Category: District News
Student photographers earn 17 keys, 20 honorable mentions at awards
The Mid Hudson Region of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards were held at SUNY New Paltz on Feb. 3, with all Liberty student photographers participating earning honors.
Gold keys are award to the top 5% of all works adjudicated in the category in the Mid Hudson Region; Silver Keys are the top 6% to 10%.
Every Liberty student photographer earned at least one key, with six Gold Keys and 11 Silver Keys awarded. The students also earned 20 honorable mentions. The ceremony awarding the keys was followed by the opening of the exhibition of more 600 works selected as Gold and Silver Key recipients.
Zandy Valencia Bamac earned three Gold Keys, one Silver Key and three honorable mentions. Oliva Dworetsky earned two Gold Keys. Grace Wormuth earned one Gold Key, three Silver Keys and one honorable mentions. Ximena Garcia Gomez earned two Silver Keys and three honorable mentions. Haylee Gomez earned two Silver Keys and one honorable mention. Summer Schmidt earned one Silver Key and seven honorable mentions. Brian Gonzalez earned one Silver Key and four honorable mentions and Wyatt Green earned one Silver Key.
See the winning pieces below
Strategic Plan: What coherence means to Liberty
When we introduced our strategic plan at the beginning of the school year, we just scratched the surface of what the plan means for the district and how we will implement it.
As we mentioned in introducing the plan, the purpose of the plan is to help Liberty set its long-term priorities and establish overarching goals to ensure our students get a well-rounded and quality education.
As with any plan, we need a solid foundation on which to build. Our plan has four pillars, and every month or so, we’ll look closer at one pillar of the plan.
Here, we will focus on the first pillar: Coherence. Our first strategic intent in the strategic plan reads: “By June 2027, create and align 100% of applicable district procedures involving the fluid movement of information and expectations throughout all buildings evidenced by annual perception data.”
What does this mean?
It means that we are working to improve our communication across the buildings and the district to get everyone on the same page on how procedures inside and outside the classroom work and to keep everyone informed.
Why is this important?
We are one district. It is important that students, faculty and staff have consistent measures on which to gauge their progress and success. A move from elementary to middle school or middle to high school shouldn’t mean a whole new set of expectations for a student, and staff members who work in multiple buildings should be able to use the same rules, methods and procedures, no matter which building they are in.
It is also important to have open and transparent exchanges of thoughts and ideas between all members of the school community, whether it be at the grade or subject matter level, building level or district wide. These collaborative actions help build a sense of belonging among our Liberty school family.
How are we doing this?
- We are aligning our goals and setting procedures to be used across the entire district.
- Our strategic plan, District Comprehensive Improvement Plan and building-level plans ensure we are measuring success with a consistent gauge.
- Using Multi-Tier Systems of Supports and Professional Learning Communities, we are regularly assessing our data to gauge where we are succeeding and where we need improvement. This allows us to actively adapt our teaching methods and strategies.
- We also use our PLCs to collectively problem solve and exchange ideas to improve our teaching methods.
- Building- and district-level meetings are also held regularly. We will continue to seek input through community forums, focus groups and surveys for all sectors of our school community.
- We are improving our staff training and are working on making our internal meetings more productive to better share ideas.
- Professional development for all staff is important. Our Professional Development Plan serves as a guide to ensure our staff is getting the tools they need to succeed. We are also developing methods to annually review our procedure and policies with all staff.
- New personnel procedures have been implemented and we are looking at ways to help improve the onboarding of new staff and substitutes to ensure every new employee understands our policies.
- New teachers have extra support. They have mentors who they meet with at least once per week to address issues the new employees face. They also work together to set and achieve at least one SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Bound) goal. Professional development begins with new teacher orientation and continues with mentor/mentee specific sessions available throughout the year. We do this to provide opportunities for teacher growth, support best practices, maintain the best classroom instruction, cultivate a positive school culture and promote teacher retention.
By ensuring coherence, Liberty Central School District will be able to better lead Liberty into the future with one voice.
