liberty school scene 2014

SCHOOLA S p e c i a l S u p p l e m e n t t o t h e S u l l i v a n C o u n t y D e m o c r a t

SCENE

S E C T I O N L • N O V E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 4 • C A L L I C O O N , N Y

A look a tac t i v i t i e s i n theL ibe r ty Cent ra lSchoo l D i s t r i c t

2L LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT NOVEMBER 4, 2014

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NOVEMBER 4, 2014 SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE 3L

Philip E. Olsen, D.D.S.Jon K. Sutherland, D.D.S.

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Kids create objects out of thin air with 3D printerDavid Slater calls it a hot glue gun

on steroids.The newest learning tool in the

technology department at LibertyHigh School is a 3D printer. Thedevice, which is about the size of themore familiar two-dimensional textand picture printer, creates three-dimensional objects by melting plas-tic filament and then using a kind ofkind of needle to build layer uponlayer of liquid plastic until the entireobject is complete.

Basically, it’s an industrial robot that“prints” in plastic.

“Listen to the sound it makes,” saidSlater, technology teacher. The print-er emitted odd blips and beeps thatresembles the sound effects of a 1950sscience fiction movie. Or, as Slaterpointed out: “It sounds like Star Trek.”

In fact, the new printer does remindsome onlookers of the Star Trek foodreplicator, which reconstituted mat-ter into nourishment for the people inspace.

As the printer performs its task,“Kids stare at it,” said Slater. “They’refascinated. It is pretty cool.”

Used particularly in tenth through12th grade’s Computer Aided Drafting

(CAD) course, 3D printing will alsoplay a role in the Principles of Engi-neering class offered later this year to11th and 12th graders.

In order to print out objects, the 3Dprinter uses a digital file of a design ofthe object. Software then slices thedesign into hundreds of horizontallayers, which are printed one on topof the other.

3D printing allows students to createprototypes of items without the use ofexpensive tools required in othermethods. At Liberty High, so far stu-dents are working on creatingmechanical objects like nuts and bolts.

Liberty High School technology teacher David Slater introduces the Makerbot Replicator 2,which is a 3D printer students use to produce objects.

3D printing will also play a

role in the Principles of Engi-

neering class offered later this

year to 11th and 12th graders.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4L


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The printer takes about 42 minutesto finish the small mechanical piece,with each printed layer a thinly slicedhorizontal cross-section of the even-tual object.

Apart from its applications in theall-important STEM focus, (science,technology, engineering and math),3D printing in the classroom exposesstudents to cutting-edge technologythey’ll encounter later on in collegeand careers.

Architecture, construction, indus-trial design, automotive, aerospace,military, engineering, dental andmedical industries are all using 3Dtechnology.

Uses have also spread into the worldof clothing and fashion. For instance,Nike uses 3D printing to prototypeand manufacture shoes for football,and the company New Balance is alsousing the technology to manufacturecustom-made shoes for athletes.

3D technology is being used to“print” medical devices. Notably, inFlorida, a group of college studentssuccessfully designed and construct-

ed – for a total cost of $350 – a pros-thetic arm for a six-year-old boy whowas born without a fully formed arm.

In Liberty, students will explore

their own creativity in making objectsthat actually work, said Slater.

For now, “we hope to use the print-er to build a robotic arm to competein the Science Olympiad,” Slater said,referring to the regional competitionheld each year at a SUNY college. “Webuilt a robotic arm before, usingwooden syringes, but we had a prob-lem with the gripper. This gives ushope.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3L

Students have tested out the new learning tool by crafting plastic nuts, bolts and bracelets.

Credits:All photographs and stories forthis special School Scene are bySul livan County Demo crat Reporter Kathy Daley. The Democrat would also liketo thank the Liberty CentralSchool District for all its cooper-ation in this project.

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(845) 887-5200 Callicoon, NY 12723

November 4, 2014 • Vol. CXXIV, No. 40

School SceneA Look at Activities in the

Liberty Central School District

Publisher: Fred W. Stabbert III Senior Editor: Dan Hust

Editor: Frank Rizzo

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Pre-K helps kids get aheadErnesto is only four years old but

he’s already experienced anextreme moment in learning.

