Education

KidFest at Guild Hall, Shakespeare goes to camp in Amagansett, and more fun activities coming up for kids and teens.

Students and staff in the East Hampton School District — even those who are vaccinated — will begin the new school year with masks on, the school board decided on Tuesday.

When Juliana Lester, a rising East Hampton High School senior, noticed that "a lot of the locals have been moving away and . . . our story is kind of slipping through our fingers," the 16-year-old decided to do her part to teach people about the village's history.

After a child and a counselor tested positive for Covid-19, the Hayground Camp in Bridgehampton closed this week out of an abundance of caution, Doug Weitz, the camp's director, confirmed Tuesday.

Guild Hall will host Pirate School, "a madcap, swashbuckling comedy variety show," in person on Wednesday at 3 and 5 p.m. There will also be pirate-theme workshops before both shows, at 2 and 4 p.m., in partnership with the Golden Eagle art supply store. Tickets to the shows are $15 for children and $30 for adults, and the workshops cost $35 per child (free for member families).

The Sag Harbor School Board and the Mashashimuet Park board continue to hash out their differences with ongoing negotiations about the district's use of park facilities for school sports.

Hampton Ballet Theatre School's performance of "Peter and the Wolf" will return in full force for its 14th year with four new casts at two locations, including, for the first time, Herrick Park in East Hampton.

East Hampton High School will soon have a new principal whose face should be a familiar one around town. The school board is set to appoint Sara Smith, who lives in East Hampton, to the post on Aug. 3.

Rising high school seniors can get help on their college essays at the East Hampton Library on Saturday between 10 a.m. and noon. Those who sign up for the writing sessions, facilitated by experienced writing tutors, will receive raffle tickets for weekly prizes at the library.

The news that a swimming pool has been added to the construction plans of the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreation Center's new 7,000-square-foot facility has made quite a splash around town.

Ukulele Lessons and Textiles

Among several activities lined up for Saturday, Project Most is offering a beginner ukulele class for children in fourth through sixth grades at noon. The cost is $20, and the class will be held outdoors if the weather is nice. All Project Most classes meet at the East Hampton Neighborhood House.

"As always, our day will begin with homework assistance, followed by a variety of enrichment activities," such as art, dance, yoga, gardening, cooking, and organized games, as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics projects, said Martha Stotzky, the education director.

Keri DeLalio has resigned from her position as director of human resources and special education in the Springs School District. She was originally appointed in 2014 after several years teaching at the John M. Marshall Elementary School in East Hampton. Her last day in Springs will be Aug. 31. The school board accepted her resignation on July 13 and agreed to pay her for 20 unused vacation days.

The population of students learning English as a second language in American public schools is the fastest-growing student demographic in recent history. It is a trend reflected in the East Hampton School District, where the number of students learning English for the first time has grown dramatically, and is expected to continue growing in the coming years. 

From an outdoor concert to puppet shows, live reptiles, story times, and crafts, there's a lot for kids of all ages to do this week.

"The Year Coronavirus Came to Town" was the assignment for Montauk School students in this year's Montauk Historical Society Essay and Original Artwork Competition, and the society's director said she "was so touched by the way the kids opened their hearts" in their submissions.

Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre plans to take the puppetry to the people -- here and all over Long Island -- this fall as it develops and raises money for a new puppet truck and mobile stage. According to Liz Joyce, founder of the company, the truck's conception sprang from one question: "How can we bring puppets to people that don't get them?"

After Sunday's ceremony for the 2021 Teeny Awards, given by East End Arts to artistically talented high schoolers, two South Fork students walked out of the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center with awards for dramatic performances of note. 

Adam Fine, the East Hampton School District superintendent, announced that the district plans to return to pre-Covid norms when school reopens in September. Though New York State has not released new guidance, Mr. Fine said the Plexiglas barriers have been placed into storage at all three school buildings.

Amber Waves Farm and the Amagansett Library are joining up for story time at the farm on Saturdays at 10 a.m. this month.

James Crenshaw, who spent one school year as principal of East Hampton High School, resigned from his post Tuesday to take an assistant superintendent's position in another district.

During a June 23 meeting of the Bridgehampton School Board, Lawrence Street, president of the N.A.A.C.P.'s Eastern Long Island branch, and Denise Merchant, who is the chapter's third vice president and education committee chairwoman, demanded that the school board reverse its decision to hire Dr. Kelly, who was to officially start in the new job today.

For many of East Hampton High School's 231 graduates, one obstacle that defined the last two years of school was merely a postscript to the graduation festivities. Instead of the masks, social distancing, and other limitations that were for many months necessary because of Covid-19, there were high-fives, hugs, and smiles in abundance.

Pierson High School's senior class graduated on Saturday in a ceremony that recognized their intellect, accomplishments, and resilience in the face of adversity over the past year-plus, and that celebrated Sag Harbor's history and place in their lives.

The Long Island Community Foundation's Long Island Racial Equity Donor Collaborative has awarded a $100,000 grant to the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center. The center plans to use the grant to support the Teach Me How to Fish program, an initiative that aims to tackle the wealth equity gap by supporting Black communities on the East End.

East Hampton, Bridgehampton, and Pierson High School were all well represented among the nominees for 2021's Teeny Awards, given by East End Arts to high schoolers who have distinguished themselves in the performing arts. The awards ceremony, on July 11, will be held at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center and streamed on Facebook. Nominees will be there in person, not only for the celebrations, but also for live performances.

Jester Jim will return to Guild Hall on Wednesday afternoon to kick off KidFest with juggling, comedy, and music. Two shows, one at 3 and one at 5, will be preceded by fun workshops for kids. Tickets are $15 for children, $30 for adults; masks are mandatory for all attendees over the age of 2. Guild Hall has suggested taking beach chairs or blankets to the outdoor performance.

In a year where nothing was for sure, Bridgehampton High School's 110th graduation on Saturday celebrated the big and small, from the class of 2021's achievements to the very fact that the graduates and their families could gather together under the same tent.

Activities at SoFo 

The Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt and the South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center will lead a full-moon hike tonight at 8:30 p.m. to observe the Strawberry Moon, the nickname given to the full lunar phase in June. Free and open to all ages, but registration is required at [email protected].

Following a robust discussion during a June 15 meeting of the East Hampton School Board, the decision was made not to change a policy barring seventh-grade athletes from moving up to varsity-level teams in most sports.