Year: 2023
Community events set to provide information on capital project proposal
Liberty Central School District is proposing a nearly $42.7 million capital project that will address safety, efficiency of building systems and educational spaces and meeting the needs of today’s learners for tomorrow’s careers.
The project will go before voters Tuesday, Jan. 16, in the high school gymnasium between noon and 9 p.m. A snow date of Jan. 17 is set. To help inform voters about the proposal, a series of public meetings and presentations will be held in December and January.
The first forum will be held in WJFF’s Community Room at 2758 State Route 52 in Liberty at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20. The public is invited to hear a presentation from district administration and ask questions about the project. A second forum originally scheduled in White Sulphur Springs for Jan. 8 has been canceled.
On Thursday, Jan. 4, Superintendent Dr. Sullivan will offer a virtual presentation on the project via Zoom at 6 p.m. and will answer questions submitted in advance to questions@libertyk12.org. Questions must be submitted by Jan. 3 with “Capital Project” in the subject line. The Zoom link will be listed on the district’s webpage as the event gets closer.
On Wednesday, Jan. 10, the district will host a community forum and question-and-answer session with district administration, representatives from architects CS Arch and a turf specialist. A walkthrough of select project areas will follow the presentation. The Jan. 10 forum and Q&A will be live streamed via LocalLive on the district website. The public is invited to the event, which will begin at 6 p.m. in the high school auditorium.
The Liberty Central School Board of Education and administration, working with CSArch, the construction management team from Schoolhouse Construction Services and Fiscal Advisors, crafted the plan using information gathered in a capacity study, a long-term demographic analysis and the building condition survey conducted during the 2021-22 school year.
More information on the project is available on the district website.
Sports schedule, and results, for the week of Dec. 4-10, 2023
Our athletes will be in action in basketball, indoor track and wrestling this week.
Here is the schedule and results, if available. Livestream links are included where available.
Monday, Dec. 4
3:15 p.m.: Girls and Boys Varsity Indoor Track and Field vs. Multiple Schools at Sullivan County Community College
4 p.m.: Boys Modified Basketball vs. Livingston Manor at Liberty Middle School
5 p.m.: Boys JV Basketball vs. Goshen at Liberty High School
5:30 p.m.: Girls Modified Basketball vs. Livingston Manor at Liberty Middle School
6:30 p.m.: Boys Varsity Basketball vs. Goshen at Liberty High School
Tuesday, Dec. 5
5:30 p.m.: Girls Varsity Basketball vs. S.S. Seward Institute at S.S. Seward Institute
Wednesday, Dec. 6
4 p.m.: Boys Modified Basketball vs. Fallsburg at Liberty Midde School
4:30 p.m.: Boys JV Basketball vs. Eldred at Liberty High School
5 p.m.: Varsity Wrestling vs. Fallsburg/Tri Valley at Benjamin Cosor Elementary School
Result: Liberty 36, Fallsburg 24. Elmer Son Vicente solidifying the win with a pin over his opponent.
5:15 p.m.: Girls Modified Basketball vs. Fallsburg at Liberty Middle School.
6 p.m.: Boys Varsity Basketball vs. Eldred at Liberty High School
Thursday, Dec. 7
No events scheduled.
Friday, Dec. 8
6 p.m.: Basketball: Boys Varsity Basketball Tournament vs. Ellenville at Ellenville High School
Saturday, Dec. 9
9 a.m.: Girls and Boys Varsity Indoor Track & Field Meet vs. Multiple Schools at West Point – United States Military Academy
3 p.m.: Boys Varsity Basketball Consolation game at Ellenville High School
7 p.m.: Boys Varsity Basketball Championship game at Ellenville High School
Varsity Wrestling Patriot Invitational results: Congratulations to Zach and Shawn Bickham for taking 4th in their weight classes (170, 190) at the Patriot Invitational at John Jay East Fishkill HS. Zach finished 3-2 overall on the day, racking up 3 pins. Shawn also finished 3-2 overall, racking up 2 pins. Also picking up wins for the Redhawks were Adam Houser and Manuel Lopez
Sunday, Dec. 10
No events scheduled.
The schedule is subject to change. Check the Liberty schedule on the Section 9 website for the latest.
