Category: Middle School News
LMS FFA students spark leadership potential, inspire state leaders
A dozen budding leaders from the Liberty FFA chapter joined hundreds of students from across the state at the annual Ignite Conference held at Fonda-Fultonville Central School on Feb. 28 . The Ignite Conference series continues to be a cornerstone of student development, offering specialized tracks including SPARK for middle school exploration, FUEL for high school self-leadership, and ILLUMINATE for advanced community impact.
The delegation, composed of five seventh graders and seven eighth graders, participated in the SPARK focus track, a specialized leadership program designed specifically for middle school members to discover their unique talents and interests within agriculture.
“At first there were so many people it was kind of intimidating, but it was really great,” said eighth-grader and chapter Vice President Luna Pixie Hulse. “Even when we split into groups with different schools nobody judged it was like everyone immediately fit in and accepted everyone else.”
The highlights of the day went beyond the workshops, as Liberty students had the opportunity to meet and speak with the New York State FFA Officer team, a National FFA Officer, and the head of the New York State FFA staff.
“We got to know so many people from all over the state, it’s usually hard for me to talk to new people but even talking to the FFA state officers was cool, it was one of my favorite parts!” said seventh-grader and Secretary Raegan Wagner.
During these conversations, the students shared the powerful origin story of the Liberty FFA chapter—a journey that began with a single student finding their voice and sharing their passion for agriculture with others to build the program from the ground up.
The story resonated so deeply with the state leadership that the New York State FFA staff has invited the Liberty chapter to be honored at the State FFA Convention in May. They expressed interest in sharing their inspiring story of growth and advocacy with the thousands of students and chapters who will be in attendance from across New York.
“Our students plan to use everything they learned at Ignite to continue leading and growing agriculture education and the FFA within our district and community,” said chapter Advisor Ms. Cathryn Dymond.
They haven’t wasted any time implementing what they’ve learned either.
On Wednesday, March 4, at the FFA chapter’s first meeting of the month, students who attended the conference presented on what they learned and led the membership in some of the leadership activities they participated in during the conference.
“We learned about how we can make our own personalized experience in FFA that can help us through high school, college and our career,” said seventh-grader and Treasurer Sophie Zayas. “I learned that there is so much more to FFA than I could have ever imagined, and I can’t wait to do things like state convention, travel to nationals to meet people from all over the country, and take more different classes in high school.”
Students also shared the workbook they received at the conference to showcase the variety of topics that were discussed and explored, each being personalized to the individual student’s self-discovery and reflections throughout the sessions.
It wasn’t just students learning at the conference.
While students were building connections, co-advisers and Liberty agriculture educators Ms. Dymond and Ms. Brandi Mazzucca participated in concurrent professional development hosted by the Cornell Agricultural Education Outreach Teacher Services team. During the program, they explored the newly released National Program Benchmarks, a modern assessment framework that replaced the National Quality Program Standards to stay relevant to current industry needs.
Through this session, Ms. Dymond and Ms. Mazzucca:
- Evaluated the Liberty agricultural education program to determine current strengths and opportunities for growth.
- Refined goals and developed strategic pathways to strengthen the local FFA chapter and classroom offerings.
- Acquired tools to bring back to the Liberty community to grow and strengthen the “three-circle model” of agricultural education: classroom instruction, FFA leadership, and Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE).
“The goal is to keep this momentum going, with the hopes of expanding these FFA opportunities to the high school in the near future,” Ms. Mazzucca said.
LES kindergarten registration to open April 1
Registration for kindergarten at Liberty Elementary School will open April 1.
To qualify, children must be 5 years old on or before Dec. 1, 2026, and a resident of the Liberty Central School District. Students that are in the Liberty Central School District universal pre-k program at LES do not need to register.
To register, parents or guardians must fill out a registration packet and provide a copy of parent/guardian’s photo ID; custody papers, if applicable; proof of residency, such as a utility bill or rental lease; and the child’s birth certificate, immunization records and a copy of recent physical exam, which must include all school physical exam requirements. Parents and guardians are encouraged to check with their child’s doctor for details. The child’s healthcare insurance card is also requested.
