Month: November 2023
LMS winter concerts planned
Liberty Middle School Music Department will host its winter concerts in December.
The Seventh and Eighth Grade Concert will be Thursday, Dec. 7, with the Fifth and Sixth Grade Concert on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Both concerts will start at 7 p.m.
The public is invited to the concerts, which will feature the respective grades’ bands, choruses and orchestras. Admission is free. The concerts will be livestreamed by clicking on the links above.
Snow dates will be Monday, Dec. 11, for the Seventh and Eighth Grade Concert, and Wednesday, Dec. 20, for the Fifth and Sixth Grade Concert.
Students involved in these ensembles are expected to attend. Concert attendance is 40% of grade. Students should report to their ensemble rooms by 6:15 p.m. Students should enter the building at Middle School door M16 by the locker rooms. Dress for the concert is all black. At the conclusion of the concert, students can be picked up outside of the High School main entrance or outside of Middle School door M16 (where they were dropped off)
For more information, contact Mr. Eric Aweh at eaweh@libertyk12.org.
LMS students earn first quarter honors
The following students were named to the first quarter honor rolls at Liberty Middle School. Honor Roll students have an overall average of 90-96. The Principal’s Honor Roll requires an average of 97-100. The replay of the livestream ceremony held the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 29, can be seen here.
Eighth grade
Principal’s Honor Roll: Colten Allen, Sophia Duarte, Belle Gandulla, Leah Herbek, Hunter Kavleski, Shea-Leigh Kristiansen and Adriana Ponce Agredano.
Honor Roll: Brandon Amador, Stephanie Amaya Bonilla, Angeliz Arriaga Munoz, Irwin Barragan Rojas, Zachariah Bickham, Alyssia Boyles, Jared Briggs, Hope Corbett, Keven Cordero Lima, Michael Feijo, McKayla Figueroa, Starriah Harris, Tyler Juron, Alice King, Lena LaGattuta, Peter Miralle Jr., Giselle Payton, Jayla Ramon, Mason Williams and Alonso Yupanqui.
Seventh grade
Principal’s Honor Roll: Luca Burgio, Phillip Burrous Jr, Amelia Cole, Joshua DiBartolo, Grace Fitzgerald, Anthony Gavidia Reyes, Mariana Joya-Reyes, Elizabeth MacNamara, Olivia Matuszak, Selkir Molina Gonzalez, Sariah Ocasio, Jacob Pennell, Aaron Ponce Flores, Alena Tarabichi and Anthony Valdez Calle.
Honor Roll: Nathan Alvord, Samantha Bull, Evelin Castillo Hernandez, Joseph Certo, Matthew Decker, Casity DiBartolo, Laudy D’Oleo, Alexandra Galeas Osorio, Jasmine Garcia-Reyes, Yoscari Gomez Mejia, Miles Harman, Victoria Henry, Damien Keating, Alexandra Kelly, Sara Liddle, Tristan Maloney, Alex Olivares-Reyes, Arturo Perez Reyes, Arianna Rodriguez, Kimberly Rodriguez, Quinn Santiago, Everett Schwartz, MaKaidyn J Smith and Sophia Vasko.
Sixth grade
Principal’s Honor Roll: Madison Montgomery Allem Mya Davis, Claire Ferguson, Michael Garzon Valle, Gavin Grant, Jacob Grossman, Luna Pixie Hulse, Antoni Klys, Matthew Kolarik, Corinne Lake, Harper Matuszak, Angelick Rivera, Namarpreet Singh and Angel Terraza Raymundo.
Honor Roll: Conner Baum, Maria Cinfuentes, Jeremy Correa, Keily Dominguez-Chabla, Makayla Fuentes Serapio, Chase Golzak, Randall Guncay Encalada, Alan Hernandez Lopez, Aiden Hernandez Mejia, Jolisa Hernandez, Lilly Kehrley, Brody Kelly, Sidra Koen James, Liam LaGattuta, Madison LaMantia, Denis Leon Aldana, Ixchel Marin Gonzalez, Pricilla Matute, Riot McCoy, Ava McNett, Americus Mott, Pearl Mott, Zalaina Nash, Americus Newhall, Jordan Ocasio, Erika Panama, Luke Poley, Valeria Ponce Vazquez, Myla Rielly, Kameren Samuel, Aiden Satz, Alyson Smith, Brycen Smith, Hayden Smith, Ana Sosa, Meily Valencia Bamac, Nahum Vallejo Sandoval, Francisco Vicente-Gonzalez and Aaliyah Walker.
