Liberty Partnerships Program - NYSED

The Liberty Partnerships Program family gathers every June for our annual Professional Development Retreat, and this year, we came together to fill our cups.
The June PD Committee, led by Suzelle Zamor, did a phenomenal job creating a welcoming space with room for real connection, self-care, and meaningful learning. We were joined by Nancy Neilson of the National Dropout Prevention Center, who brings more than 40 years of experience to this work. Her full-day, hands-on session grounded participants in Trauma-Skilled Schools, covering the need for trauma-skilled environments, how trauma shows up in students, the neuroscience behind its impact on behavior and learning, and concrete strategies for building resilience. Participants also earned partial credit toward certification as a Trauma-Skilled School Specialist.
Sabrina Fearon and Tim Hubbard led the full-day Youth Mental Health First Aid certification, giving participants the chance to learn, refresh, and practice skills for recognizing and responding to mental health challenges in adolescents, including a practical five-step action plan for connecting young people to care in both crisis and non-crisis situations.
We were also joined by Ammon Archie, Founder of the Integrative Life Designer, who shared his S.E.E. Methodology, a three-phase framework of Study, Experiment, and Express designed to help directors move from reactive management to intentional, high-execution leadership. His background as a meditation facilitator, visual artist, and therapeutic arts coach brought a refreshing lightness to the day, and participants got to return to play through art as a way to process the learning.
On our final day, Melinda Sanderson of NYS Mentoring joined us for an engaging conversation about the history of mentoring in New York, the many ways we can collaborate to connect our students, and the enduring power of mentoring relationships.
We really do consider ourselves a family, with all the dynamics, good and complicated, that come with one. We support and encourage each other, and sometimes push back on each other. But at the end of the day, we are all passion-driven people connected by one thing: helping young people not just succeed, but thrive. These moments to fill our cups together are exactly what we need to finish the year strong.
Cheering loud for every LPP Class of 2026 graduate. LPP for Life. 💙

Be a VOICE for LPP!

Restore Cuts to STEP/CSTEP, LPP, EOP/HEOP, CD/SEEK, and Increase Funding by 20%! Dear Students, Alumni, Colleagues, and Supporters:The NYS Budget is being finalized in the coming days, and we need your voice represented in budget deliberations now!Governor Hochul’s proposed FY 2027 budget includes a 5% cut to all New York State...

Meet the dream team behind the Marist University Liberty Partnerships Program! ⭐️

Crystal Parkhurst, Program Director, Dwayne Douglas, Assistant Director, Rachel Cullen, High School Coordinator, and Joyce Nittolo, Database Manager, work tirelessly every day to support, inspire, and empower Marist LPP students. Their dedication, passion, and commitment to putting students first make all the difference! ❤️💙

Thank you for all you do to help students succeed both inside and outside the classroom. We appreciate you!

Please help us congratulate our Washington Middle School Student of the Month for March- Trenton Greenland! 👏🎉🎉🎉

Please help us congratulate our Jamestown High School Student of the Month for March- Jaxson Wilcox! 👏🎉🎉🎉