Much the Same, Only Earlier
If every student enrolled attends the first day of classes at the Montauk School next Thursday, there will be 353 of them plowing through the front doors. With their new shoes, fresh haircuts, and backpacks strapped on, they won’t find that much has changed.
Montauk Afternoons, a program that students can voluntarily attend after school to do homework or play on computers, has been reinstated this year, with Cheryl Carter running it and Rosa Scott assisting her. Much to parents’ dismay, the program was cut four years ago because of budget restraints. The morning program, another helpful alternative for working parents, in which the students can show up between 7 and 8 a.m. to play in the gym, library, and computer room, will also return this year.
Moreover, students will once again be recycling plastic, metals, and paper in all classes, with certain nonrecyclable materials headed for the compost pile. Also, the late, late bus from East Hampton High School back to Montauk has been put back on the schedule. That, too, was stopped for a while, leaving parents to make the nighttime ride west to East Hampton to pick up their children after sporting events and other programs.
The Montauk School District is one of 124 on Long Island, and one of the 13 that are opening on Sept. 3. Since Labor Day is falling late this year, on Sept. 7, other schools are staggering their openings, from Sept. 2 through Sept. 9.
It’s been rare for the Montauk School to open before Labor Day weekend, but it is contractually required to have 184 days of attendance, Jack Perna, the district superintendent, said. The school calendar includes three snow days and a three-day weekend over Easter (which falls on March 27), minus the following Monday in case of additional weather closings. Another reason for the early opening this year is so students will have a full week of spring break, right after the state tests.
Opening day for faculty and staff is Wednesday, when representatives of the Family Service League will visit to discuss suicide prevention and other matters.