Month: March 2023
Liberty students’ artwork to be on display at Bethel Woods
More than 100 pieces of art created by Liberty Central School District students will be among those on display during the Countywide 9K-12 Art Show at Bethel Woods next month.
The show, which will feature artwork from pre-k through 12th grade students across Sullivan County, will open with the student opening reception from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, April 13. The public opening reception will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday, April 14.
The show will be open between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 15 and 16, at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts at 200 Hurd Road in Bethel.
Artwork in 10 media categories will be featured: Ceramics and Glass, Digital Art, Design, Black and White Drawing, Color Drawing, Mixed Media, Painting, Black and White Photography, Color Photography, Film and Animation, and Sculpture.
The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts will also provide free museum admission to students attending the Art Show throughout the weekend.
The Sullivan County PK-12 Art Show is one of the many programs offered through the Arts In Education Program at Sullivan BOCES. Dedicated to raising visual and aesthetic literacy standards and levels while strengthening and supporting learning in all curriculum areas, the Arts In Education Program supports the Arts and arts-integrated learning experiences for K-12 students and teachers.
For more information about the Arts In Education Program at Sullivan BOCES, visit scboces.org.
Meet our administrative team
The Liberty Central School District administration team is committed to giving our students the best possible educational experience. To do that, we work to be visible in our schools and community and engage with our students, faculty, staff and families.
We also think it is important for you to know who we are. That is why we created a webpage that highlights our administrative team. There you can read short biographies and see photos of our district and school leaders.
We invite you to check out the page and read more about the district, schools and departments by visiting the links on the page.
School board nominating petitions available
Nominating petitions for the three seats on Liberty Central School Board of Election up for election on May 16 are now available.
One seat will be for a three-year term plus the remainder of the unexpired term of Anthon R. Sinacore. That term will run from May 16, 2023, through June 30, 2026. The other two positions will be three-year terms, running July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026. These seats are held by Maureen Stabak and Robert “Keith” Torrens.
Those interested in running for election must contact District Clerk Tania DeFrank at 845-292-5400, ext 2051, or tdefrank@libertyk12.org to obtain the petitions and more information.
Nominating petitions must have at least 25 valid signatures of residents of the district and must be returned to the clerk’s office by 5 p.m. Monday, April 17.
The top vote getter will be awarded the seat formerly held by Sinacore, and the next two will earn the three-year terms.
LCSD reviews possible capital projects
Safety, efficiency and meeting the needs of today’s learners are at the center of proposals Liberty Central School District officials are reviewing for a potential upcoming capital project vote.
CSArch, an architecture, engineering and construction management firm, has been working with the district to recommend upgrades to the district’s aging buildings and systems. The elementary school, which housed the entire district when it was established in1925, includes two additions. The high school is 60 years old, and the middle school was constructed in the early 1990s.
The capital project priorities were presented to the Liberty Board of Education at its meeting on March 15. Projects were listed as top priority (Priority 1) and secondary priority (Priority 2) and Athletics. Items were prioritized based on immediate needs and impact on learning.
The district will review the priorities listed below to be included in a final capital project proposal to go before voters at a time yet to be determined.
Priority 1
Priority 1 projects outlined in the presentation included installing hardwired carbon monoxide alarm systems in each of the school buildings and district office, as well as HVAC control upgrades in each of the school buildings.
Other identified projects by building level are as follows:
High School
- 300 Wing renovations
- Exterior stair replacement
- Generator replacement
- Cafeteria renovations
- Innovation Lab renovations.
Middle School
- Foundation water infiltration repairs
- Interior/exterior door replacements
- Site electric upgrades to address water infiltration into the building
- Replace main electrical distribution panel
- Emergency lighting upgrades
Elementary School
- Roofing repairs and upgrades
- Hazardous materials abatement (vinyl asbestos tile)
- Wood flooring replacement
- Compliant railings at interior bleachers
- Classroom unit vent replacements
- Boiler conversions
- Gymnasium ventilation system upgrades
Priority 2
High School
- Replace the original heat systems, including radiators, cabinet heaters and piping.
- Replace the main electrical panels
Middle School
- Classroom unit vent replacements
- Gymnasium/locker room ventilation system upgrades
- Boiler replacements
- Water heater replacements
- Innovation Lab/Student Support renovations
- Cafeteria renovations
- Lounge, office and new entry renovations
Elementary School
- Window replacements
- Lintel repairs
Athletics
- Running track resurfacing
- Slot drains at track perimeter
- Long jump replacement
- Fix lip at edge and provide new cover
- New concrete sidewalk
- New bleachers and press box
- New turf
- Lights
LMS students hear about mascot change, share ideas
On Monday morning, Liberty CSD Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan met with middle school students to discuss the district’s ongoing efforts to choose a new mascot.
Like in the community forum held earlier this year, he went over the history of the mascot in Liberty, why the mascot change is needed and what the district is doing moving forward.
Following the presentation, students provided additional ideas on what the mascot should be and offered thoughts on how it should be chosen.
The middle school student presentation followed the first mascot committee meeting held earlier this month. It was the first student-centered meeting planned to get input on the pending change. Dr. Sullivan will also offer presentations in the high school social studies classes and will set up meetings with the elementary school students.
Liberty staff, faculty continue to learn on students’ day off
Liberty Central School students may have been off Friday, March 17, but our faculty and staff were hard at work.
