Welcome to the Otselic Valley Central School District
District Mission Statement: Educate and inspire every student to achieve excellence.
District Vision Statement: We aspire to be a model school that empowers all students to realize their unlimited potential.
Leadership Vision Statement: Empowering all students to realize their unlimited potential.
Core Beliefs:
Students are our first priority.
Every student can learn.
We hold high expectations for all.
We cultivate creativity and innovation.
We create a safe, engaging learning environment that nurtures the whole child.
A partnership among students, staff, families, and community is necessary to achieve success.
We support equitable opportunity for everyone.
Everyone is treated with respect and dignity.
We foster good citizenship and public service.
About the District
Our beautiful school district in South Otselic encompasses about 110 square miles with about in parts of Chenango and Madison Counties in scenic central New York. The village is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its designation as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.
The district became centralized in 1970 upon the merger of the nearby Georgetown and South Otselic School Districts. Our exceptional learning spaces integrate our original historic school building which was built in the mid-1930s, along with modern additions including a multi-level library.
Our combined PreK-12 building currently serves about 300 students. Teachers are supported by an array of full-time non-instructional employees plus others providing student support services, public relations support, and full integration of computer technology. The administrative team comprises a Superintendent, PreK-12 Principal, an Executive Principal/Technology and Data Coordinator, business and administrative clerks, and a Transportation Supervisor.
About the Community
Otselic Valley is named for the Otselic River, located east of Interstate 81 and roughly between Syracuse and Binghamton, and is part of the Susquehanna River watershed. Our rural region is known for its exceptional forests, wildlife, and birds: the area has one of the highest number of breeding bird species in New York State.
South Otselic has been part of the National Register of Historic Places since 1983, and includes more than 40 contributing buildings. It's also the birthplace of Grace Brown, the young woman whose tragic story was told in Theodore Dreiser's 1925 novel An American Tragedy, and the movie "A Place in the Sun" starring Elizabeth Taylor.
Employers include Gladding Braided Products and a NYS Fish Hatchery inside the village limits, and everything from Chobani to Raymond Corporation to arts organizations nearby.
This prime, nature-filled location is also an ideal launch point for more activity. Truly, Otselic Valley is in the middle of everything. If you're looking for recreation, art and music, festivals, shopping, skiing, hunting, restaurants, farmer's markets, you-pick farms, thrift stores, colleges, and universities, put South Otselic in the center of your compass and go. A short drive will get you to Syracuse, Ithaca, Cortland, Norwich, Hamilton, Oneonta, Oxford, and Binghamton.
Our region is also a terrific place to raise a family. The families of our students participate in the arts at OV, youth sports, church communities, FFA activities, our new public library, an active American Legion, and everything you can do outside.
Administration
Mrs. Debra Kurtz
Interim Superintendent of Schools
dkurtz@ovcs.org
Shelly Richards
Director of Curriculum and Technology
srichard@ovcs.org
Elizabeth Barber-Breese
PreK-12 Building Principal
EBarberBreese@ovcs.org