Education

The Springs School Journalism Club’s final meeting of the year last week was also the last meeting for Rafaela (Rafa) DeMartis, a dedicated member of the club since September 2023, who is graduating in June.

After the failure last week of a $38.41 million bond proposition that would have allowed for long-delayed renovations to the Montauk School, the school board and superintendent began to regroup this week, discussing how it could better engage with the community to build support for the project and what form the project should ultimately take.

On May 9, Springs School junior high students flooded into their gymnasium in beautiful gowns and fancy wear as beams of light fluttered along the walls and banners and streamers adorned the room for the Masquerade Ball.

As school districts across the East End tallied budget and school board votes Tuesday night, all eyes were on Montauk, where a $38.41 million renovation bond ended up failing by just 43 votes, with a record number of people weighing in. 

After a few years of inflationary pressures that had some school districts here piercing the state-mandated cap on tax levy increases, this year the easternmost districts on the South Fork are all proposing budgets for the 2025-26 school year that stay at or below the cap and will require only a simple majority to pass when voters go to the polls on Tuesday.

As the district works to put a tumultous period behind it, two incumbents on the board — Wayne Gauger and Kristen Peterson — are seeking re-election, with a third — Joseph Karpinski —- a parent of three children at the school and a vocal critic of the board and certain administrators, also vying for one of two seats.

Sam Schneider, assistant superintendent for business at the East Hampton School District, has been named the Gregory E. Carlson Outstanding School Business Official of the Year by the New York Association of School Business Officials.

Springs School students enjoyed the annual Buy One Get One book fair recently, especially liking the fact that they get a free book for every one that they buy, thanks to the Springs School PTA.

I love getting a good book recommendation from friends and hearing what resonated deeply for them about a book. Now I’m passing their recommendation on to any bookworms reading the column so we can all be connected by these cherished books

In the Springs School District three people are running for two seats. The incumbents Erik Fredrickson and Emma Field are seeking second terms, while Gerard Picco is running for his first.

Only one name, Leigh-Ann Hess, will appear on the ballot to replace Diane Hausman on the Montauk School Board this year, but a late challenger, Tara Coleman, has mounted a write-in campaign.

After two challenging years coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, which the Wainscott School Board president described as “probably the darkest moment in the history of the district,” the school has “met the challenge” from both a financial and program perspective, David Eagan told the hamlet’s citizens advisory committee on Saturday.

As the weather warms, opportunities for outdoor activities for kids are also heating up. New offerings beginning next week include an after-school sailing program at the Breakwater Yacht Club in Sag Harbor and tennis clinics at the Amagansett Youth Park.

With a vote on the Montauk School’s proposed $38 million renovation bond due in about 10 days, Joshua Odom, district superintendent and school principal, addressed community members last week in support of the project.

Springs School stepped up its appearance by placing new signs at the school’s entrance on Old Stone Highway.

New York State will require “bell-to-bell” smartphone restriction in all public and charter kindergarten-through-12th-grade schools starting in the 2025-26 school year, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announced on Tuesday.

“My philosophy is to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem, so if you see something wrong step up to try to fix it,” Diane Hausman said as she reflected on her upcoming retirement from the Montauk School Board.

The Riptides played in two tournaments run by Island Fastpitch — Spring Swing and Pitch Perfect — and they won gold medals in both. These were the first tournament wins for the team, which practices at the Hub 44 indoor facility in East Hampton during the colder months.

As this year’s school budget votes draw closer, schools across the South Fork have finalized their budgets, and budget hearings are beginning.

When Organizacion Latino-Americana (OLA) and Stony Brook University put out a survey in 2020 asking what young people needed, “what most of the respondents reported” was that they wanted “someone who’s anonymous and confidential that they can reach out to during times of distress,” said Anastasia Gochnour, a licensed clinical social worker who directs OLA’s Youth Connect program.

Only two school districts, Amagansett and Springs, will see challengers to school board incumbents running for re-election on May 20. Elsewhere, incumbents are running unopposed, and where they are not seeking re-election, new faces are also unopposed.

Most people associate March Madness with basketball, but in the Springs School, the sport of chess, particularly the season’s final tournament, is a big deal in March too.

Attention future filmmakers and would-be broadcast TV professionals: LTV has put out the call for applications for both its summer intern program and its community scholarships.

When Superstorm Sandy roared across the South Fork the distinctive weathervane atop the Amagansett School — in the shape of a sailboat with sea gulls flying fore and aft — was one small casualty. Bob Linker of the Irony has not only restored the weathervane, but made sure it will work properly for the first time.

The more than 70 East Hampton students taking part in a three-year science research program that allows them to perform and investigate their own research topics, working with professional mentors in their field of study presented their work at a symposium earlier this month.

Summer crushes, wedding flings, and academic rivals. These are the tropes in this trio of young adult romance books that are perfect for reading on a fine spring day.

The Easter Bunny will be making appearances at egg hunts at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton, the downtown Montauk green, the East Hampton Ladies Village Improvement Society headquarters, and the Amagansett Youth Park on Saturday.

Jennifer Buscemi, the Sag Harbor School District’s business administrator, started off her budget presentation this week speaking about the federal grants the district receives — for this school year, the school was approved to receive $472,531.67 — and how the district would be affected if they were to be cut.

The Springs School joined people around the world in celebrating World Down Syndrome Day on March 21. The global awareness day has been observed by the United Nations since 2012 and is represented by the colors blue and yellow.

The proposed 2025-26 budget for the Springs School District will fall within the property tax cap for the first time in two years. The budget was finalized at $38,411,791, a 1.58-percent increase over last year.