Character Counts for dozens at LES
Dozens of Liberty Elementary School were honored during the monthly “Character Counts” awards ceremonies held Friday, Jan. 27, in the gymnasium. Both assemblies were livestreamed. The third and fourth grade awards livestream can be seen here. The livestream for the ceremony for the kindergarten through second graders can be viewed here.
The awards, given to one student in each classroom and chosen by the teacher, recognized students who embodied one of the seven habits promoted by Leader in Me. January winners received the “First Place Focus” and “Task Tackler” awards. The awards, named by the students, are based on Habit 2 (Begin With the End in Mind) and Habit 3 (Put First Things First). The students focused on their Wildly Important Goals, or WIGs, in January, by setting their goals (Habit 2), and determining how they can reach them (Habit 3).
The winners of the “First Place Focus” Awards, for setting realistic goals and working to achieve them, were Allison Martinez, David Pineda Monzón, Remaissae Benadim, Elenna Farias, Yasmim Macedo Melo, Jazmin Ramirez Gonzalez, Lucas Kern, Omar Garcia Martinez Jr., Michael Garcia-Vargas, Ana Barragan Velazquez, Emilia Warren, Adriana Colocho Argueta, Grace Wang, Blake Beseth, Mackenzie Beatty, Austin Cuellar Jeronimo, Sophia Lopez Luna, Jordan White, Camden Lake, Ana Hernandez, Cailynn Pate, Willis Gamble Jr., Jamel Smith, Nyjha Miranda, Neviya Cash, Katie Lopez, Dylan Joya Reyes, Farrah Conklin-Degraw, Emma Boyles, Brenda Lucero Andrade, Riley Church-Bradley and Lilliana Garzon Ferrufino.
The “Task Tackler” winners, for working before playing and being organized and managing their time according to their personal priorities, were Valentino Valencia Vasquez, Anastasiia Honcharenko, Rain Mott, Adah Smith Juarez, Emely Aguilera Bonilla, Juan Corona Jr., Sam Martin, Madelyn Gavidia Reyes, Jayden Reyes, Jean Valdiviesio Cajamarca, Ethan Hernandez Mejia, Mia Harrison, Leyvi Eli Banegas Cortes, Eliab Torres Garcia, Aizah Suleman, Emily Portillo, Karrah Atkins, Indigo Love, Jordana Ratner, Keily Martinez Zelaya, Joseph Wilson Jr., Lillian Keating, Nicholas McPhillips, Yarixa Reyes Cardenas, Joseph Geoghan, Savannah Gonzalez, Avery Decker, Kaydence Kalthoff, Denali Owens, Ellis Dilworth, Megan Martinez Gomez, Scarlett Ratner and Anabel Hernandez Fuentes.
Well done, students!
Eighth graders’ trip teaches about technology’s impact
The eighth graders took a trip to the Hurleyville Arts Centre and Hurleyville O&W Rail Trail last month.
Unit 1 of the new Into Literature curriculum poses the essential question: “Does technology control our lives?” To answer this question, the class is reading a variety of texts to formulate their arguments.
As an extension of this, Hurleyville Arts Center provided a private showing of the movie “The Social Dilemma” for the class. The movie focuses on the social and cultural impact of social media usage and the tactics used to modify behaviors as well as the psychological impacts.
To help showcase an alternative to a technology filled world, students visited the Hurleyville O&W Rail Trail walk and ride. There they had an opportunity to explore the historic rail trail and discover the natural world around them.
The students also gathered in small groups to debrief and reflect on what they had learned.
See more photos from the trip on the LCSD Facebook page. and the LCSD Instagram page
LES students honor veterans at assemblies
Decked in red, white and blue, waving American flags, Liberty Elementary School students honored veterans on Wednesday, Nov. 9, in advance of Veterans Day on Friday, Nov. 11.
During two ceremonies, students sang songs, read poems and thanked veterans for their service.
Veterans in attendance were Army veterans Richard Begeal, Chris DaSilva, John Foster, Thomas Harris Lewis, James Kelly, Keith Krauss, Dennis James, Scott Ricco, James Richardson and Joseph Tabacco; Madison Johnstone, from the Army National Guard: Navy veterans Arthur Flynn and Shane Weed; Clarence Kratz from the Navel Air Force; Marines Solomon Conner, Carrado Grant, Kyle Muthig and James O’Connor; and Air Force veteran William Lazarus.
