Academics

The Liberty Central School District is dedicated to preparing students to meet the demands of New York State exams and Regents diplomas, but more importantly, the district is dedicated to educating the whole child and readying students for successful careers and rewarding lives.

Liberty offers a PreK-12 program that promotes academic, social and emotional development, and is  designed to meet the needs of all students regardless of ability or future plans.

Elementary class sizes and student-to-teacher ration allow staff to provide programs for each student in need of support, as well as for those who are gifted.

The secondary program is diverse and includes an extended range of academic subjects such as fine arts, music, business, physical education, STEAM and Family and Consumer Science. Advanced placement courses such as biology, English, French, Spanish, calculus and U. S. history are offered.

Students in grades 9-12 enjoy a variety of clubs, athletics and extra-curricular activities, and are encouraged to enrich their school experience by participating in at least one activity each year.

Liberty’s education program is supplemented by the outstanding staff and facilities of the Sullivan County BOCES, which offers a broad array of occupational preparation programs at its nearby campus.

Academic Departments

Art

The art department at Liberty works K-12 to support creativity, collaboration, as well as innovative thought and processes. Its goal is to expand students’ abilities to express themselves and appreciate art and its role throughout human history.

All three schools study and emulate masters in many media while expanding students’ ability to communicate through visual art. In the high school there are two paths of study, the first path involves fine arts, such as ceramics, drawing and painting. The second is taught through the overlapping media path of photography, including advanced photography for college credit, video and graphic arts.

The art department offers students many opportunities in class, in the school and in the community to become accomplished and acknowledged artists.

English Language Arts (ELA)

The English Language Arts department features a rigorous curriculum across all grade levels. The members of the English department pay very close attention to the New York State’s Next Generation Standard that have been released by the state education department as a guideline for their daily lessons. The department utilizes current technological advances in order to provide students with information and materials in the most efficient way possible.

English as a New Language (ENL)

Our ENL Department’s objective is to promote academic excellence, creativity and well roundedness in all of our Multi Language learners. Each student is encouraged to persevere and build self confidence in order to meet with success. The District has a collaborative goal to reduce and eventually eliminate the achievement gap among students from diverse backgrounds.

Health and Family and Consumer Sciences

The Health and Family and Consumer Sciences department offers courses that provide real-world learning opportunities. The purpose of the program – which includes instruction in nutrition, budgeting, cooking and wellness – is to prepare students to be competent, confident and caring in managing their personal, family and work lives.

Math

The members of the math department utilizes a hands-on rigorous curriculum that is aligned with New York State’s Next Generation Standards when creating their daily lessons. The high school math department also offers several electives and AP/college courses. Many students are able to satisfy all the necessary math credits needed for their major when they leave the high school. The members of the department use technology, including personal electronic devices, in their classes to enhance learning.

Music

Music at Liberty encompasses the entire district from kindergarten to Grade 12 and the curriculum incorporates the New York State and National Art Standards. General music, ensembles (band, chorus, orchestra) and small group lessons are three main areas of focus. At the high school level a variety of electives are additionally offered.

Through diversified exposure and curriculum, it is the mission and expectation of the music department that students become culturally literate, appreciate varied genres and make music a part of their life.

Physical Education

Our physical education classes concentrate on the total mental, emotional and physical development of our students. This development is attained through grade-level appropriate physical activities that promote sportsmanship, muscular coordination, leadership and the ability to follow others. Students are taught to recognize their own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of their peers.

In 2018, New York  began a process to review and revise physical education standards originally adopted in 1996. The standards were updated to ensure they are appropriate for students’ grade levels and reflect what students should know and be able to do in physical education.

Science

LIBERTY Middle School

Science at the middle school level involves introducing students to topics that they will be exposed to again with greater depth in high school. Teachers follow the New York State standards in order to best prepare them for the intermediate level science test at the end of Grade 8. Hands-on methods are employed to give students a feel for laboratory work, including some inquiry methods. Additionally, some Grade 8 students can take Regents Living Environment, which allows them more opportunity for electives in high school.

LIBERTY High School

Science classes at the high school level feature many challenging courses based on the New York State Science standards and are designed to prepare students for college study. Along with the four Regents-level classes and AP Biology, Liberty High School offers several electives for students to learn more about areas of special interest.

Social Studies

The primary objective of the social studies program is to prepare students to become thoughtful individuals who function successfully in an increasingly complex, multi-cultural and changing world. It is the goal to create informed citizens who process information and understand and appreciate backgrounds and cultures different from their own.

Universal Pre-Kindergarten

The Universal Pre-Kindergarten program provides curriculum and activities appropriate to the age-level and individual needs of eligible children and which promote cognitive, linguistic, physical, cultural, emotional and social development.  Activities are learner-centered and are designed and provided to promote total growth and development in all areas including English literacy. Children are encouraged to be self-assured and independent.