To register, email haustin@libertyk12.org or call 845-292-5400, ext. 2331.
Message from the superintendent (video)
Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan reviews the winter season, offers updates on the capital project and looks ahead to the budget and the spring season.
Please watch the video below:
Liberty BOE to meet March 24
The next Liberty Central School District Board of Education meeting will be at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, in the HS Media Center at 125 Buckley St. in Liberty.
The Board anticipates to enter into executive session (not open to the public) immediately. The regular portion of the meeting, open to the public, is expected to resume at 6 p.m.
The agenda will be available Monday, March 23, at Board Docs. The agenda will include a public hearing regarding details, time and location of the Annual Budget Hearing and Budget Vote and Election.
Two events to benefit LMS students
Two dine-and-giveback events this month will benefit students at Liberty Middle School.
The Liberty Central School Class of 2030 will be the beneficiary of Brew Rock Hill’s Community Give Back Mondays on March 9. Brew Rock Hill, at 280 Rock Hill Drive in Rock Hill, will donate 15% of the check total when customers mention they are there to support the Liberty Class of 2030. The offer is valid for eat-in or to-go orders.
On March 20, 10% of all sales of the Spirit Night at the Tango Cafe at the Hurleyville Performing Arts Center will be donated to support the Liberty Middle School FFA. Students will be on hand helping serve and welcome guests to the cafe at HPAC, which is at 219 Main St. in Hurleyville.
Sullivan County PK-12 Art Show to be at Bethel
The Sullivan County PK-12 Art Show will present the work of students from the county’s seven school districts and Sullivan BOCES at the Event’s Gallery at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts from April 10 to April 12.
There will be an opening for high school student from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, April 9.
The public opening and reception will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday April 10, with the show continuing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 11 and 12.
During the show, student artwork from the 10 media categories of Ceramics and Glass, Digital Art Design, Black and White Drawing, Color Drawing,
Mixed Media, Painting, Black and White Photography, Color Photography, Film and Animation, and Sculpture.
The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts will also provide free museum admission to students attending the Art Show throughout the weekend.
The Sullivan County PK-12 Art Show is one of the many programs offered through the Arts In Education Program at Sullivan BOCES. Dedicated to raising visual and aesthetic literacy standards and levels while strengthening and supporting learning in all curriculum areas, the Arts In Education Program supports the Arts and arts-integrated learning experiences for K-12 students and teachers.
For more information about the Arts In Education Program at Sullivan BOCES, visit scboces.org.
Bethel Woods is at 200 Hurd Road in Bethel.
Requests for transportation to non-public schools deadline nears
Requests for transportation to non-public schools for the 2026-27 school must be submitted by parents/guardians in writing by April 1.
A parent or guardian of a child not living in the district on that date must submit a written request within 30 days after establishing residency in the district. Requests must be submitted on an annual basis.
A request may be denied for lack of a reasonable explanation, as determined by the Liberty Board of Education.
Forms are available at nonpublic schools in the Liberty Central School District and are submitted to the LCSD Assistant Superintendent for Business’ office. Forms are also available on our website.
Running/leadership team forming at LMS
Liberty Middle School girls are invited to find their place in Girls on the Run/Heart and Sole.
Trained coaches lead Middle School girls to inspire them to value what makes them unique. Together, teams uncover confidence and understand the importance of physical and emotional health. Girls work on setting goals through exercises and discussions. Each season ends with a non-competitive 5K, where participants celebrate who they are, how far they have come and where they want to go.
The girls will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:50 to 4:30 p.m. at Liberty Middle School starting April 7 and culminating with a non-competitive community 5K on June 7 at Legoland Resort in Goshen.
Registration is now open for all girls in fifth through eighth grades. Teams are limited in size and filled on a first-come, first-served basis. The registration fee is $180, but financial assistance can be requested and applied automatically within the online registration form.
For more information and to register, visit https://www.girlsontherunhv.org/3rd-5th-grade-program-details
Liberty hosts All-County Music Fest
Dozens of Redhawks participate
About 500 student musicians traveled to Liberty High School earlier this month to take part in the annual Sullivan County All County Music Festival.