After he and his pre-kindergartenclass worked hard to begin recogniz-ing the first letter of their names, thechildren lined up to leave the elemen-tary school at dismissal. Ernesto hap-pened to glance up at the EXIT signover the door and quickly shouted tohis teacher.

“Mrs. Magie – I got it,” he yelled,pointing at the sign. “I got an E!”

With the Common Core reachingright down to the youngest children,teacher Tracey Magie’s students arelearning to recognize and nameupper and lowercase letters of thealphabet. They will learn that lettersare grouped to form words, and thatwords are separated by spaces whenthey are in print.

They are also learning basic mathconcepts in the Base 10 system,which they will then use throughouttheir years in school.

Magie, who is also the math facilita-tor for kindergarten through fourthgrade in the Liberty school district,pointed out how the early lessons willhelp them later on.

“When these kids go into kinder-garten, they’ll know what counting themath way is, “ she said, “They’ll knowthe 10-frame. All of that is building forthe other grades. That alignmentmakes for a wonderful thing – we neverhad that before. Now we have a univer-sal math language. It’s super exciting.”

About 50 children are enrolled inpre-K, taught also by longtime teacherKaren Skelly. The students attendeither morning or afternoon sessions.

During the portion of the day enti-tled Listening and Learning Circle, the

teacher reads aloud about a particulartopic. They are now working on thetheme of Families and Communities,and Magie uses the topic to teachmath and English Language Arts.

Peering at photos of families in work-books, the children count the numberof family members by touching eachperson in the photo and counting off,1-2-3. Working with white cards thatare printed with big dots, the childrenmatch the number of dots with thenumber of family members.

“They are (now) counting to fiveand recognizing the numbers from1 to 5,” said Magie.

They are also “writing” stories oftheir own families by dictating toMagie or to teacher aide Rose Walls.First the children draw pictures offamily members and then dictatesomething about them.

Of course, pre-K is still a mixture oflearning and play. There are stories,

Four-year-old Madysen Rielly works withcrayons and paper.

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A poster in a pre-kindergarten classroom says it all: today’s youngest are learning along withplaying.

nursery rhymes and skills building les-sons, such as learning to cut and paste.

The other day the class listened forrhyming words in “Rain, Rain, GoAway.”

“The number one indicator of read-ing success is the ability to rhyme,”the teacher said.

A second grade teacher for 10 years,Magie is relishing her first year teach-ing pre-kindergarten.

“They are like sponges – they pickeverything up so fast,” she said. “Ilove how much they can learn, howthey want to learn, their enthusiasm.I love it when you read aloud to them,and at the end, they clap.”



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Natural wonders escort students to powerful placesIf students from Liberty High

School can’t go to the red rocksand steep canyons of the South-

west, then the haunting landscapeswill come to them.

This past summer, two of theirteachers enjoyed working vacationsin the part of the U.S. dominated byrocky spires and sheer walls carved byerosion millions of years ago.

“Awesome, life changing,” is how artteacher Kathy Lambert described herweek in June touring Mesa Verde insouthern Colorado, with its ruins ofhomes and villages built by the ancientPueblo people. Lambert received aNational Endowment for the Humani-ties grant to tour the area and use whatshe learned to enhance her teaching.

Coincidentally, in July, Earth Sci-ence teacher and science departmentchair Michael Hazelnis toured theGrand Canyon in Arizona and Zionand Bryce Canyon National Parks inUtah on his only paid sabbatical in 28years with the district.

“That region makes up one of thegreatest uninterrupted sequences of

rock in the world,” Hazelnisexplained. “I got up every morning atthe crack of dawn to take picturesfrom sunrise to sunset. The kids werealways on my mind. I would think,

‘This can really show differential ero-sion.’ Or ‘I can use this for my unit ongeologic history.’ ”

His students are benefiting from anup-close study of the area’s amphithe-

aters of brilliantly colored spires andpinnacles as they study dynamiccrust, weathering and erosion, cli-mate and water, deposition, and thedifferences in landscape regions.

