Community News, April 16

As we entered week five — or is it six? — of a new kind of reality during the coronavirus pandemic, it seems everyone continues to adapt to the best of their abilities, with parents, teachers and students learning together how to best practice distance learning, nonprofits looking at ways they can still reach people and local businesses not only devising methods to survive, but also looking at ways they can help support essential workers on the front lines of this crisis.

In schools news, Southampton High School senior Nicholas Castillo Marin has received acceptance to several of his top schools, the district announced last week, including Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Emory and the University of Pennsylvania.

Nicholas is a member of the school’s International Spanish Academy Dual Language program and is set to receive a Seal of Biliteracy upon graduation. He is also a Questbridge National Finalist, an AP Scholar with Distinction, was recognized by the National Hispanic Recognition Program, holds DELE B2 Advanced Level Spanish certification, and is a member of the Foreign Language Honor Society and National Honor Society. Additionally, he is captain of his school’s math team and a member of the Bilingual Buddies Club and chess team. He also participated in the Young Yale Global Scholars Program. Outside of school, he is a Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance helper, a math tutor and participates in a mentorship program for Southampton Intermediate students.

He intends to study physics in the fall.

The Southampton Union Free School District also announced it has once again been recognized as one of the Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation.

“We are honored to be recognized with this award,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nicholas Dyno. “It affirms the hard work and dedication of our music teachers and student-musicians and the commitment of our community when it comes to music education.”

To earn the recognition, the district demonstrated outstanding achievement in its efforts to provide music access and education to all students. It was required to answer detailed questions about its program, including funding, music class participation, instruction time and support.

Southampton was one of only 745 school districts from across the United States to receive the recognition.

In Sag Harbor, elementary students, with the aid of science teacher Kryn Olson, took a virtual visit to the Barcelona Neck Estuary.

“In order to have science be what it should be, we are going to go outside into the field,” Ms. Olson recently said in a video greeting to her students posted to the school’s remote learning page. She has filmed a series of videos on site at the Barcelona Neck Estuary in East Hampton to help her class experience their studies of ecosystems.

The videos dive into bivalves and univalves found in local waters, including the knob and channel whelks, slipper snails, blue-ribbed mussels and Eastern scallops. Ms. Olson explained that scallops swim backward, which can be a little intimidating if one comes face to face with one while snorkeling, but exciting and fun, too. Students also had a firsthand look at the quahog shell, which local Native American tribes once used as wampum.

On the beach, Ms. Olson pointed out the red garnet, iron and quartz in the sands, and the berms that become nesting areas for bank swallows in mid-summer. The class also explored vernal ponds to learn how they develop and the amphibians they nurture in their protected environment. With no fish to prey on them, they can be safe nurseries for insects, tadpoles, frogs, newts and others, Ms. Olson said.

The Bridgehampton School District is looking for nominations for its next Hall of Fame Class. The deadline for nominations is May 31. To view Hall of Fame criteria and download a nomination form, visit Bridgehampton.n12.ny.us.

In Tuckahoe School news, the third grade at The Tuckahoe Common School District did their annual collection for the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation. Items collected were sheets, towels, dog food, cat food and animal toys. The collection went on for the entire month of March.

Even though school closed half-way through March, donations were still dropped off at teachers’ homes and received via Venmo, resulting in the most successful collection effort yet. Unfortunately, due to the quarantine, the third graders were not able to join their teachers in the delivery, but Mrs. Collins and Mrs. Fischette proudly delivered all the donations to the foundation.

Next Wednesday, April 22, is Earth Day and The South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton is exploring how it can continue to offer environmental education programs online. Jungle Bob’s Reptile World has long been one of SoFo’s most popular programs for children, and from 4 to 4:30 p.m. families can tune into a special Zoom session with Jungle Bob and some of the world’s most unloved, unusual and unknown creatures. Encounter a snake, lizard, crocodilian, frog and even a tarantula as Jungle Bob brings the wonders of nature to families at home in this program for all ages.

The Southampton History Museum hopes to bring residents of Southampton Village together on Friday, April 17, from 6 to 7 p.m. for a live question-and-answer session with village Mayor Jesse Warren. Residents can submit their own questions by registering at southamptonhistory.org or can email a live video question to cflanagan@southamptonhistory.org with the subject line “Mayor Q&A.” This event is co-sponsored by the Rogers Memorial Library.

Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton continues to offer online programming at myrml.org. Those who would like to apply for a temporary library card can visit search.livebrary.com/selfreg.

On Thursday, April 16, at 11 a.m., the Southampton History Museum’s Research Center manager and author, Mary Cummings, will give a Zoom talk about the over 100-year history of Southampton Hospital. To register, visit southamptonhistory.org/calendar. Next Thursday, April 23, at 10 a.m., the library will host a Zoom talk, “After the Pandemic,” with David Alpern, a former Newsweek senior editor and radio host. To register, email prorgams@myrml.org. Lastly, the legendary Gene Casey and the Lone Sharks will perform a Facebook Live concert on Friday, April 24, at 7 p.m. for the library’s patrons. To join, visit the library’s Facebook page on the day of the program.

