Sag Harbor School Districts.

    Mr. Schwartz, formerly of the Westhampton School District, where he served as superintendent for 10 years, replaces Lee Ellwood, who retired last month.   

    Slow Food East End, thanks to the Joshua Levine Memorial Foundation, has been able to fund three interns who currently work as school garden coordinators in the area.

    In addition, grants are now available to fund specific needs, such as the purchase of garden tools, supplies, and materials. Those who wish to apply must be a non-profit school or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working in partnership with one or more schools; have an established school garden project, and be a member of the Edible School Garden Group and Slow Food East End Chapter.

    Applicants must also be able to manage grant funds responsibly, and must demonstrate that their garden project has strong participation from stakeholders within the school.

    Applications can be e-mailed to education@slowfoodeastend.org before Sept. 15. Questions about the application process can be sent to jcfayyaz@ gmail.com. Questions about membership can be addressed to Anne Howard, Slow Food East End membership chairwoman, at mannehoward@gmail.com.

Pony Up

    This year’s Kids Day at the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton will be on Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., activities will include circus acts by the Bellini Family Circus and Friends, a magic show by the Amazing Zola, free pony rides, the music of the Laughing Pizza Family Band, face-painting, a petting zoo, a birds of prey demonstration, and more. Admission is free for kids under 12.

Go, Suzi!

    A reminder: Suzi Shelton, a Brooklyn singer-songwriter who has dubbed herself an “all-around children’s rock goddess,” will give the final performances of the season at the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor. Today, tomorrow, and Saturday at 11 a.m., Suzi and friends will treat audiences to interactive dance and music from the CDs “No Ordinary Day” and “Simply Suzi,” which have catchy tunes like “Scooter Boy” and “Gone on a Road Trip.”

Teen Esteem

    Starting next Thursday, a teen theater troupe, Act T.W.O., will perform short plays about problems adolescents face every day. The esteem-building performances aim to teach teenagers about social awareness, mental and physical health, positive relationships, and how and where to seek help when confronted with a difficult situation. Performances will be on Thursdays from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Hampton Bays Community Center. Registration will be ongoing. The troupe has requested that those interested get in touch with the Southampton Youth Bureau.

    Gallery Valentine, a contemporary art gallery with space in East Hampton and Bridgehampton, will have a silent auction Saturday for Project Rousseau at its East Hampton location at 63 Main Street.

    Project Rousseau is a nonprofit organization that pairs college students with talented but underprivileged high school students in order to optimize their educational development and best prepare them for college. The nonprofit provides scholarships as well as other mentoring programs, which include S.A.T. preparation, job shadowing and pen pal programs, and enrichment electives to give “students the opportunity to reach their full educational potential.”

    Alexandra Fairweather, who is a serving mentor for the project, is Gallery Valentine’s director and also sits on Project Rousseau’s board, allowing her to help create the partnership. Ms. Fairweather spoke of a student she mentors who got essay, résumé, and S.A.T. help that enabled him to score “several hundred points higher than was his previous score” on the S.A.T. and was accepted into New York University.

    Auction items for the event will include a $500 gift certificate and a personal styling session from Saks Fifth Avenue, a $250 gift certificate and personal styling session from Intermix, a three-month membership to Equinox Gym, and a weekend stay for two at the Lowell Hotel in New York City, among other inviting items. The silent auction will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Those planning to attend have been asked to R.S.V.P. by today to events@galleryvalentine.com or by calling the gallery in East Hampton.    M.S.

    The Ross School will start this year’s Adult Learning @ Ross program on Wednesday. Residents can enroll in a variety of courses — painting and drawing, bridge, ceramics, creative writing, sewing, jewelry design, journal writing, poetry, foreign languages, media, defensive driving, feng shui, belly dancing, and hypnosis, among other offerings. The courses cost from $35 to $750.

    The adult classes will be held on weekday evenings or Saturday mornings at the Upper School campus in East Hampton this fall — with some sessions continuing into January and February.

    The school will begin another of its programs, Afternoons @ Ross, on Sept. 17. Students ages 5 and up can enroll in classes that include art, dance, gymnastics, noncompetitive athletics, theater, robotics, and more. Under the direction of the school’s faculty and other instructors, the courses will convene during after-school hours at the Lower School campus in Bridgehampton as well as the Upper School. Many of the classes, which range in cost from $240 to $725, can be taken in the fall or the winter.

    More information can be had by calling 907-5555 or visiting ross.org/community.

    With a new school year under way, the Child Development Center of the Hamptons has appointed a new leader. Patricia A. Loewe, who has more than 20 years of combined classroom and administrative experience, replaces Maria A. Taliercio as the school’s education leader. For the past eight years, Mrs. Loewe worked for the Montauk School District, where she was the director for pupil personnel services. She lives in Springs.

    Dawn Zimmerman founded the school in 1997 after her son was diagnosed with autism. For many East Hampton Town residents, the school’s Wainscott location is a welcome alternative to daily bus rides west to the Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

    A charter school, C.D.C.H. now enrolls 130 children from preschool through grade five. Besides children with autism, the school also provides services to special education students and gifted students.

    “I am very excited to have joined C.D.C.H. and look forward to working closely with the students and teachers to enrich the educational experience for each child,” Mrs. Loewe said in an e-mailed statement. “I am so impressed by the academic excellence that C.D.C.H. has achieved over the years, and I am committed to implementing teaching strategies that continue to result in successful outcomes for every student at C.D.C.H.”