“I will be able to contrast the fea-tures of the Colorado Plateau with thefeatures of the Catskill Plateau of NewYork State,” of which Sullivan Countyis a part, Hazelnis said.

His visit to Montezuma’s Castle, withits pre-Columbian cliff dwellings builtby indigenous people, mirrored KathyLambert’s experiences at Mesa Verde.There, the receding of ancient oceansand waterways has created canyonswhere people called the Pueblosbegan to construct cliff dwellings in400 A.D. – homes specifically built totake advantage of solar energy.

Lambert said her tour group ofteachers “were hungry, alive. We werethere to digest everything they couldgive us.”

“I took away that I want that energyin my classroom,” Lambert said.

Art teacher Kathy Lambert, who traveled to the ancient cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde Nation-al Park, praises a complex, three-dimensional work of origami by student Evan Gandulla.



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Liberty district raises the bar on academicsAt Liberty Central School

District, four-year-olds devel-op the reading, writing and lis-

tening skills demanded by theCommon Core.

Middle school students are joinedby every adult in the school in a seri-ous reading campaign.

At the high school, students benefitfrom no-cost access to the helpfulPSAT tests, which not only preparethem for the SATs but also aid educa-tors in identifying students whomight qualify for challengingAdvanced Placement classes.

“We want to constantly look at howbest we can help our weakest and ourstrongest students,” said Liberty’sAssistant Superintendent CarolNapoli tano.

She noted that teachers are beingtrained to tailor their teaching so theycan address the needs of variousgroups, including students with spe-cial needs and those on the autismspectrum.

RELAXED TO THE COREWith the Common Core State

Standards firmly in place, teachersnote that it’s good to have a solid yearof the changes under their belts.

“Students know the practices andprotocols coming in this year,”Napolitano said. “They are morecomfortable with the thoughtprocesses in problem solving.”

New ways of learning, thinking andcommunicating are also engenderedby the growing use of computers andother technological devices. Thisyear, the District is piloting the use ofiPads in 11th grade math (Algebra

and Trigonometry) as well as in ninthgrade English.

Eleventh grade English classes arepiloting the use of laptops with accom-panying Google apps, as educatorsfind that the visual media, with theirinstant access to information, graphicsand text, engages students in ways thattextbook learning alone could not do.

GETTING A LEAP ON COLLEGEAn increased emphasis on ad -

vanced work for students who canhandle the extra challenge is also tak-ing place.

This year, science teacher KyleMcGinn is teaching AP LivingEnvironment, which is a new addi-tion to the roster of AdvancedPlacement classes. Taught by meansof a state-approved curriculum, stu-dents who complete AP classes thentake the AP test and, depending ontheir score, earn college credit.

This year, Liberty continues to offera Virtual AP Program, a grant-basedinitiative that allows students toenroll in free, online AP coursestaught by New York State teachers.

Those classes include AP ArtHistory, Comparative Governmentand Politics, Computer Science,

Human Geography, Psychology andStatistics. At least 10 Liberty High stu-dents are participating in the pro-gram, which also gives them person-al use of a laptop computer for theyear.

Liberty students get a further jumpon their college careers by takingSUNY Sullivan college courses ontheir own high school campus. Theyinclude Composition, CreativeWriting, Speech, Pre-Calculus,Calculus, Photography and AdvancedPersonal Fitness.

Often, students are able to earn upto 18 or 22 credits, saving time andmoney, said Superintendent ofSchools Dr. William Silver.

PSSSST: PSAT ROCKSIn October, tenth grade students

got a taste of what the college admis-sion test known as the SAT is like.

The Preliminary SAT, or PSAT, is typ-ically offered at a fee to eleventhgraders. But as a “perk” of the VirtualAP program, Liberty was able toadminister the PSAT free to all itstenth graders, assessing their criticalreading, math and writing skills asthey approach their pre-college years.

“The PSAT can identify studentswith high potential but with lowachievement,” pointed out DistrictSuperintendent Dr. William Silver.“It’s important that we identify kids

who are capable of taking AdvancedPlacement classes but are notdemonstrating that in the classroom.”

