Category: Elementary News
Free meals for children available
Liberty Central School District will again offer free summer meals to all children 18 and younger through the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program.
Meals will be served Monday through Fridays, except July 3, in observance of Independence Day.
Sit-down and bagged breakfasts and lunches will be served at Francis A. Hanofee Park at 136 Sunset Lake Road in Liberty through Aug. 14. Breakfast will be served from 8 to 9 a.m., with lunch served from 11 a.m. to noon. Meals will be served at Liberty Elementary through Aug. 21, with breakfast offered from 8:15 to 8:40 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon.
The menus are available on the district website.
For more information, contact Assistant Superintendent for Business Laurene McKenna at 845-292-6171 or lmmckenna@libertyk12.org.
LHS Class of 2003 grad opens exhibit at Liberty Museum
Liberty alum Douglas Yaun, Class of 2003 and descendant of the Town of Liberty’s first supervisor, Thomas Crary, has curated the “Liberty’s 250” exhibit that recently opened at the Liberty Museum & Arts Center featuring Douglas’s contributions to History News Magazine, Caribbean Journal and more. Dr. Patrick Sullivan visited the museum to review the exhibit and talk to Mr. Yaun more about the show, which displays events of the Revolutionary War in space and time from the Boston Massacre, to the Farewell Address declaring no kings and the Caribbean front home to Alexander Hamilton.
Besides highlighting perhaps the most important time period in American history, his goal is to showcase the importance of heritage tourism in the area and contribute further with a community campaign to apply the pursuit of Liberty to now.
As part of the exhibit, Mr. Yaun is collecting essays and pictures on the topic “What does Liberty mean to me?” Essays and photos can be sent to lifelibertyme250@gmail.com with the submitter’s name and zip code as the subject. The collected items from this region will be used in a future exhibit and as entries in the Sullivan County Democrat over the next seven years celebrating the 250th year of the Revolutionary War and the founding of the United States of America which culminates in the year 2033.
“Mr. Yaun’s efforts to showcase history and the impact on our area are extraordinary and deserve support,” Dr. Sullivan said. “I will be addressing his efforts with our federal representatives when I meet with them next month.”
Donations to his “Pursuit of Liberty” effort may be made at https://givebutter.com/liberty-to-me-9mmlq.
The “Liberty’s 250” exhibit will be on display through September at the museum at 46 S Main St. For more information about the museum, visit https://www.libertymuseumandartscenter.org/
Construction work causes changes at Middle/High school campus
As the summer begins, construction work is in full swing at the middle/high school campus.
Abatement work is beginning on the High School June 29 and is expected to last at least through July. The 300 wing, the high school gymnasium, library media center classroom and high school office will also not be accessible during the process. The high school office and high school guidance office will be located in the middle school as the abatement is completed, with clerical staff at the greeters desk and guidance staff in the library.
During the abatement, the parking lot in front of the high school and near the basketball courts will be reserved for construction vehicles. The middle school parking lot and lot between the high school and district office are to be used by the community.
Construction work is also continuing on the maintenance building. The walkway behind the district office from Winthrop Avenue to the high school is closed until further notice.
Also, the athletic field and track area is still not accessible to the public. The area will be closed as construction continues. The soccer, baseball and softball fields remain open.
Additionally, during the week of July 6, the tennis courts behind the high school will be closed for repairs.
Those with questions, may email questions@libertyk12.org.
Fourth graders honored during their final ceremony at LES
Liberty Elementary celebrated its senior class on Wednesday, June 24, with the annual Moving Up ceremony. It was a time to celebrate accomplishments, offer advice and take a look back at the previous five or more years.
Principal Mr. Robert England welcomed families and guests, encouraging attendance and taking part in clubs, discouraging cellphones as students take their next step, but most importantly support and encouragement to help students find success.
As the awards portion of the ceremony began, he thanked Rony Gomez Franco and Yiling Ouyang for being the junior student liaisons on the superintendent’s committee.
The following awards were also presented:
American Citizenship Award
This award, sponsored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals, recognizes students who participate in school and community service activities, show a positive attitude towards classmates and peers, display an understanding and appreciation of civic responsibility and possess the strength of character and courage to be role models for others. Honored were Raphael Avellino, Brittney Cruz Reyes, Amelia D’Agata, Panth Desai, Rony Gomez Franco, Juliana Padilla and Stephany Reyes Lazo.
President’s Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement
The President’s Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement recognizes students who have shown outstanding educational growth, improvement or commitment in their academic subjects. These students work hard, give their best effort and demonstrate tremendous commitment to learning: Manuel Aldana Pena, Kobi Debrosky, Pari Desai, Scarlett Llano Luciano, Ian Marquez, Marcos Mateo Gutierrez, Keira McPhillips, Ryan Panchana, Stephany Reyes Lazo, Eliana Soriano, Alexander Torres and Joel Williams-Mejia.