The students musicians, representing all seven school districts in Sullivan County, spent the afternoon of Friday, March 6, and the morning of Saturday, March 7, preparing for Saturday’s concerts, which were broken up into three groups:
- Elementary Choir and Middle School Band
- Senior High Orchestra, Treble Choir, Junior High Jazz Band
- Junior High Mixed Choir and Senior High Band
Among the talented students participating were dozens from the host district:
Elementary Choir
Mackenzie Beatty, Blake Beseth, Graciela Birkett,Chase Blume, Elisa Brust, Michael Davis, Ava Diehl, Kate Dworetsky, Viviana Frasier, Joseph Geoghan, Parker Gissentaner, Indigo Love, Cora McConnell, Nicholas McPhillips, Logan Moore, Arysta Murphy, Jordana Ratner, Shaleigh Santiago, Jayden Thomas, Katelyn Vasko, Henry Vogler, Darick Winfrey and Ivan Zheng.
Middle School Band
Owen Brust, Raymond Cottman Jr., Dia D’Agata, Avery Decker, Genesis Harrison, Ana Hernandez, Dylan Joya Reyes, Tyler Kavleski, Aubrie Keating, Josslynn Letohic, Derek Mateo Cruz, Josemiguel Ramirez-Alvarez, Scarlett Ratner, Sherlene Romero, Caleb Rusin and Sophie Zayas.
Junior High Jazz Band
Claire Ferguson, Michael Garzon Valle, Lilly Kehrley and Bentley Moore.
Junior High Mixed Choir
Alyessia Avellino, Justin Dowe, Liam Greaves,Aubreigh Green,Tyrone Harris, Alexandra Kelly, Sara Liddle, Nevaeh Jones, Ryan Perry and Ethan Zheng.
Treble Choir
Mya Davis, Isabella Intranuovo, Makenzie Knack, Corinne Lake, Harper Matuszak, Lorelai McCarthy, Zalaina Nash, Denali Owens, Luna Pixie Hulse, Myla Rielly and Raegan Wagner.
Senior High Band
Zachariah Bickham, Carmela Burgio, Joseph DiBartolo, Tyler Juron, Gustavo Leon, Jeremiah McLeod, Selkir Molina Gonzalez, Cassandra Porter and Phillo Romero.
Senior High Orchestra
Zach Alvord, Sheyla Anguisaca-Llanos, Alyessia Avellino, Jill Baumander, Genna DeFrank, Sophia Duarte, Belle Gandulla, Aubreigh Green, Sydania Foster, Colten Jay Allen, Nevaeh Jones, Alexandra Kelly, Sara Liddle, Roger Lynker, Olivia Matuzak, Mariely Medina Orellana, Mckinzie Paterson, Will Pennell, Giselle Perez Sanchez, Adriana Ponce Agredano, Brooke Porter and Sophia Vasko.
Few changes in ESSA designations for Liberty
The New York State Education Department recently released accountability designations for all public school districts as required under the state’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
A few changes were noted.
According to the New York State Education Department:
- The Middle School is now an Additional Targeted Support and Improvement School. The Hispanic student subgroup was a previously identified group listed for Target Support and Improvement and is performing at or below the criteria for the lowest 5% of Title I schools.
- The Middle School was also designated as a Potential TSI school, due to the achievement of our students with disabilities. Potential TSI designation means that the subgroup has not met expectations for a single year.
- The Elementary School also remains designated as a Potential TSI School, based on the achievement scores of our Hispanic student subgroup.
- Liberty High School remains a Local Support and Improvement school, formerly known as a “School in Good Standing.”
- The District continues to be a Targeted Support and Improvement District, because of the Middle School designation.
The designations are in effect for the 2025-26 school year based on 2024-25 data.
For more information about the district’s accountability designations, visit the district’s ESSA webpage, or contact Assistant Superintendent Dr. Derek Adams at 845-292-5400, ext. 2052, or dadams@libertyk12.org.