On Shelter Island, the Shelter Island Historical Society wants to hear from you about your experience.

“We’re living through a notable period in history and as a historical society we have the duty and the joy of recording history as it happens; not only looking back on history, but providing for future historians,” said members of the historical society in an email this week. “So, if you would like to be a resource for future historians send us your story and thoughts about social distancing or quarantine, some photos, a poem you wrote, a recipe you’ve been using, or anything that tells the truth of this moment in time that we can keep and catalog for the Shelter Islanders of 2030, 2080, 2120.”

To send in your own submission, email collections@shelterislandhistorical.org.

Local businesses continue to offer their support to healthcare workers across the East End. Green Hill Kitchen $ Que, 48 Front Street in Greenport, is working with local farms and fishermen, as well as New York’s Prime Beef and Peter’s Fruit Company, to donate meals to healthcare workers in surrounding hospitals. On April 6, they delivered meals to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and on April 11, brought food to Eastern Long Island Hospital. On Tuesday, April 28, Green Hill Kitchen and Que will bring meals to Peconic Bay Medical Center.

“Here at Green Hill we are proud to support local healthcare workers that are selflessly working incredibly long hours and facing daunting challenges in front of them on a daily basis. The least we can do is make sure that they have a healthy, tasty weekly cooked meal with loads of love from all of us,” said Chef Matt Boudreau.

Anyone who wishes to donate food to the effort can call the restaurant directly at 631-477-4900.

In East Hampton, the Village Preservation Society of East Hampton announced its partnership in a local movement called East End Eats — A Community Food Fund. Created by local resident and philanthropist, Joe Rose in conjunction with the preservation society, East Hampton Eats is funding local restaurants to provide take-out meals to essential workers and those in need.

“The coronavirus has created not only a public health emergency but also an economic crisis. Abrupt staff layoffs have caused serious hardship for vulnerable workers and we also deeply appreciate the extra effort and risk that essential business and public service workers have been making. We want to help,” said Mr. Rose.

Reaching out to preservation society chairman John L. McGuirk III and other members of the community, a beta test of the program happened last week through a partnership with the Honest Man Restaurant Group, which owns Rowdy Hall, Coche Comedor, Townline BBQ and Nick & Toni’s. Over 150 meal coupons were redeemed by local workers and the food insecure.

Distribution of meal coupons has been enabled by the East Hampton Clericus, religious leaders in the Latino community, as well as local civic organizations. Cantor/Rabbi Debra Stein, immediate past chair of the clericus group has been working with members of the clergy to distribute meal tickets to congregants in need.

Local restaurants are also benefitting from this initiative.

Cittanuova and The 1770 House will soon be participating in the program also.

To help, please write a check to Village Preservation Society: East Hampton Eats and mail to P.O. Box 2015, East Hampton, NY 11937. For electronic transfers please call 631-324-3524.

Local businesses are not the only ones pitching in. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, Hamptons Bays Scout Troop 483 was determined to collect food to benefit the East End Food Pantry at the St. Rosalie’s Church in Hampton Bays. A goal set in January of 2019, as part of a county scouting goal to collect 100,000 pounds of food in celebrating of the 100th anniversary of scouting, the Hampton Bays Troop 483 was set to receive an award in March for collecting 12,299 pounds of food over 10 months in support of the pantry, which is the largest food pantry on the East End, servicing families from Hampton Bays, East Quogue and parts of Flanders. The Suffolk County Council’s Annual Awards Dinner has been postponed as a result of the virus and the Troop will receive its award in June, along with a special patch honoring their efforts in raising more than six tons of food for those in need. And it turns out at a time when they needed it most.

Sadly, this is also a time of great loss for many people. One of those losses this week includes Dan King, a longtime president of the East Hampton Baymen’s Association, who 15 years ago left the South Fork for North Carolina with his wife, Marsha, who predeceases him.

Mr. King’s family had called East Hampton home for generations, dating back to the 1600s. In 2004, at the age of 55, he left East Hampton with Marsha, a secretary at the Old Whalers Church in Sag Harbor — like many choosing to move on from an area that was increasingly expensive and unfavorable for baymen.

According to a New York Times piece in 2004 by Tom Clavin, in the 1970s and 1980s, Mr. King captained one of East Hampton’s six haul-seining crews. He served for 20 years as president of the East Hampton Baymen’s Association and was an East Hampton Town Trustee.

“I’d like to stay on the beach as long as I can, but it’s getting tougher all the time,” said Mr. King in Peter Matthissen’s “Men’s Lives.” “Unless things change, I think we can count the number of years we have got on one hand.”

The Ellen Hermanson Breast Center at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital wants people to know they are still open for diagnostic screenings and necessary procedures throughout this crisis.

“As horrible and destructive as COVID-19 is, breast cancer does not take a break and neither do we,” said staff of the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center in an email this week.

Ellen’s Well support groups are also open and operating virtually. For more information, contact Edyle O’Brien at 631-786-3650.

To reach the Ellen Hermanson Foundation, email info@ellensrun.org, or call 631-907-1952.