Education

Children at the Sag Harbor Elementary School recently collected 520 boxes of cereal to be donated to food pantries in Sag Harbor and Bridgehampton.

LTV, East Hampton Town's public access station, has announced a new scholarship program "to support community media and free speech." The scholarship is intended for students with a dedication to community, love of media, and belief that all people should have access to accurate and unfiltered information.

Representative Lee Zeldin this week announced that the annual Congressional Art Competition is seeking entries from high school students. Entries are due on April 7.

Nomination petitions will be available starting tomorrow for school district residents who are interested in running for open board of education seats. Petitions can be picked up in person from most district clerks' offices, and some schools may even make them available for download on their respective websites.

The McCoy Bus Company, which has taken Montauk School students back and forth from home to school for at least 25 years, will sell most of its fleet to the district at the end of this school year.

During a board of education budget workshop on Tuesday, Jack Perna, district superintendent and school principal, confirmed that the company will stop busing children in June.

The Bridgehampton School District is considered unique among South Fork schools for reasons such as its robust agricultural and robotics programs, its vaunted basketball traditions, free breakfasts and lunches for all children, and the personal attention its students get from teachers thanks to a favorable student-teacher ratio. This year it is also unique in that it is the only local district that will attempt to override the New York State-imposed cap on tax-levy increases.

The Sag Harbor School District has established a new holiday, Indigenous People's Day, on its 2021-22 academic calendar to provide an opportunity for students to learn about and celebrate the original inhabitants of the North American continent, who were here before explorers from Europe colonized America. The holiday will be marked on the calendar as the day before Thanksgiving, when schools are already closed.

Educators view prekindergarten programs as important in boosting children's social and emotional skills and laying the foundations for academic success. For the 2021-22 school year, at least four local districts are planning to return or ramp up their pre-K offerings into full-day programs.

Local cultural centers and libraries, along with Project Most, have upcoming activities for kids and teens.

Most students on the South Fork have spring break coming up, so here are a few ideas for how they can pass the time with fun and educational activities.

Another round of workshops and academic assistance courses via Project Most’s School Vacation Learning Lab is open to kids as young as 4 years old through fifth graders over spring break, March 29 to April 2. 

The Springs School is weighing many moving parts as it develops its 2021-22 spending plan, with anticipated increases in areas such as school busing, custodial services, and bathroom and classroom updates.