More than 250 LHS students named to honor roll
The following students were named to the honor rolls at Liberty High School for the first marking period. High Honor Roll students must have attained a marking period average of 89.5 or better and have no failing or incomplete grades. Honor Roll students must have attained a marking period average of 84.5 or better and have no failing or incomplete grades.
12th grade
High Honor: Maria Abreu, Jumana Abu Al Ghanam, Mia Barragan, Kevin Cando, Brittany Cardenas, Lorena Chevalier, Shannon Ciardo, Yuridia Cristino Lopez, Noellia Cruz Cruz, Nevaeh Davis, Morgan DeGraw, Nathan Desrochers, Jayla Edwards, Alexandra Etess, Briasia Gamble, Christopher Garzon Valle, Hannah Gill, Claudia Herzog, Brooke Hessinger, Liliana Ines Leon, Joaquin Isler Diaz, Cyah Jackson, Julia Juron, Madeline Kelly, Zoe Kip, Aylin Leon Martinez, Melany Manzanares Orellana, Dania Maradiaga, Natalie Morales, Josue Nunura Galan, Elyanna Ocasio-Lombardi, Samuel Olivares-Reyes, Lesly Panama, Jake Parks, David Philips, Elaina-Louise Ramirez, Alesandra Rivera, Alexandra Rivera, Jacob Ross, Rozlyn Schauerhamer, Jeremy Simon, Erin Skinner, Grace Torres, Cristian Vargas Martin, Maylluri Vinocunga Llano, Benjamin Visconti, Sincere Warren and Aiden Yaun.
Honor: Carlos Campos-Castro, Lorna DeWitt, Aldo Garcia Romualdo, Tyarah Harris, Adam Houser, Perla Macias, Madison Morales, Maytte Morales-Romero, Ronny Rivas Guardado, Kayla Samuel and Irvin Valente Guzman.
11th grade
High honor: Quinn Allen, Endya Alvarez, Kaitlyn Bodolosky, Noah Call, Cathy Delgado-Flores, Colin Doeinck, James Dworetsky, Sara Fajardo Reyes, James Fancher, Sophia Ferguson, Haley Gill, Lianna Gissentaner, Camila Hernandez, Jordan Hewlett, Joshua Kratz, Jack Krum, Carla Lara Fernandez, Kimberlin Malaga Gonzalez, Cindy Maradiaga Garcia, Diego Marcia Paz, Matthew McKoy, Luis Molina Gonzalez, Owen Moore, Sierra Norris, Liam Parks, Jose Perez Sanchez, Joshuaj Reyes Escobedo, Mason Smith, Austin Werlau, Kyra Wingert, Hannah Wormuth and Rita Zheng.
Honor: Elmida Aguilar-Reyes, Jayniece Arroyo, Andres Castillo Hernandez, Raul Esquivias Garzon, Haylee Gomez, Sandra Hanofee, Mya Huebsch, Alex Kearney, Kenisha Ledoux, Skylar Loyce, Addison Makky, Colin Mangan, Jameel McCline, Andrew McPhillips, Joseph Metz, Gerson Nolasco Monroy, Megan Schmidt, Brianna Smith, Ixzel Torrez Cruz and Mykenzi Williams.
10th grade
High honor: Maliea Agapito, Sheyla Anguisaca-Llanos, Cristian Argenal, Teodulo Banegas Jr, Adisyn Bell, Shawn Bickham Jr., Aubrey Botsford, Brooke Bull, Carmela Burgio, Addison Bury, Runxian Chen, Jake Cross, Valeria Cruz, Genna DeFrank, Giada DeFrank, Cameron Degroat, Eli Desrochers, Allisson Diaz Lopez, Joseph DiBartolo, Nicolle Feijo, Abigail Fitzgerald, Sydania Foster, Damaris Garcia, Lia Guillerme, Jacob Kelly, Zane Kip, Kaley Klein, Belen Leon Martinez, Gianna Lewis, Yamilet Lopez Cortez, Arwyn Lucero-Bonilla, Angelina Magie, Leonel Malaga Ventura, Brenna Mangan, Emely Maradiaga Martinez, Yuritzy Martinez Ramirez, Quelin Molina Gavilan, Serenity Moore, Makayla Morales, Melanie Moreno Velasquez, Genesis Munoz Valladares, Soleil Ocasio-Lombardi, Amber Peachey, William Pennell, Scarlet Perez, Brooke Porter, Cassandra Porter, Danny Ramon-Fernandez, Phillo Romero, Joseph Sarney, Justin Simon, Ashley Szuba, Isabella Wagner, Elijah Warren, Angela Wheeler, Cameryn Will and Isaiah Young.
Honor: Alexis Buschmann, Wendy Chabla, Kamoren Connell, Elizabeth Cruz Cruz, Marcus Curry, Joshua Decker Jr., Christopher DiBartolo, Cheyenne Graham, Miguel Guzman, Emily Hook, Lincoln Klein, Joselyn Lojano Inga, DaShaun Loyce, Maria Quintanilla Bonilla, Jose Rivera, Serenity Ryder, Tayler Schwartz, Jaidon Simmons, Elmer Son Vicente and Leysli Vinocunga Llano.
Ninth grade
High Honor: Brayan Abrego Medina, Zackary Alvord, Gianino Amendola, Josue Artiga Martinez, Jehu Baldes Lara, Jeffrey Banegas Barahona, Jill Baumander, Eyanna Castro, Kent Clarke, Olivia Corrigan, Adolfo Cos Cux, Abdi Coy Pop, Liliana Crespo, Alan Cruz, Louis Daniels, Colin Dasraj, Dung Duong, LeonJahnae Fountain, Kylie Fuller, Yamilet Garcia Gonzalez, Juanita Garcia Lopez, Diana Guallpa, Peyton Hadjstylianos, Jhosmery Jadan Pangolo, Misael Juarez Perez, Peyton Klein, Bartlomiej Klys, Audrey Krum, Marvin Lucero Ramirez, Roger Lynker III, Katherine Maldonado, Bridgette Mateo Cruz, Jeremiah McLeod, Mariely Medina Orellana, Elizabeth Navarrete, Angele Osorio Ramirez, Savannah Pagan Van Wagner, Katherine Panama Guaillazaca, Giselle Perez Sanchez, Lucio Ponce Vazquez, Riley Santiago, Ruth Sellers, Jordan Smith, Madelynn Stewart, Amy Szuba, Olivia Tyler, Allison Vasko, Jeronimo Velez Osorio, Giuliana Wagner and Sebastian Yupanqui.
Honor: Derick Aliers Amparo, Sophia Avellino, Riley Cox, Colin Dole, Titus Donmoyer, Angel Figueroa, Austin Frunzi, Rahel Garrod, Isiah Johnson, Orchid Langlois, Nester Leon Aldana, AnnaMay Lopez, Meylin Mendoza Bonilla, , Adrianna Slater, Olivia Torres, Kasey Turcios Mejia, Keyanna White and Lige Young.
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.
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.
A reminder of LCSD’s inclement weather procedures
Liberty has already seen some light snow this fall, and more is in the forecast. The district is taking this opportunity to remind parents, guardians and the community how they will receive notice if school will be operating under a delay, will be dismissed early or will be closed due to inclement weather.
The district will contact parents and guardians directly by phone, email and text if there are any changes in the daily school schedule. Those who wish to verify their contact information is correct should reach out to the main office of their child’s school. Closing, delay and early dismissal information will also be posted on the district website and shared with local media outlets. Calls may also be made to the district at 845-292-5400 with any schedule changes following the initial greeting.
If there is a two-hour delay, morning pre-k will be canceled. When there is early dismissal, all after-school activities are canceled.
The district has scheduled seven snow days. If all snow days are used by Feb. 15, Feb. 16 will become a student day. Any additional days needed will be virtual learning days. Please refer to our Districtwide Safety Plan regarding remote learning.
A message from the superintendent about district logos
Dear Liberty community,
Because of an ongoing review of possible copyright issues with our new logos, Liberty Central School District is immediately discontinuing the use of the Redhawk logos unveiled last month.
We are in the process of removing the logos from any district-owned properties.
All sales of merchandise using the logos have been halted. We are currently exploring our options, and in the meantime we will use the Block L logo we had used previously.
Sincerely,
Dr. Patrick Sullivan
Superintendent