President’s Award for Outstanding Educational Excellence
The President’s Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence recognizes students who achieved academic success in the classroom. These students have received 3s and 4s on New York State tests in Math and ELA, above grade level scores on universal screener assessment, and 3s and 4s in all subject areas on their report cards, as well as demonstrating motivation, integrity and leadership qualities.
Using all of these measures combined, the Top Ten recipients of the Outstanding Academic Excellence award are as follows:
- 10. Leyvi Eli Banegas Cortes
- 9. Amelia D’Agata
- 8. Jean Valdivieso Cajamarca
- 7. Sevyn Straker
- 6. Jaxen Husted
- 5. Madelyn Hook
- 4. William Martin
- 3. Yiling Ouyang
- 2. Makayla Kolarik
- 1. Eli Grossman
The NYS Attorney General’s Triple “C” Award
The award recognizes students who display Courage, Commitment and Character. This year’s recipients are Rony Gomez Franco and Yiling Ouyang
NYS Comptroller’s Award
Each year the NYS Comptroller’s Office recognizes the one deserving student from the school that demonstrates leadership potential through involvement in activities that improve the school and/or community. Earning the award was Anthony Owens, who served in the Safety Patrol, LES Video Club, choir, band and the LES production of “101 Dalmatians,” as well as volunteering with the PTA at community events and was a “positive role model who leads with kindness, responsibility, and integrity,” Mr. England said.
The fourth grade certificates were presented after the awards.
The ceremony also marked the last of Mr. David Philips, who is retiring this year. He was presented an award for his dedication to the students in the classroom and as a coach, and for creating the fourth grade videos for the past two decades.
The ceremony concluded with a short video honoring Mr. Philips, as well as the video he produced looking back at the fourth-graders time at LES.
BOE to have organizational meeting July 1
The next Board of Education meeting will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, in the HS Media Center. starting with the annual organizational meeting. The regular meeting will follow. Both meetings are open to the public. The agenda will be available on Tuesday, June 30, at Board Docs.
There will also be a special meeting of the board on July 1, at 4:45 p.m. in the District Office. The board anticipates to enter into executive session immediately and will adjourn at its conclusion. This special meeting is not open to the public.
Please note that due to the building project in the High School, entry to the meeting will be through door H3 located to the left of the high school breezeway, and parking should be in the middle school parking lot, as the lot in front of the high school is reserved for construction vehicles.
LES hosts info meeting on Title 1, ESSA
Liberty Elementary School held a community meeting at 3:30 p.m. June 23 in the Elementary School Media Center to address Title I and ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) and what it means for the school
The presentation explained that federal funding is provided to Title I schools to provide extra resources to help children meet academic standards. The presentation explained that LES is eligible to become a Title I schoolwide because the community poverty level is 53.74% above 40%.
The goal for LES is to boost math and reading achievement, using small class sizes, Leader in Me for social-emotional learning and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).
The presentation also explained how using the NYS Next Generation curriculum standards, MTSS offers support at three levels:
- Tier 1: Excellent classroom instruction for all students:
- Tier 2: Students receive small group intervention delivered by either math or reading specialists or other certified teacher to target students’ ‘identified areas of improvement
- Tier 3: Intense, individualized support for a few students
The presentation went over the cycle of success:
- Testing: NWEA MAP Growth test measure progress
- Updates: Regular report cards sent home
- Notices: Parents/guardians will be notified in writing if their child qualifies for extra (Tier 2 or 3) support
The Elementary presentation also emphasized the importance of communication being a two-way street.
The school is committed to staying in touch with families regarding academic and attendance, as letters are sent at 9 and 18 days of absence to offer support.
It also highlighted the modes of communication: phone calls, emails, school apps and letters.
LES also encourages family engagement by practicing the Leader in Me habits at home, joining community engagement nights, and staying informed by reviewing school materials and communicating with any questions.
Parents and guardians can also get by volunteering, joining the Building Leadership Team and helping the school plan on how to use family engagement funds.
The presentation also provided information about rights provided to families under Title 1:
- Request teacher qualifications
- Be notified if a teacher is uncertified for four or more weeks,
- Request regular meetings with staff
- Participate in your child’s education decisions.
For more information, contact Principal Robert England at rengland@libertyk12.org or 845-292-5400, ext. 2503.
LHS artists unveil Leader in Me mural at LES
National Art Honor Society students unveiled a Leader in Me mural after the LES Sweethearts and Heroes assembly on June 12.
Six students, President Jhosmery Jadan Pangolo, Treasurer Sebastian Yupanqui, Kourtney Perry, Evelyn Molina Ax, Giuli Wagner and Giselle Perez Sanchez, turned the mural on cue as Sebastian spoke about the mural in English and Jhosmery did so in Spanish. Missing at the assembly were NAHS Secretary Cassandra Porter, Vice President Savannah Pagan Van Wagner and Art Club member Katherine Panama.