Assistant Principal Brittney Cunningham delivered the opening remarks, in the absence of Principal Robert England who was unable to attend.
“Our students at Liberty Elementary school have been preparing for this day for weeks,” she said. ”Through patriotic songs, we learn about what is important. It is important that they feel they are part of the American family that accepts them and appreciates their value to our community and the nation.”
She also explained what it means to be a veteran, and how important service is to our community and our country.
During the two assemblies, veterans were treated to “See the Veteran” by the pre-kindergarten students, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” by the kindergartners, and “This Land is Your Land,” by the first graders. All students sang “Grand Ole Flag” to close the ceremony.
Second, third and fourth graders honored veterans in the second assembly with poems, songs and a presentation of donations.
Mrs. Countryman and Mrs. Rubik’s class read a poem that they wrote in honor of the veterans, as did Mr. Conner’s students. Second-graders sang “Thank You Soldier,” followed by the third-graders singing “God Bless America,” and the fourth-graders, who sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The second grade class of Ms. Kristine Kratz presented the collected donations to the veterans that will go to local VA needs.
At the end of both assemblies, veterans lined the doorways as students exited with high fives, hand shakes and thumbs up as a way to thank them for their service.
This annual Veterans Day assembly is made possible by the collective planning and hard work of the LES Building Leadership Team, the Maintenance Department, everyone in the LES main office and every teacher. Finally, a very special thank you to Ms. Kristine Kratz, the teacher who puts her heart, soul and love for our country into every Veterans Day assembly. Thank you, Ms. Kratz for all of your dedicated work to teach our students about honor, service and patriotism.
LCSD hosts All Things Liberty
Liberty Central School District’s fourth annual All Things Liberty drew scores of people to the school Thursday to connect families with local organizations in an effort to promote their overall well-being.
“There are great things happening in the Liberty school and community to help improve student success,” said Liberty High School Assistant Principal Devin Lamar, who organized the event.
As attendees entered, they were greeted by the Liberty Strings Quintet who serenaded guests as they arrived. From there, families had an opportunity to connect with local agencies, as well as see representatives from school based clubs and organizations who shared all of the wonderful events happening within the Liberty Central School District.
Outside agencies that were present provided families with important information on health, safety and education. Student volunteers also offered fun activities such as arts and crafts, face painting and a photo booth for all to enjoy. Many of the students walked away from All Things Liberty with a stack of free books to help support their journey toward becoming lifelong readers.
Community vendors that were present included Sullivan County Public Health, Cornerstone Healthcare, National Alliance of Mental Illness, Independent Living, Sullivan BOCES, Liberty Partnership Program and Brighter Futures, SUNY Sullivan, the Town of Liberty Supervisor Frank DeMayo, the Liberty Police Department, Liberty Moo Duk Kwan Academy, Migrant Education, The Child Care Council, The Children’s Home, Boys & Girls Club, Sullivan County 4-H, SALT, Wayne Bank and Bethel Woods.
“Liberty Central School is thrilled to have such supportive partners, and looks forward to working together in the future,” Lamar said.
School programs, clubs and organizations that were present included the High School and Middle Student Councils, Elementary, Middle and High School administrators, Snack Pack Collection, Maker Space, the Wellness Committee, Business Incubator, Future Business Leaders of America, Middle School Ski Club, Middle School Garden Club, Science Olympiad, Liberty PTA, Leader in Me and Allusions Club.
The event was capped off with “A Taste of Liberty,” a sampling of a food from local restaurants: Yiasou, Red Diamond, Paesano’s, Sweet Basil, Liberty Diner, New Munson Diner, Panchos, Garden Zheng, Chick E Ribs, Don Gabriel’s and Star Bar.
“I appreciate everyone who took time out of the evening to help showcase all Liberty has to offer,” Lamar said, “and I thank all of the parents, guardians and community members who attended so we could highlight ‘All Things Liberty.’”
See more photos on our Facebook and Instagram pages.