Our faculty and staff started their day with a breakfast provided in the high school cafeteria.
After breakfast, everyone gathered in the auditorium to get an update on Liberty’s strategic plan, district improvement plan and building plans. Dr. Patrick Sullivan outlined the progress we have made toward our goals and implementing the plans.
The keynote speaker Maryann Brittingham spoke on the topic “Your Mindset Matters,” She addressed the importance of creating a classroom environment that allows shifts in students’ mindsets and how teachers lead by example.
At noon, all faculty and staff were treated to lunch in the cafeteria. The meal included a cleverly designed fruit tray by our cafeteria staff.
The afternoon was dedicated to further professional development, surveys and classroom prep.
These conference days are essential to helping make Liberty a great place to learn.
Seventh graders get tasty lessons on healthy eating
Liberty Middle School seventh grade students recently learned about the health benefits of consuming local foods and the farm-to-table philosophy thanks to Foster Hospitality and its nonprofit, A Single Bite.
This is the second year LMS and A Single Bite have partnered in this program, which is coordinated by Sara Hazlenis, a LCS alumna.
“This program is a great way for students to see different foods that are produced locally, and get them out of their comfort zone by trying new foods that are prepared fresh,” said seventh grade health and PE teacher Rich Feeney.
In January, Kyle Goldstein, A Single Bite presenter and LCS alumnus, visited classes and discussed health and nutrition related statistics for New York state and Sullivan County. Chef Peter Yurasits prepared three “bites” for students to taste and then discuss characteristics of each with their classmates. All ingredients came from different areas of the county, and each student was encouraged to try “A Single Bite” of each snack.
The bites included cheddar cheese on a Granny Smith apple, smoked trout on cucumber, and a potato pancake with applesauce.
Students then took a field trip to Sprouting Dreams Farms in February where they were given the opportunity to explore the grounds with farmer Eugene Thalmann. He discussed goal setting and using resources, as well as conducted a tour of his vegetable farm, which includes three greenhouses that he discussed the purpose for each during the tour. Students sampled a few greens fresh from the garden and enjoyed the company of the farm dog, Loki.
The following week, students were treated to a farm-to-table, family-style lunch at The Arnold House. The meal included fresh salad, roasted chicken, carrots, fingerling potatoes and a lemon honey tart. All ingredients were locally produced and freshly prepared. Students discussed the tastes, smells and textures of the food while enjoying the meal. After each course, the chef shared with the students where the food came from and how it was prepared.
Goldstein returned to the Liberty classrooms mid-February to recap the field trips as well as discuss the difference between real versus processed foods, as well as health benefits. Yurasits prepared three more snacks for the class, and they were asked to once again try “A Single Bite” while describing the food. The bites included parsnip soup, venison summer sausage on a sweet potato chip, and a garlic scape on a roasted carrot.
“It was a great experience,” student Tyler Juron said, “because we learned about local foods and got to eat an amazing lunch.”
A message from the superintendent (VIDEO)
Please watch the following video from Superintendent Patrick Sullivan:
Hello Liberty,
We are now in our second half of our school year. There’s still much to look forward to and plenty to look back on with Liberty Pride.
Our winter athletic season has completed, and I’m proud of what our student athletes have accomplished.
Our student photographers also have much to be proud of with every Liberty High School student participating, earning a prize at the Mid-Hudson Region of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Our eight students earned six gold keys, 11 silver keys, and 20 honorable mentions.
Liberty also had the pleasure of hosting the Liberty Jazz Festival in February and the All-County Music Festival this past weekend.
Dozens of Liberty elementary students have earned Character Counts Awards and hundreds of our middle school and high school students should be proud of their work to get on the honor rolls.
At the district level, we hosted our community Forum on the pending mascot change and held our first committee meeting .We’ll communicate more information as it becomes available.
I want to thank all of our faculty staff students and families for their support in making Liberty a great place to learn.
Mascot committee meets, discusses options
Liberty Central School District’s Mascot Committee held its first meeting on Thursday, March 2, with about 20 people taking part. Committee members included students, alumni, faculty, staff and administrators.
The committee was formed following a community forum held last month to address the pending required change to Liberty’s mascot. In November, following a June ruling from the state’s highest court citing the Dignity for All Students Act, SED mandated that all publicly funded schools stop using Native American and indigenous mascots, logos and imagery or risk losing state funding.
During the committee meeting, which lasted about 90 minutes, participants reviewed key points highlighted in the forum, as well as the strategic plan.
For the bulk of the meeting, members broke into four groups to review the nearly 500 survey submissions as well as identify three mascot choices and explain how they align with LCSD’s mission, vision, beliefs and strategic plan. The groups each also identified three ways to choose the new mascot, as well as how to communicate and implement the new mascot.
A proposal, awaiting final approval from the state Board of Regents, reads: “By the end of the 2022-23 school year, boards of education must commit, via resolution, to eliminating use of all Indigenous names, logos and mascots. Such resolution shall identify a plan to eliminate all use of the prohibited name, logo or mascot within a reasonable time, which shall be no later than the end of the 2024-2025 school year.”
“We are not going to rush this decision,” Superintendent Patrick Sullivan said. “We are continuing to gather input from members of the Liberty community to make sure we make the best possible choice to embody what this district stands for and means to the community.”
The committee will meet again next month, and efforts to gather student input will also be planned.