Fifth Grade
Principal’s Honor Roll: Elisa Barragan, Owen Brust, Riley Church-Bradley, Farrah Conklin-Degraw, Dia D’Agata, Avery Decker, Tristian Degroat, Delilah Flores-Serapio, Isabella Intranuovo, Tyler Kavleski, Aubrie Keating, Megan Martinez Gomez, Karen Mosso, Denali Owens, Randy Panchana, Lily Paynter, Scarlett Ratner, Caleb Rusin, Marjorie Tejada Servellon, Sophie Toledo, Raegan Wagner and Subhan Zeeshan.
Honor Roll: Muhammad Awais, Guiliana Birkett, Emma Boyles, Andry Caal Chub, Katarina Card, Raymond Cottman Jr., Gregory Dasraj, Marcel Davis, Briann Leigh Decker, Conor Deis, Ellis Dilworth, Ronal Dubon Duque, Royce Fingers, Madelyn Garcia Cuellar, Ely Garcia Garcia, Lilliana Garzon Ferrufino, Dariana Gonzalez Suarez, Mia Grant, Astrid Guardado Diaz, Anabel Hernandez Fuentes, Hudson Jardon, Dylan Joya Reyes, Allyson Juarez, Mateusz Klys, Makenzie Knack, Kaleb Laidley, Leandro Leon, Keidy Llano Luciano, Alexandria Lyden, Daisuke Mapes, Ayanelson Mazariegos Cuz, Abel McClain, Hunter Miranda, Michael Mishquero Arevalo, Bentley Moore, Samuel Negroni, Paul Odior 2nd, Makaela Parsons, Joseph Portillo Larios, Milsi Ramirez Martinez, Uriel Rios, Jordanno Rivera, Kailani Rivera, Genesis Robles Burgos, Aaliyssa Rodriguez, Jordyn Roebuck, Abigail Romero, Alan Romero, Sherlene Romero, MaKynlie Smith, Reinier Stanton, Jorge Tacuri Llano, Katherine Valdez Calle, Belinda VanGordon, Carolina Vera Rivera, Delanie Yupanqui and Sophie Zayas.
District notified of cybersecurity incident
On Tuesday, Nov. 28, Liberty Central School District Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan sent the following message to Liberty families.
Dear Liberty families,
Late Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 28, the Liberty Central School District was informed that there was a cybersecurity incident reported by our local BOCES that could involve personally identifiable information of some of our elementary and middle school students who have used Sphero robots in class.
Sphero is a STEAM company where educators and students login to an account to interact with Sphero robots. The scope of the potentially affected data is still being determined as each district using the Sphero service could have configured their information differently. Depending on the setup method used, it’s possible that no Liberty student’s data was entered into the system.
The incident took place around September 2023 and was reported to the New York State Department of Education. Although there is no evidence at this time suggesting misuse of the aforementioned information, we believe it is essential to keep you informed about this disclosure. The district will be following up individually with any families whose students may have been affected.
Safeguarding educational data is a top priority. Our staff undergoes training in data security and privacy, and our systems are equipped with multiple layers of control to protect your child’s educational records. We have received assurances that Sphero has taken necessary measures to address the incident and is reinforcing security measures to prevent similar occurrences.
I appreciate your patience as we wait for more information and will provide an update when we have more to share.
Sincerely,
Dr. Patrick Sullivan
Superintendent
Seventh graders learn about local, healthy food
Mr. Feeney’s seventh grade health and Mr. Diehl’s technology classes were able to learn about healthy eating and farm-to-table philosophy earlier this fall thanks to Foster Supply and A Single Bite.
This is the third year that Liberty Middle School and A Single Bite have partnered to teach students about local food and healthy nutrition.
During the series, the students had two in-class lessons, took a trip to Sprouting Dreams Farm and ate lunch at the Arnold House.
During the lessons, educators from A Single Bite talked to students about real vs. processed foods and talked about health and nutrition related statistics for New York state and Sullivan County, noting that Sullivan County’s rankings are slowly improving but still have far to go.
The students were offered three healthy snacks prepared with local, fresh ingredients. Students were encouraged to take one bite of each snack and describe the taste, texture and more. The reaction to each bite was mixed. Some students took a nibble and shook their heads, while others took larger bites. Some gave thumbs up and finished eating, others placed their snack on their plates, waiting for the next one.
At Sprouting Dreams, Eugene Thalmann educated the students about locally grown produce, starting your own business, importance of farms and offered samples. “The mustard plant at Sprouting Dreams farm was spicy but tasty,” student Miles Harman said.
It wasn’t just the produce that caught the attention of students.
“Farmer Eugene’s flowers were pretty and he gave us a lot of good information about life,” student Sophia Vasko said.
“Loki the farm dog was adorable and made the tour more fun,” student Alena Tarabichi added.
