Education

A seemingly routine aspect of public-school finance is tripping up local school districts that find themselves having to borrow money during the months before tax revenue starts to flow in. “The interest rates have gone through the roof and are continuing to increase,” Jennifer Buscemi, business administrator for the Sag Harbor School District, told the Sag school board on Monday.

Organizacion Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island will receive $600,000 from Suffolk County over the next three years for opioid abuse prevention work among young people, the group announced Friday.

The curtain rises tonight on the annual Springs School opera, this year titled “The Magical Doors,” an original show written and performed by the 67 Time Traveler Opera Company — also known as the entire fourth grade.

With a goal of helping young students get set up for success in school, Chelsea Petrozzo-Wilson recently launched The Wonderers, a tutoring and small-group educational program.

The Sag Harbor Historical Museum has approached the Sag Harbor School Board with a proposal that would see the museum benefit from a public tax levy that the school district would collect on its behalf, similar to the way the school collects tax money for the John Jermain Memorial Library.

On Saturday, the Guild Hall Teen Arts Council will hold another open mike night and dance party, this time at the Clubhouse on Daniel’s Hole Road, for artists and performers of all ages to share their talents with the community. Plus: sensory jars, lacrosse sign-up, family-friendly movies, and lots more for kids and teens.

Project Most, the East Hampton nonprofit organization dedicated to providing after-school, weekend, and vacation programs for children, will hold two healthy-cooking gatherings at the Bridgehampton School for children and families in that district.

The Sag Harbor School District announced this week that it has scheduled another Marsden Street community forum. It will take place on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Pierson library and virtually via Zoom.

The South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton has several programs coming up to capture the attention of children who love all things nature. Plus: art workshops, chess lessons, movies, and more for kids and teens.

What happens if you do away with homework and grades in schools? Is the traditional "raise your hand" mentality a best practice in classrooms? What happens if you do away with competition and instead encourage collaboration? These are the kinds of questions on the minds of progressive educators and writers like Alfie Kohn, who will be the speaker at Friday's "Child-Centered Conversation" cosponsored by the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, the Hayground School, and the Bridgehampton School District.

When clients of Phoenix House visit East Hampton High School, it’s usually on invitation from Jim Stewart, the school’s longtime health teacher, who wants his students to understand how substance abuse, treatment, and recovery look and feel.

“I have been told by students it’s one of the best classes of the semester,” Mr. Stewart said this week.

On these winter days, there's a lot to keep kids and teens busy.