RE-CRAFTING A BONDIt’s back to the drawing board for a

failed proposal to fund high schoolbuilding improvements along withthe expansion and reconfiguration oftechnology, art and music class-rooms, guidance and counselingarea, and the school cafeteria.

In October, voters defeated the $13.6million capital project, even thoughstate building aid and capital reserveswould largely have funded the plan.Depending on the STAR exemption,the average taxpayer would have seenhis or her annual tax bill increased bybetween $13 and $25.

“I felt that all parts of the projectwere critical,” said Dr. Silver.

Necessary for the health and well-being of students and staff are repairsto the high school’s crumbling brick-work, exterior walls, aging windowsand to the bleachers that fail accessi-bility standards for students withphysical handicaps, Silver said.

“The program updates andenhancements – guidance, art, music,technology education, cafeteria – arecritical to bring those programs intothe 21st century,” he added, “and toprovide space for computer-basedinstruction that’s expected today.”

Assistant Superintendent Carol Napolitano and Superintendent Dr. William Silver keep allstudents – high level learners through lower achieving youngsters – in mind as they makedecisions for the District.

“The program updates andenhancements . . . are critical tobring those programs into the21st century . . .”

Superintendent Dr. Silver


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She decided this school year toencourage more creative challengeswith her students and to allow themto make more personal choices intheir work.

“Awesome,” she cried as Evan Gan-dulla, an 11th grader, showed off hisspiral origami sculpture.

“I want to make it not just an assign-ment but an adventure,” Lambertexplained. “I want to get their energylevels up and keep it there.”

For example, in introducing stu-dents to the elements and principlesof art, instead of simply asking themto work with shapes, her students areusing circles, lines and shapes to drawa figure of their own choice.

The other day, five students spenttheir lunchtimes in her art room,painting and drawing their charac-ters.

“I’m here because it’s fun,” saidfreshman Jonathan Wilson, workingon his version of the Popeye cartooncharacter. “You get to draw whateveryou want to draw. She lets us use ourcreativity.”

The teachers noted that studentsalso benefit from the adults’ recount-ing of their trips.

“When we’re in front of a classroomwe’re entertainers,” said Hazelnis,“and kids need to make a connectionwith us. One way is to tell stories ofevents that take place in our lives.

“They seem to form a greater con-nection with me as a teacher when Ishare personal stories,” he said.“Then they perform better in class.”


Food for thought: Feed those hungry kids

Last year’s successful freebreakfast program for all Lib-erty Elementary School chil-

dren blossomed into free summer-time food for kids at three differentLiberty sites.

In July and August, the District’sFood Service Program offered freemeals at the elementary schoolfrom 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. forany child who showed up accom-panied by an adult.

The District also provided dailylunch to students enrolled in theSummer School and SummerEnrichment Program at LibertyMiddle School.

Finally, those enrolled in the daycamp sponsored by the LibertyParks and Recreation Department

at Hanofee Park received freelunch from the District after Parksand Rec requested help feeding thechildren, noted Superintendent ofSchools Dr. William Silver.

The District’s Food Service pro-gram provided a total of 11,627meals, he said.

The District receives state andfederal reimbursement for feedingchildren, and actually mademoney on its food program lastschool year.

In the next few years, Liberty mayalso expand its school-year break-fast program into the fifth and sixthgrades at the middle school.

Silver says it plainly: “Kids whoeat breakfast do better in school.”

Earth Science teacher Michael Hazelnis tookthis ‘selfie’ at Utah’s majestic Bryce CanyonNational Park, a geologic wonder that he willuse in his teaching at Liberty High School.


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Reading stimulates minds and encourages funRebecca Philips reads about

horses. Quintin Herzog can’tput down the real-life stories in

“Ripley’s Believe It or Not” andNational Geographic’s “UltimateWeird But True.”

In an unusual span of total silenceat Liberty Middle School, the twofifth graders join everyone else in thebuilding at reading quietly for funand profit.

