Education

At precisely the moment last Thursday when the United States Senate voted to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, about 45 female students from nine East End high schools were gathered in the cafeteria of the Stony Brook University Southampton campus to learn about the roles of female elected officials in politics.

The Sag Harbor School District introduced a full-day prekindergarten program for the first time this year, receiving a glowing report card this week from school board members, educators, administrators, and parents.

“It’s so well rounded. It’s incredible,” said Jakki O’Neill, a mother of two, in a phone interview. She said her daughter, Lilah, is getting a solid foundation in letters, numbers, and other skills, and that she is thriving in general there. “The program that they are presenting is just phenomenal.”

When the fire alarm went off at Southampton High School at 9:24 on Monday morning, it was not a drill. Everyone was evacuated safely in three minutes and 34 seconds as firefighters rushed to the school: A burning smell had been reported in the building, a fire department official said afterward, attributing it to a burned-out motor in a heating and ventilation unit. That incident was hardly major, but it underscored the importance of safety codes and procedures in schools.

Having used two of its three inclement-weather days so far this year, the East Hampton School District announced this week that school will be in session for students and staff on Friday, May 27, and Tuesday, May 31.

Easter is right around the corner and Mind Offline, a children's boutique and activity studio in Sag Harbor, will welcome the eponymous bunny and friends for a day of whimsical fun on Saturday, April 16. There will also be an egg hunt at the Ladies Village Improvement Society on Saturday.

The Country School in Wainscott, which has offered pre-nursery and prekindergarten programs for children since its founding in 1990, has announced its expansion to a second campus for students up to second grade.

Students at Pierson High School in Sag Harbor will perform "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" at the Pierson auditorium this weekend. The four show times are Thursday and Friday night at 7, and Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m.

Springs School District officials have reached their goal of trimming enough money from their 2022-23 budget proposal that it complies with New York State rules on tax-levy increases and will need only a majority vote to pass.

Coming off a year that saw its over-the-tax-cap budget pass on the second try by a single vote, the Bridgehampton School District’s proposed spending plan for 2022-23 adheres to the state limit on tax-levy increases.

Robotics competitions these days are complex affairs, filled with obstacles to overcome and tasks to complete, and the stakes are higher as teams of students from around the world face off against each other. After a two-year hiatus brought on by the pandemic, South Fork robotics teams eagerly rose to the challenge this month.

Poised to have a surplus of more than $900,000 at the end of the current fiscal year, the Amagansett School District is planning to put much of it toward next year’s budget to offset the rising costs that nearly everyone — municipalities, businesses, consumers — is facing.

Whether new to yoga or already familiar with the practice, teens can breathe in all of its benefits on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mandala Yoga in Amagansett. And there's so much else for kids and teens to do this week.