Jhosmery wrote the presentation, which included “Every detail was carefully considered and arranged with love and patience. The National Art Honor Society is honored to have been entrusted with such a project. Based on the seven habits promoted at this school, from putting things first to finding your voice, this mural aims to visually represent Leader on Me and the path that awaits you in Middle School.”
The artists were rewarded with clapping and excited energy from the LES students.
The Mural design started as a tree and evolved into so much more. The designs voted on by the students were all part of the Sullivan 180 Wellness Grant and an example of synergizing with the high school artists. The crossover from LES to LMS is highlighted as the students are encouraged to “Put First Things First” and to “Think Win-Win.”
This is the second time NAHS/Art Club members worked with LES on a mural project and it is just one of many projects—Peace poles, Lending Library, bird houses—that NAHS has been a part of the bigger community by sharing their skills.
An update from the superintendent on Liberty’s strategic plan and DCIP
Dear Liberty,
As we approach the end of the 2025–2026 school year, I would like to take this opportunity to provide our school community with an update on the District’s Strategic Plan and Comprehensive Improvement Plan (DCIP). In our ongoing effort to help students innovate, persevere and thrive, we have made meaningful progress toward our strategic priorities.
Throughout this past year, we continued advancing the Strategic Plan’s pillars of MTSS, Curriculum, Culture and Coherence. Building on the work of previous years, we successfully moved forward with our curriculum mapping platform, Eduplanet, and launched the Siena University Computer Science course at Liberty High School and Agricultural Technology courses at Liberty Middle School. We also expanded the use of our data warehouse, LinkIt, and further grew our student-led conference initiatives to ensure we continue supporting our students’ academic, social and emotional growth.
While I am happy to share additional details about these ongoing initiatives, I especially want to highlight the DCIP goals we achieved this year, as these accomplishments reflect the collective work of our students, administrators, faculty, staff and community.
Here is an update on our growth toward achieving our DCIP Priorities
Priority 1: Provide an accessible, culturally responsive, relevant, engaging, vertically and horizontally aligned PK-12 curriculum, that makes connections to our students and community.
- We are especially proud of our growth in math proficiency. We easily met our goal of a 10 percentage point growth for grades K-8 since the start of the year. Based on NWEA Math testing, our spring NWEA scores showed a 15 percentage point increase in proficiency when comparing fall and spring results. Our largest growth was in seventh grade, with an increase of 21 percentage points.
- Our NWEA Reading testing showed a 6 percentage point increase in proficiency from fall to spring results. Even though we did not reach our goal of a 10 percentage point increase, we are still proud of our students’ hard work and growth.
End-of-year testing passing rates and Regents scores for the secondary level are not yet available. However, we anticipate positive gains and look forward to reviewing the results.
Priority 2: Provide a MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) for academics, behavior and attendance that cultivates wellness and safety for students, staff and families.
- The district set a goal to achieve a 5% reduction in the number of students receiving out-of-school suspensions districtwide. The district has seen a 1% reduction in suspensions compared to the 2024-25 school year. We are especially proud of the reduction of 15.7% at the middle school.
- Building on efforts to improve student engagement, the district also aimed to reduce chronic absenteeism by 5% from the 2024-25 to the 2025-26 school year. Although we did not reach that goal, as of June 18, we have seen a 2% reduction in district-wide chronic absenteeism, which shows progress is being made.
- This year, we strengthened our commitment to educating the whole child through the work of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and comprehensive student support systems. Across all schools, PLCs used academic and social-emotional data to guide instruction, monitor student progress and implement timely interventions. Our social-emotional screening process also ensured that 100% of identified at-risk students in each of our schools received targeted support.
Priority 3: Create a positive, welcoming student centered environment that celebrates diversity and inclusivity to empower students, staff and families.
Our goals for Priority 3 focused on increasing family and community engagement through communication and student-led conferences.
- Family engagement and student ownership grew significantly this year. Through the successful implementation of ParentSquare, we achieved 97% weekly engagement with elementary families, strengthening communication between home and school.
- We also empowered all of our K-8 students to actively monitor and reflect on their academic progress, deepening ownership and engagement in learning with their Wildly Important Goals and student-led conferences.
These results show that while we are making tangible progress, our work is far from finished. We remain fully dedicated to doing everything it takes to make Liberty an exceptional place to learn.
Sincerely,
Dr. Patrick Sullivan
Superintendent
BOE to have special meeting June 26
There will be a Special Meeting of the Liberty CSD Board of Education at 4:30 p.m. Friday, June 26, in the District Office at 115 Buckley Street. The board anticipates to enter into executive session immediately and will adjourn the meeting at the executive session’s conclusion. There will be no regular business and the meeting is not open to the public.
The agenda will be available at Board Docs on Thursday, June 25
Listen: Podcast Club interview with Dr. Sullivan and Dr. Adams
This year, the Podcast Club did a series of interviews with students, staff and administrators on topics such as history, geography, government and more. Recently, club members Lena Lagatuttta and Damien Keating interviewed Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Derek Adams for the series. Check it out: