A longtime Liberty Elementary School teacher and the Village of Liberty police chief will be among those honored by  the Sullivan County School Boards Association Annual Dinner and Meeting next month.

Jennifer Eisenberg will be honored as an Outstanding Educator, and Police Chief Steven D’Agata will be honored as an Outstanding Friend to Education.

LES teacher Jennifer Eisenberg

A teacher at LES for 25 years, Eisenberg has educated a range of learners, from students with a variety of learning needs to the highest performing students.

“There is no student Jen Eisenberg cannot reach and teach,” Principal Robert England said in his nominating letter.

“I never entered the teaching profession looking for accolades or recognition, but, when I opened the letter I was immediately humbled and felt an immense sense of pride,” Eisenberg said.

Eisenberg accepts all challenges. She adapts her methods as needed and holds high expectations for her students, ensuring they exceed their expectations, the nomination read.

For the past 10 years, Eisenberg has been the math department facilitator, an instructional coach and a leader in the school and districtwide. She has helped the district work toward its strategic plan goal of ensuring curriculum, instruction and assessments are aligned vertically and horizontally.

It was a childhood dream to become an educator, Eisenberg said. She credited the mentors and support team in her earlier years of teaching for her success and she looks forward to sharing her knowledge and expertise with the next generation of teachers, including her daughter, who is now a teacher at LES

“(Eisenberg’s) legacy to her family and community as an educator and a human being is imprinted on her students, her colleagues and anyone who has the good fortune to work with her,” England said in the nomination.

LPD Chief Steven D’Agata

D’Agata’s dedication, innovation and community spirit were among the qualities highlighted by Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan in the nomination letter.

“I’m deeply honored and humbled to receive this award, but any recognition truly belongs to the men and women of the Liberty Police Department,” D’Agata said. “Their tireless work and dedication are the foundation of everything we achieve.”

D’Agata’s forward-thinking approach and proactive measures have enhanced the safety and well-being of  students, staff and the broader community. They have become benchmarks for other districts, Sullivan wrote.

D’Agata has helped build relationships between the community, the district and the police department, by visiting schools, participating in community events and having open dialogue with students and families. This aligns with the culture pillar of the district’s strategic plan,

“Together, we’ve built something special for this community, and I’m proud to be a part of it,” D’Agata said.

Sullivan also praised D’Agata’s leadership in ensuring seamless collaboration and communication, crucial in times of crisis and for the ongoing safety.

“He has fostered a culture of mutual respect and understanding, creating a supportive environment where students feel safe and valued,” Sullivan wrote. “Chief D’Agata has established a presence that is both reassuring and inspiring.”

Each year, the SCSBA presents Outstanding Educator Awards and Outstanding Friend to Education Awards based on nominations from districts across the county during the organization’s annual meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, at The Villa Roma in Callicoon.

It may still be two days until students return, but Liberty Central School District faculty and staff had their first day of the 2024-25 school year on Tuesday. The year kicked off with the traditional Opening Day assembly, this year held in the high school gymnasium rather than the auditorium because of work underway on the stage.

“These first two days of school for our faculty and staff are a vital time to ensure we are all on the same page and working together to make Liberty a great place to learn,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said.

These two conference days help Liberty administration introduce or reintroduce and reinforce the mission, vision and beliefs of the district, inline with the district’s five-year strategic plan. It also allows time for faculty and staff to complete required trainings and to make final preparations before students return.

Following a brief welcome and remarks by Sullivan and various school union leaders, new administrators, faculty and staff were introduced.

Sullivan and building leaders also recognized staff who were celebrating milestone years of service, with special recognition given to two Liberty staff members who each have been with LCSD for 33 years — custodian Marilyn Doland and ICT first-grade teacher Karen Gorr.

The strategic plan was next on the agenda. Sullivan reviewed the plan, progress that has been made in the first two years, and where the district is heading in year three. He also briefly reviewed the annual District Comprehensive Improvement Plan.

The important topic of student mental health was next on the agenda, with behavioral specialist Sheila Wormuth presenting. She highlighted the importance of making a difference in students’ lives, from a small thing such as offering a smile to the big ones, such as truly listening and understanding when they are speaking.

About two dozen people gathered outside the main entrance to Liberty High School on Thursday, Aug. 29, to hear an overview of updates and changes for the 2024-25 school year at Liberty Central School District.

District administration has held these forums annually as a way to better communicate and interact with the LCSD community, in accordance with the district’s five-year strategic plan.

The plan, now in its third year, is the district’s roadmap for improvement across the district.

LCSD Dr. Patrick Sullivan led the presentation, with assistance from Assistant Superintendent Marianne Serratore and translation by ENL teacher Susana Alvarado.

The school year begins for students on Thursday, Sept. 5, and the district is eager to welcome them back.

“Our teachers and staff generally care about and want what’s best for our students,” Sullivan said at the start of the presentation.

After reviewing the strategic plan, Sullivan and Serratore highlighted the progress the district has made in each pillar — Coherence, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, Curriculum and Culture — and what the district is doing to move forward this year.

The full update can be found here.

The plan informed changes for the 2024-25 school year that were highlighted in the forum.

Serratore reviewed current curricular program and highlighted, changes include expanding HMH math curriculum to seventh grade, offering algebra to all eighth graders, the introduction of Syracuse University Project Advance college credit courses (and the updated high school grade weighting system), as well as a full-day, expanded Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program, and a new partnership with Inventionland to expand opportunities for STEM learning in the Middle School Innovation Lab.

The Seal of Civic Readiness program, introduced last year with one graduate, expands curricular opportunities and empowers each student to contribute and thrive in a diverse community by pursuing their potential, tying back to the curriculum and culture pillars.

Other improvements were geared toward the culture pillar, which includes better communicating the mission and vision of the district. Those included the change to ParentSquare, which is streamlining two-way communication between Liberty families and the district and schools, and the re-introduction of Anonymous Alerts, which assists the district in its commitment to the Dignity for All Students Act and safety.

“We take the Dignity for All Students Act seriously to ensure that each child who sets foot into our schools and our classrooms feel they are safe, welcome and comfortable,” Sullivan said.

Some of the district’s programs, including Gaggle, the DESSA social-emotional screener, the Global Learners Newcomer Program, are being reviewed and adjusted to better inform our MTSS procedures in accordance with that pillar.

As part of the coherence pillars, Liberty Elementary has better aligned report cards with key standards to enhance students’ learning opportunities.

The safety initiatives, visitor procedures, chain of command calling guide and District Comprehensive Improvement Plan priorities were reviewed at the forum, hitting both the coherence and culture pillars.

Sullivan offered an update on the capital project, approved in January, now led by the architecture firm LAN Associates. The focus now is on the first portion of the project, reviewing the schematics of the athletic field, maintenance storage building, and the building updates. A few projects not directly related to the capital project were completed or underway this summer, including updating the high school stage, resurfacing the gymnasium floor to include the district’s new logo, and resurfacing the tennis courts.

No questions were asked publicly at the end of the forum. But administrators did meet with those in attendance to answer questions one-on-one and to assist in signing up for ParentSquare. Sullivan also  reminded those in attendance and watching the livestream that any questions could be emailed to questions@libertyk12.org.

The livestream of the forum can be found at https://events.locallive.tv/events/154258.

Liberty Central School District administrators engaged in a weeklong professional development and planning workshop. They began by reviewing LCSD’s five-year Strategic Plan and the District Comprehensive Improvement Plan, focusing on strategies for effective implementation and support.

Training sessions covered various topics including the new ParentSquare communication system, recent changes in special education law, and updates on safety and incident command procedures, presented by Liberty Village Police Chief Steven D’Agata. Additionally, administrators explored restorative strategies introduced by MaryAnn Brittingham and discussed how these strategies could be implemented into their plans.

Teacher facilitators joined the retreat mid-week to participate in sessions dedicated to refining professional learning communities’ best practices. They also collaborated on finalizing and presenting the Middle School Comprehensive Education Plan, as well as the High School, Elementary School, and  Student Services Priority Plans.

The retreat concluded with preparations for upcoming conference days on Sept. 3 and 4, as well as professional learning plans for the 2024-25 school year.

Liberty Central School District Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan took part in The Legislative Advocacy Conference, presented by AASA and ASBO, earlier this month in Washington, D.C.

During that time, Sullivan along with other members of the School Superintendents Association, met with U.S. senators and representatives, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Marc Molinaro, to discuss key issues impacting school districts.

A focus by the group was fully funding several programs important to effectively educating all students. Modest increases to programs such as Title 4 (funding to provide enrichment and 21st century skills) and IDEA (designed to help level the education playing field for students with disabilities) have been introduced at the expense of other programs, including Title I and 2 (funding to assist low-income and at-risk students).

Superintendents also voiced their support for the CARE for Student Mental Health Act, introduced in the Senate, which would make changes to two key competitive grant programs to better support efforts to train, recruit and retain school mental health professionals and increase access to services in high-need school districts as well as promotes equitable distribution of the funds and reduces barriers to applying for these grants.

“These programs are vital to Liberty Central School District in helping us empower each student to contribute and thrive in a diverse community by pursuing their potential,” Dr. Sullivan said. “We encourage our federal congressional representatives to fully support our students by funding these important programs.”

Two Liberty Central School District graduates whose impacts on the school and community were quite different were honored Friday, June 28, at the annual Liberty Central School District Wall of Fame ceremony in the LHS auditorium.

“Our Wall of Fame inductees embody a remarkable spectrum of personal and professional accomplishments, each contributing to the enduring legacy of the Liberty Central School District and the Liberty community at large,” said LCSD Interim Assistant Superintendent Marianne Serratore, who led the ceremony. “We are thrilled to extend a warm welcome to two outstanding individuals joining the ranks of our esteemed honorees: Mr. Kurt Scheibe and Mr. Maurice Gerry.”

More than 100 friends and family attend the ceremony in honor of Scheibe, a 1962 graduate who was integral to the growth of Little League throughout the region, and Gerry, a 1949 LHS graduate whose advocacy went far beyond Liberty but bloomed locally.

The Wall of Fame was established in 2011 by the Board of Education to honor extraordinary alumni. Nominees are judged on exceptional accomplishments and significant contributions within their career, community or personal life.

Kurt F. Scheibe

There is no doubt that Little League wouldn’t be the same in the region had Scheibe not been passionately involved with the sport.

“Baseball was always on his mind,” his sister Mary Heinle said.

He always worked for a better baseball experience for his “boys,” she said. Serving as a Little League coach, he sought donations and sponsors, ensuring young athletes had uniforms and a pitching machine.

Among his achievements is the transformation of the White Sulphur ballfield from a swampland to what has become an integral part of the White Sulphur Springs Fire Department park.

Before the field was fixed, “I’m sure some of the boys were catching frogs in the outfield,” Heinle said.

Collaborating with neighboring town coaches, Scheibe orchestrated a summer of sports, fostering enjoyment and the development of athletic skills and sportsmanship in the players.

He ensured the WSS ballfield was immaculate, and assisted other communities such as Grahamsville in developing their sports fields. Transitioning from coaching to officiating, he uses his time and sports knowledge to referee youth games and fundraisers.

Beyond his youth-focused endeavors, he serves as the treasurer for the WSS FD, and is a member of the Liberty Elks Lodge, putting in countless hours volunteering over 60 years for both organizations.

Maurice Gerry

Although Gerry  traveled far from Liberty, entering the Navy after high school and settling in San Francisco, Liberty was always in his heart.

“This ‘unicorn’ is the most dedicated man I’ve ever seen in the community,” Ron Gozza said in introducing his best friend.

The hamlet of Ferndale holds a special place in Gerry’s heart. So much so, he made it his mission to revitalize the first 10 houses—five on either side of the road—at the entrance of the community, Gozza said.

Gerry’s education began in a one-room schoolhouse on Ferndale-Loomis Road. His first teacher, Mrs. Manion, had such an impact he recently dedicated a plaque in her honor to be displayed on the schoolhouse wall, once the building is restored.

Gerry gave special thanks to the educators in his life. “In memory of my teachers, my principals, my friends, I really want to thank you for this honor,” he said.

While out West he worked with Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Actively involved in Diane Feinstein’s mayoral campaign, Gerry’s efforts to raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic earned him the honor of representing Alaska in a Washington, D.C., parade for the cause.

He returned to Liberty to care for his aging parents and immersed himself in local politics, the arts and preservation. The visionary behind the Ms. Sullivan County Beauty Pageant, he championed diversity and inclusion, ensuring financial barriers did not hinder participation. Serving as town councilman for two decades, affectionately known as the “Tree Hugger,” Gerry dedicated himself to maintaining Liberty’s beauty and integrity.

At the age of 91, he assumed the role of interim councilman, a testament to his enduring commitment. Gerry actively supports humanitarian efforts locally and internationally, holding seats at O & M Museum, Liberty Arts Museum, Time and Again Museum and the Shandelee Music Festival.

“I have some comfort knowing my picture will be somewhere other than my tombstone,” Gerry said, referring to the Wall of Fame in the High School lobby, which includes plaques of all of the inductees.

During the ceremony, proclamations and certificates on behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives, the state Senate and Assembly, the Sullivan County Legislature and the Town of Liberty were presented to each of the inductees.

“We are thankful for the dedication of Mr. Gerry and Mr. Scheibe to the Liberty community,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said. “They each showed, in different ways, how one person can make a difference.”