Category: District News
Sports schedule, and results, for the week of Nov. 25-Dec. 1, 2024
The winter sports season kicks off this week with a boys basketball multi-scrimmage.
Here are the schedule and results, if available. Livestream links are included where available.
Monday, Nov. 25
No events scheduled
Tuesday, Nov. 26
4 p.m.: Boys Varsity Basketball multi-scrimmage vs. multiple schools at Sullivan County Community College
Wednesday, Nov. 27
No events scheduled.
Thursday, Nov. 28
No events scheduled.
Friday, Nov. 29
No events scheduled.
Saturday, Nov. 30
No events scheduled.
Sunday, Dec. 1
No events scheduled.
The schedule is subject to change. Check the Liberty schedule on the Section IX website for the latest.
A reminder of emergency closure notifications
Some snow is in the forecast for later this week. Whether it has the potential to interrupt the school day is not yet known. We are taking this opportunity to remind parents, guardians and the community how they will receive notice if school will be operating under a delay, will be dismissed early or will be closed due to inclement weather.
The district will contact parents and guardians directly by phone, email and text if there are any changes in the daily school schedule. Those who wish to verify their contact information is correct should reach out to the main office of their child’s school, as well sign up for ParentSquare and download the app. Closing, delay and early dismissal information will also be posted on the district website and shared with local media outlets. Calls may also be made to the district at 845-292-5400. Any schedule changes will follow the initial greeting.
When there is early dismissal, all after-school activities are canceled.
The district has scheduled seven snow days. If all snow days are used by Feb. 13, Feb. 14 will become a student day. Any additional days needed will be virtual learning days. Please refer to our Districtwide Safety Plan regarding remote learning.
LCSD stories earn recognition from state school PR group
Two stories featured on the Liberty Central School District website and shared with local media during the 2023-24 school year earned an “Excellence” rating in the New York School Public Relations Association’s contest.
The two stories, written by public information specialist Denielle Cazzolla, were used to highlight the district’s five-year strategic plan in action. They each earned an “Excellence” rating by the National School Public Relations Association this summer, as well..
The first story, “LHS senior uses NASA opportunities to help further her goals beyond the rainbow,” focused on Jayla Edwards. The 2024 graduate was selected for a very competitive program hosted by NASA between her junior and senior years at Liberty High School. She then was among a select few in the program to have an additional learning experience. The story also highlighted her interests in theater, as she played Dorothy in the Liberty Performing Arts fall production, “The Wizard of Oz” her senior year.
The second story, “New technology brings history to life,” showed the sixth grade social studies classes of Samantha Abplanalp using AI to “interview” Egyptian pharaohs. Not only did students learn about the leaders from centuries ago, they also were required to assess the accuracy of the information provided by ChatGPT, bringing 21st century skills into the classroom.
“These two stories highlight just two of the many ways our district is working to embrace and enact our strategic plan. They show the dedication Liberty Central School District, as a whole, has to our mission to empower each student to contribute and thrive in a diverse community by pursuing their potential,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said. “The recognition shows how effectively we communicate to our community what makes Liberty a great place to learn.”
Liberty Middle School recognized by Woz ED
Liberty Elementary to earn honor in 2025-26
Liberty Middle School has been officially recognized as a Woz ED Career Pathway School. At the recent Woz ED Pathway Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, Technical Education Teacher Mike Diehl accepted this prestigious award on behalf of the school.
To earn this recognition, a school must demonstrate a strong commitment to providing career-focused pathways for students, including the integration of at least five distinct Career Pathways, offering STEM education to all learners, and maintaining a 1:3 or higher student-to-device ratio. Liberty Middle School is working to implement dynamic STEM curricula in robotics, engineering and design, coding, drones and cybersecurity, helping students develop skills that will prepare them for the future.
In addition, Liberty Elementary School will also be recognized as a Woz ED Pathway School during the 2025-26 school year. The elementary school is moving forward with the implementation of the Woz ED STEM curriculum, setting the stage for even more STEM opportunities for Liberty’s youngest learners.
These curricula are designed to provide students with specialized pathways in the rapidly evolving STEM fields, offering a structured learning environment that emphasizes hands-on exploration, critical thinking, and creativity.
“At Liberty, we are dedicated to equipping our students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in today’s technology-driven world,” said Assistant Superintendent Marianne Serratore. “We look forward to seeing how these programs will continue to shape and inspire the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers.”
District reaches agreement on lawsuit
The Liberty Central School District (the “District”) has entered into a Consent Decree in the matter of John Chewens v. Liberty Central School District, No. 24 Civ. 5754 (PMH) to resolve claims brought against the District by John Chewens, a former teacher in the District. Mr. Chewens alleged that he was entitled to a salary step increase for the 2018-2019 school year, based on his leave of absence for U.S. National Guard Service.
In an effort to resolve this matter without litigation, on or around September 15, 2022, the District offered Mr. Chewens and the Liberty Faculty Association a proposed memorandum of agreement which would have resulted in payment to Mr. Chewens of the salary step increase that he sought, but the proposed memorandum of agreement was not accepted.
The subsequent federal court case was brought on behalf of Mr. Chewens by the United States Attorney’s Office, United States Department of Justice. Following Mr. Chewens’ voluntary resignation from his teaching position in August, 2024, the Board of Education made a business judgment to enter into the Consent Decree to avoid the cost and local taxpayer burden of defending federal litigation.
The District respects and honors its veterans and active military service members, including any District employees who may be engaged in active military service. The District is firmly committed to fulfilling the terms of the Consent Decree.
LPD beats LCSD again in annual basketball game; scholarship fund wins
The Liberty Central School District team was looking for its first victory over the Liberty Police Department team in the third annual LPD vs LCSD basketball game on Wednesday, Nov. 14. But it was not meant to be, as LPD kept its winning streak alive. The real winner, though, was the Senior Athlete Scholarship, which earned more than $900 through the event.
