• A reminder: Liberty Central School District will be closed Monday, Oct. 14, for Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
  • The schedule for GeoTech to conduct testing for the capital project has changed. Testing will take place at the football field and track on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 9 and 10. The testing for the area of the  Maintenance Building will take place Friday and Monday, Oct. 11 and 14. The football field and track will not be available for use on Oct. 9 and 10. The high jump area will not be affected by the testing. On Oct. 11 and 14, the Winthrop parking lot behind the district office near the softball field will be closed.  If you have any questions, please email questions@libertyk12.org.
  • If you haven’t yet, please make sure you switch your SchoolTool Parent Portal URL to https://st10.schooltool.com/liberty to continue to access your child’s grades, information and more.

District asks families to review remote learning plan

On Tuesday, Jan. 30, Liberty Central School District Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Sullivan sent the following message to students’ families.


Dear Liberty families,

With more than a month left of winter weather, I wanted to remind you of our district’s plan for remote learning should we exceed our seven allotted emergency closure days, which are used for inclement weather or another situation that requires the closing of school, such as a power failure. As of today, Jan. 30, we have used four of our seven emergency closure days. 

Because the state Education Department requires school districts to remain in session for at least 180 days, using a remote learning day in the event that we exceed our allotted emergency days would reduce the need for the district to meet that requirement by extending the regular school year or taking away already planned days off, such as Memorial Day. 

While we still have emergency days left to use, we are asking all parents and guardians to please review the Emergency Closing Remote Learning Plan now so you are familiar with the expectations of your student on a remote learning day so you and they are prepared if there is a need for one. If you have questions or concerns about the activities on a remote learning day, please contact the main office of your student’s school. If you have technology concerns, contact Director of Technology Patrick Killian at 845-292-5400, ext. 2068 or pkillian@libertyk12.org

I understand that a remote learning day may pose challenges for some families, and I appreciate your flexibility as we work together to fulfill our district’s mission of empowering each student to contribute and thrive in a diverse community by pursuing their potential. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick Sullivan

Superintendent of Schools

Two Liberty athletes to compete at state girls wrestling event

Cheyenne Graham and Zoe Kip were chosen to compete in the NYSPHSAA girls’ wrestling invitational on Friday, Jan. 26, at Onondaga Community College. The two have been wrestling on the boys varsity team this season. Cheyenne, who was last year’s girls sectional champion, will compete in the 185 pound class. She has a record of 8-3 this season. Zoe, who will be competing in the 152 class, will make her second appearance in the state invitational. Her record is 12-6. 

Snack Pack program gets donation from church

Susan Hamlin of the First Presbyterian Church in Liberty recently presented a check for $445 to Liberty Central School District Community School Coordinator Stacy Feasel to benefit the Snack Pack Food Program. The program provides meals over weekends and long breaks to students who are experiencing food insecurity. 

“Our church members have chosen this as an important community need, and we will continue to support it as part of our local outreach missions,” Hamlin said. 

Middle schoolers learn “Real Food Rules”

Students in sixth grade at Liberty Middle School spent two Fridays in the fall learning — and singing — about food.

STEAM Fund (Siegel Trust Enriching Arts & Music) at CFOS (Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan) brought its Real Food Song Program to LMS on Oct.13 and 24.

There, the students learned about where food comes from and how it is delivered, with the goal of helping create a generational change in the choices they make.

“We were happy to welcome the Real Food Song Program to Liberty Middle School,” Principal Heather Cheh said. “With Sullivan County being near the bottom in statewide health rankings, we want to do our part to help change that statistic for the positive.”

A student in the front row raises her hands as two adults speak at the front of the classroom

Facilitated through the STEAM fund at CFOS, the program is supported educationally in collaboration with the not-for-profit, A Single Bite, whose mission is to feed —  and educate — Sullivan County residents with real, local food.

“It was great to witness the excitement and enthusiasm the LMS students exhibited,” STEAM Founder Gary Siegel said..  “As part of STEAM’s Healthy Habits Initiative, the Real Food Song Program is one of many local programs designed to improve the health of the children, teens and adults in our schools and communities, providing them with tools to make healthier choices while having fun.”