At the Arnold House, students were provided a meal that was served family style made with locally and regionally grown products, including a first course of an autumn salad of leaf lettuce, dried cranberries, red onion, feta cheese and apple cider vinaigrette, a second course of herb roasted chicken with gremolata, seasoned fingerlings potatoes and seasoned broccolini, and a dessert of chocolate pudding.
Students discussed the taste, smell and texture of each course.
“Those were some good potatoes; the seasoning was great,” student Adele Gulley said.
“The broccolini was perfectly cooked and well seasoned,” Joseph Certo added.
After each course, the chef shared with the students where the food came from and how it was prepared.
“The students and staff enjoyed themselves during the experience and are looking forward to next year already,” Feeney said.
New Hope Community to offer free drive-thru meals
New Hope Community’s Sixth Annual Outreach Dinner will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12, at New Hope Community in Loch Sheldrake.
Those in need will be able to drive through and pick up a free family dinner to go. A limited supply of Shop Rite gift cards will also be available. All will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and one family dinner will be provided per family or car.
The meals were provided through the generosity of Red Lobster, Texas Roadhouse, Adams Fairacre Farms, Chili’s Hannaford, Sam’s Club, Shop Rite and Jenkins-Lueken Orchards. The ShopRite cards were donated by the NHC Foundation.
Sports schedule, and results, for the week of Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2023
Winter sports games begin this week and our athletes will be in action in basketball.
Here is the schedule and results, if available. Livestream links are included where available.
Monday, Nov. 27
5 p.m.: Boys JV Basketball vs. multiple schools at Monticello High School.
Tuesday, Nov. 28
5 p.m.: Boys Varsity Basketball vs. Multiple Schools. at Monticello High School Monticello Main Gym.
Wednesday, Nov. 29
5 p.m.: Boys JV Basketball vs. John S. Burke Catholic at Liberty High School.
6:30 p.m.: Boys Varsity Basketball vs. John S. Burke Catholic at Liberty High School.
Thursday, Nov. 30
4:45 p.m.: Boys JV Basketball vs. Monticello at Monticello High School.
Friday, Dec. 1
No events scheduled.
Saturday, Dec. 2
No events scheduled.
Sunday, Dec. 3
No events scheduled.
The schedule is subject to change. Check the Liberty schedule on the Section 9 website for the latest.
Redhawk logo to be redesigned
The Liberty Central School District has determined that it is not in the district’s interest to use the Redhawk logo design that was previously approved. We will work with a new art and graphic design team to develop new designs for the Redhawk logo. We recognize that some individuals, organizations and entities may have made purchases of merchandise bearing the previous Redhawks logo. We are considering whether and how to equitably resolve any concerns about such purchases and will provide more details when they are available.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Has anyone demanded that the district not use the previous Redhawk logo?
A. No.
Q. Why is the Redhawk logo being changed?
A. To avoid any potential legal concerns that might arise.
Q. Will the district refund out-of-pocket costs for prior purchases of merchandise bearing the discarded mascot/logo?
A. We are working with the district’s legal team to consider whether and how that might be accomplished.
Q. How much money has the district spent on the discarded logo?
A. No significant expenditures have been made, in that we have not used the mascot on signage, sports equipment or sports uniforms. There have been some smaller expenditures, which we estimate to be a total of less than $2,350.
Q. Is the name “Redhawks” going to change?
A. No.
Police presence to be increased Nov. 21
As previously posted, Liberty Central School District was made aware of a concerning social media post involving a picture of a firearm on Monday evening, Nov. 20, 2023.
LPD is still investigating the post, and it is still determined there is no threat intended toward the district or students.
As an extra precaution, there will be more police presence on our campuses, today, Nov. 21, 2023
LCSD alerted to concerning social media post
Liberty Central School District was made aware of a concerning social media post involving a picture of a firearm on Monday evening, Nov. 20, 2023.
Liberty Police Department was notified. LPD is currently investigating the post, and determined there is no threat intended toward the district or students.
Liberty Library plans December events
Liberty Public Library is planning a series of events for students in December.
Elementary students, with an adult, are invited to the library at 189 N. Main St. afterschool until 4 p.m. for an opportunity to make holiday gifts for loved ones.
On Dec. 18, elementary students with a adult are invited to a time to sip hot cocoa and color, afterschool until 4 p.m. Students may also pick up their winter reading challenge cards at that time.
For the older students, Teen Zone will feature Ink Art afterschool Monday, Dec. 11. Students in fifth through 12th grade are invited to make ink art creations, while sipping on hot cocoa and eating snacks.
For more information, call 845-292-6070 or visit www.libertypubliclibrary.org.