Organizer Erin Alvord, a LHS physical education teacher, offered the following thanks:
- Officer/Coach Lake for organizing the officers and for his continued support of this event.
- The LPD for their generous donation to scholarships as they have for the last three years.
- Our LCSD team: Joe Franke, Beth Quatrale, Rich Feeney, Felix Colon, Jenna Genco, Andrew Philips, Jamie Black, Peter Owens, Sonia Lemus, Roothland Medina, Kate Rusin, Jermaine Ferguson, Derek Adams and Dr. Sullivan for showing up and working hard despite the loss.
- LCSD Coach Dave Philips!
- The LPD team. Congrats on the win!
- Ralph Bressler for announcing, singing the National Anthem and keeping the clock.
- All of our chaperones for helping to keep the event safe.
- Sarah Davis, Ashley Bury and Paul Voigtland for taking entry fees.
- The Booster Club for their bake sale and 50/50.
- Mrs. Bull for taking pics and gathering the Junior class to sell concessions.
- The officials for coming out long before their season starts.
- LMS students Montgomery Allen and Grace Fitzgerald for keeping the book.
- Everyday Apparel for making the staff t-shirts.
- The community, staff and all the students who came out for the event; and
- A huge, huge, THANK YOU to our custodial staff for setting up before and cleaning up after.
“As you can see, although I organize this, it takes a village, and I truly appreciate everyone who shows up to play or help in any way they can,” Alvord said.
Syracuse adds acceptance, scholarship benefit for eligible SUPA participants
This year, Liberty Central School District began a partnership with Syracuse University to offer Syracuse University Project Advance to Liberty High School Students. SUPA offers advanced courses for college credit. Biology 1 and 2 is being offered at Liberty this year, with Chemistry to be added for the 2025-26 school year.
An added benefit recently announced by Syracuse University is “Guaranteed Orange,” the opportunity to have guaranteed acceptance into Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Science with a $20,000 per year tuition scholarship for eligible students.
“We were excited to partner with Syracuse University on SUPA,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said. “This additional benefit can have a huge positive impact on the college and career choices of our students who chose to participate.”
To be eligible for “Guaranteed Orange,” students must have completed or plan to complete at least six credit hours through SUPA, Syracuse University Summer College or Accelerated Semester Online by the end of their high school senior spring semester, have a 3.0 grade-point average in the courses completed, have an overall high school GPA of 3.7 or higher and apply to Syracuse University by the deadline of Nov. 15 for Early Decision or Jan. 5 for regular decision or Early Decision II.
For more information, visit the Guaranteed Orange page on the Syracuse University website.
Three honored for Excellence in Service
An elementary speech teacher, a middle school counselor and a member of the grounds crew were recognized by the Liberty Central School District Board of Education with Excellence in Service Awards on Nov. 12.
Jena Schwartz
Schwartz was recognized for meeting the high level of need for speech services in the elementary school. Her nominator highlighted her supplying resources for teachers, as well as guiding and directing two new speech pathologists in the building.
“She juggles all of this with meeting the demands of her own schedule, and always goes above and beyond to advocate for the importance of and need for speech services,” her nominator wrote.
Michelle Behrman
Behrman was described as an asset to the middle school. Her nominator spotlighted her willingness to help teachers and students at any time, and her knowledge of SchoolTool.
“She puts on more than a school counselor hat for Liberty Middle School and should get the award for excellence,” her nomination read. “It is well deserved!”
Joe Davis
Davis’ willingness to lend a hand, with a smile on his face, even when he is busy was featured in his nomination. His diligence during a recent drill was also recognized.
“When our school community was being tested by law enforcement trying to gain access to our buildings, Joe recognized the scam and refused to let the person in,” the nomination read. “Kudos to Joe!”
Each month, faculty and staff members nominate others they believe are going above and beyond, be it a single act of excellence or kindness or a continuous work ethic.
We congratulate these employees on their awards.
LCSD faculty and staff start November with a day of learning
A day off? Not for Liberty Central School District faculty and staff. Friday, Nov. 1, was a day of learning and professional development.
The day started with the presentation of “Disrupt and Adapt:Teaching and Learning in the Age of AI” by keynote speaker Eric Sheninger, founder and chief executive officer of Aspire Change EDU. Sheninger offered thoughts on how faculty and staff can make artificial intelligence work for them by helping them plan, save time, make learning personal, and rethink and adjust the classroom experience to embrace emerging technology.
After the keynote, faculty and staff had breakout sessions and time for professional development, focusing on specific responsibilities, curriculum, teaching methods and trainings. Specially Designed Instruction and Integrated Co-Teaching sessions were offered to address the needs of LCSD’s special education teachers. Sheninger also led breakout sessions for each school.
A highlight of the day was welcoming media specialists and librarians from across the county to see the Middle School’s InventionLand Innovation Lab.
“Learning is a lifelong process,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said. “It is important to provide opportunities for our faculty and staff to develop new methods and skills to give our students the best education possible.”
Sports schedule, and results, for the week of Nov. 3-10, 2024
Our athletes will be in action in football this week, the final week of the fall season.
Here are the schedule and results, if available. Livestream links are included where available.
Monday, Nov. 4
No events scheduled
Tuesday, Nov. 5
No events scheduled.
Wednesday, Nov. 6
4 p.m.: Modified A 11 Man Football vs. Monticello at Liberty High School
Thursday, Nov. 7
No events scheduled.
Friday, Nov. 8
No events scheduled.
Saturday, Nov. 9
No events scheduled.
Sunday, Nov. 10
No events scheduled.
The schedule is subject to change. Check the Liberty schedule on the Section IX website for the latest.