Students stand on risers with chairs behind them and singThe songwriting program presents the students with the opportunity to ponder questions such as “What does food mean to you?  Where does it come from?  What does it do?  What are your favorites … are they real?  How does food make you feel?”

“The experience was so cool. I was grateful to be able to do that,” student Madison Allen said. “I learned the importance of eating real food.”

A man with his right pointer finger up and a woman holding her right palm out direct students as they singIn the interactive songwriting workshops, the singer-songwriter teaching artists, Scott Bierko and Beth Bierko, introduced the concepts of real vs. processed food to the students and taught about songwriting and musical concepts such as rhythm and form. Under the guidance of Bierkos, the students collectively wrote their own lyrics to the song “Real Food Rules” and then recorded their own version.

“I think that real food is good and healthy,” student Atticus Macnimara said. As for the song? “The best part is the chorus.”

A video was created with the participating students, shared in recent assemblies at LMS and can be seen below:

Capital project proposal passes, 178-47

Voters in the Liberty Central School District approved the district’s $42.7 million capital project proposal, 178-47, on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

The project will address safety, efficiency of building systems and educational spaces and meeting the needs of today’s learners. It also will fix issues identified in the latest building condition survey. The project will have no impact on taxes.

“I thank the community for its continued support of Liberty Central School District and its students,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said. “The work included in this project will improve the educational environment for our students, offering them more comfortable, healthier  and safer spaces to learn now and explore their futures.”

The Liberty Central School District 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.

The design process will continue through July 2024, with state Education Department review and approval expected by November 2024. The bid process is expected to be completed by February 2025 with the contract awarded the following month. Construction should begin in late spring 2025 with the project substantially completed by early fall 2027.

Link to livestream of final capital project forum available

On Jan. 10, Liberty Central School District hosted its final community forum on the proposed $42.7 million capital project.

Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan offered a presentation on the proposal, explaining what is proposed and how it will impact student learning.

Chris White from Chenango Contracting presented “Field Turf 101,” showing how turf fields are created and installed and providing details on the safety of turf vs. natural fields.

To view the recording of the forum, visit https://events.locallive.tv/events/136016.

The vote will take place from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, in the Liberty High School Gymnasium, with an inclement weather date of Jan. 17.

Those who have questions may email questions@libertyk12.org with “Capital Project” in the subject line.

For more information about the project, visit the district’s capital project page at www.libertyk12.org/about-us/capital-project-2023-24.

LES offering blender bike usage for birthday celebrations

Liberty Elementary School is offering a new, healthier way for students to celebrate their birthdays in school.

Parents and guardians who would like to have an alternative to unhealthy and expensive cupcakes to help their children celebrate their special day in school may now request the use of a blender bike to make healthy smoothies.

The request should be made at least two weeks in advance to the child’s teacher via a form  sent home with students. The form includes the child’s name, classroom teacher and the requested date of the celebration. Ingredients may be sent in with the student or there are two flavor options, mixed berry or banana/pineapple, available through the school. Requests may be made to use the bike during breakfast, which is free, or at other times during the day, which will cost a dollar per student if ingredients will be provided by the school. Cash or checks made payable to Liberty Central School District should be sent in with the form.  The English version of the form is available here. The Spanish version of the form is available here.

For more information, email LES Sullivan 180 Healthier Generations Advisors Mary Bayer or Alicia Houghtaling at mbeyer@libertyk12.org or ahoughtaling@libertyk12.org

LHS welcomes new assistant principal

Lacy JonesLiberty High School welcomed Lacy Jones as assistant principal on Jan. 2. 

Jones had served as a speech-language pathologist for Sullivan BOCES since 2018 and served as the related-services team lead, mentor and representative on numerous district committees. She provided early intervention speech pathology services to families in Orange County and Pennsylvania’s Pike County, where she lives with her husband and three children.

Jones is completing her certificate of advanced studies in school leadership through SUNY New Paltz and the Mid-Hudson School Study Council’s “Homegrown Sullivan” cohort.

She graduated summa cum laude from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania where she earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in speech-language pathology.

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