“I love it,” said Quintin. “You get toread anything you want and youdon’t have to read what anybody tellsyou to. You calm yourself down.”

Delving into reading for a briefperiod before classes begin in themorning “is like a little vacation,”said Quintin. ”You visualize the set-ting. You learn things.”

Pat Krebs, who is the school’sEnglish Language Arts facilitator anda fifth grade teacher, pointed out howimportant frequent reading is to suc-cess in school.

“The amount of reading a childdoes each day relates directly to read-ing comprehension,” she said.

In addition, vocabulary improves,spelling and grammar are honed, stu-dents learn more and even their writ-ing improves.

Today’s teachers often assign their

students reading time as homeworkbut students often don’t do it, plainand simple.

This past August, Krebs and theschool’s teachers brainstormed waysto turn students on to the joy of pick-ing up a book and delving in.

“We wanted them to immersethemselves in books,” Krebs said.“We wanted no homework assign-ments attached to it, no journalingthat needed to be done. Just sit, relax,and read.”

Krebs believed a morning readingcampaign would succeed based onher own experience with studentsand reading during the summer. Shetaught Summer School and eachThursday, squired her 30 students tothe public library on Main Street.

There, the kids got their own librarycards, listened to an enthusiasticlibrarian speak about the books avail-able for kids and chose their ownreading material.

The first 20 minutes of eachSummer School day was dedicated toreading for Krebs’ students. Then

they discussed what they were read-ing with a student partner.

“The expectation was that theywould read a book each week for thethree weeks of summer school,” saidKrebs. “It worked – they were all fin-ished with their book by eachThursday – so they could go to thelibrary and get another book!”

Students read everything frombooks on soccer to historical fictionto science fiction.

That’s when Krebs realized, “We canmake this happen as a building.”

So starting with the second day ofschool in September, each Mondaythrough Friday, for 20 minutes, theentire middle school turns quiet andeverybody – adults, too – sits downand reads.

Principal Jack Strassman was ableto shave two minutes off each periodduring the school day to allot for thenew 8:10 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. readingperiod, called Pride Period after theschool district’s motto.


With teacher Pat Krebs, Quintin Herzog dis-cusses a book he has chosen to read duringthe dedicated reading time each morning.

NOVEMBER 4, 2014 SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE 11L20095

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“There are no phone calls, no tripsto the bathroom, no hallway move-ment during this time,” said Krebs. “Itis so quiet, so calming, so peaceful.”

Students read from a book theyhave chosen from their classroom orthe school library.

It is expected that the serious, dedi-cated reading time is building upstamina in the students to handle therigor of the ELA state testing they willundergo later in the year.

But even now, the outcome of PridePeriod is worth the effort.

“The kids are a lot calmer,” saidKrebs, “as they start off their first peri-od (academic) class.”

Principally speaking, shekept the ship on course

Veteran educator Dr. LindaWidomski served as interimprincipal at Liberty Elementary

School in late summer and fall as theSchool District sought a permanentprincipal for the K-4 school.

Last year’s principal, Scott Brown,accepted a position closer to hishome.

Widomski, former principal at Sulli-van West Elementary School and Tri-Valley Elementary School, kept theLiberty ship on course as the Districtinterviewed candidates to replaceBrown.

“The District needed to have theprogram and services for studentsand staff to continue while they foundthe right match (in a principal),” saidWidomski.

On Oct. 31, Jacqueline Harris, prin-cipal at Tri-Valley, started as LibertyElementary School’s new leader.

Widomski, a Youngsville resident, isretired but “I still want to contributeto what’s happening in education,possibility at the college level,” shesaid.

She is active in the Time and the Val-leys Museum and in fundraising forthe Daniel Pierce Public Library, bothin Grahamsville.

“Education is not a job – it’s a spe-cial opportunity,” Widomski said.“You are influencing many, manylives if you are a teacher or adminis-trator. I’m hoping my work, my skillsand abilities can continue to helpsupport students and teachers.”

Local educational leader Dr. Linda Widomskiserved as interim principal for Liberty Ele-mentary School.



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