Education

Erik Kelt has a plan. After starting his new position as principal of the Springs School on July 1, he has developed an approach for his first 100 days that focuses on leading by listening and learning.

Guild Hall's Family Day is back, and there's fun for all ages at the Montauk Lighthouse and local libraries and art centers.

The East Hampton School Board voted Tuesday to hire five more security guards, completing a round of recruitment that will see a total of seven current “paraprofessionals” — who monitor hallways, doorways, and other key areas — transition into more formal public-safety roles.

For years, the East Hampton Town summer sailing program was beloved by many, giving people 12 and older a fun and affordable way to learn to sail on Gardiner’s Bay, but for the second summer in a row the popular program is off the calendar, leaving people to wonder if it will ever return. “The town intended to continue offering the program last summer and this summer, but was unable to fill the program director position," said the recreation superintendent.

On Saturday, students from the Hampton Ballet Theatre School will perform “Peter and the Wolf,” accompanied by the Hampton Festival Orchestra, and youth dancers from the Shinnecock Indian Nation will perform at Duck Creek Arts Center. Plus: arts and crafts, story time, and birthday parties for Harry Potter.

In a move expected to save the Springs School District at least $90,000, the school board has reached an agreement with Debra Winter, school superintendent, to “retire early.” Ms. Winter submitted a retirement letter, took one day off, and was then hired back on a per-diem basis.

In the lineup for kids and teens this week: unicorn art, virtual reality games, movie screenings, homemade ice cream, and more.

Pierson Middle and High School will be a "phone-free space" in the 2023-24 school year, with the school district adopting technology often used at concerts and comedy shows to stash away cellphones.

A new swimming and water safety program has been added to the lineup of activities at the Project Most summer camp, where kids can now take swim lessons five days a week.

"Flower Power" is the theme of Saturday's family fair at the Children's Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton.

An East Hampton High School alumnus and local business owner has proposed building 20 townhouse-style residential units on the north end of the school’s campus, as part of a larger plan to address the critical shortage of affordable housing in town.

No specials, pre-K, or field trips: barebones budget means “we’re going to have to get creative” in the classrooms, said Deborah Haab, Wainscott’s part-time superintendent.

A new strategy has been deployed to get people to respect plover nesting areas. No, it’s not more enforcement or weaponized trail cameras — it’s cute drawings by children, and a simple pledge.

Reptiles from the Quogue Wildlife Refuge’s educational rescue program will visit the Montauk Lighthouse grounds next Thursday at noon and 1:30 p.m. Plus: movies, music, trivia night, role-playing games, and more South Fork fun for kids and teens.

The East Hampton Town Board issued a proclamation last Thursday that recognized Cooper Ceva, a new East Hampton High School graduate who lives in Montauk, for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout and thanked him “for his continued efforts to preserve the natural beauty of our community.”

A Sag Harbor School District committee tasked with monitoring the conditions of the school facilities has recommended that the school board embark on three major capital projects: building a wet lab to enhance science programs in all grades, overhauling the Pierson High School gym, and making key security upgrades, all to be funded via a bond referendum on the May 2024 school budget ballot.

Just over two years after its official launch, Suffolk County’s Stop-Arm Camera Program has been racking up tickets across the county, and sending the money from the fines into school district coffers, including those on the South Fork.

A special celebration of all things shark will begin on Tuesday at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. Plus: music and art lessons, teen gaming sessions, movies, story time, and more for kids and teens.

From cutting extracurricular activities to limiting busing to removing prekindergarten and kindergarten programs — all ideas tossed around at a school board meeting last week — the Wainscott School District is figuring out how it will reopen in September with essentially the same budget that it had last year but with more students to accommodate.

The Breakwater Yacht Club in Sag Harbor is once again hosting weekly sailing clinics for kids this summer, with sessions that started this week and continue through Labor Day. Plus there's fun for kids at local libraries and museums on tap this week.

From movie quotes to history lessons to Taylor Swift lyrics, Saturday's Pierson High School commencement ceremony contained no shortage of sage life advice for the 61 seniors graduating in the traditional fashion on Sag Harbor's Pierson Hill.

East Hampton High School's class of 2023 graduated on Friday, and in speeches and reflections during the ceremony, it was apparent that the 226 graduates are ready to take on challenges both physical and mental as they go out into the world. "I look at all of you and I immediately consider you to be builders," said the principal, Sara Smith.

The East Hampton School District has a tall task ahead of it this summer: replace the seemingly irreplaceable longtime employees who retired this year. Among them are bus drivers, mental health staff, administrators, paraprofessionals, and teachers who have served the children of the district with distinction for more than 100 years combined.

Junior lifeguard training for children 9 to 14 begins this weekend in East Hampton, Amagansett, and Montauk. The programs not only give kids the training they need to become lifeguards in the future, but they also teach them “the skills to be safe in the ocean,” according to the East Hampton Town website.

From academics and activities to years of employment and volunteer service, the Springs School Board celebrated the accomplishments of numerous students, teachers, and helpful community members during its meeting last week.

Project Most, which hopes to turn a donated house into a brand-new facility on Three Mile Harbor Road, has filed an updated site plan with the East Hampton Town Building Department. The updated plan was the subject of a discussion last week before the town planning board.

It's time to sing, dance, create, and play with these upcoming events for kids and teens.

The Wainscott School District failed to get the 60-percent approval it needed on Tuesday to pass an over-the-tax-cap budget, throwing it into "uncharted waters," its superintendent said.

Bridgehampton High School's 2023 senior class got a fitting send-off on Sunday with a graduation ceremony that recognized their achievements both individually and collectively.

With the many mass shootings that have taken place at schools in mind, the East Hampton School Board on June 6 voted to pass a resolution in support of national gun control measures.