North Colonie Central Schools -

On Thursday, March 5, Mr. Sam Halpern’s health class took a field trip to the Albany Capital Center for the Northeastern Community Action Partnership (NECAP)’s Eighth Annual Youth Summit. Mr. Halpern was accompanied by fellow health educators Mr. Dave Stadtlander, Mr. Ryan Deguire, and Mr. Tyler Catalfamo.

For the past four years, Shaker High School has been among the many schools attending this health and safety summit. This year, students focused on learning about the dangers of various addictions. Mr. Deguire reflected on a presentation by renowned neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Dewey, explaining that “it gives them the foundation to go out and make informed, educated decisions about their health down the road.”

Students and faculty also had the opportunity to hear from multiple speakers and participate in interactive activities. One activity, the Hand Release Challenge, was run by the New York National Guard Counterdrug Task Force. Sophomores Mikayla Wilson and Andrew Gecewicz represented Shaker in the challenge, where participants had two minutes to complete as many hand-release pushups as possible. Wilson placed third with 55 pushups.

Wilson and Gecewicz first joined Mr. Halpern’s health class as freshmen and have continued with it since. Both students left the summit with new knowledge about addiction, including ways to recognize it and strategies for prevention. By the end of the day, students returned to Shaker not only with new experiences, but also with valuable lessons about making healthy choices and looking out for themselves and others.

In mid-February, 22 SHS students traveled to Saabruecken, Germany to stay with their exchange students for 10 days. This was the 20th anniversary of the exchange program between SHS and the partner school Ludwigsgymnasium. Having hosted the German students in October 2025, it was SHS's turn to experience German culture and language firsthand! The students attended classes and took day trips to cities nearby, including historic Heidelberg and the former Roman city of Trier. Some students traveled to nearby France or Luxembourg and spent a day in Paris or Strasbourg. The trip ended with a four day stay in Berlin, Germany’s capital. Students explored the rich history of the city at the Holocaust Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the Berlin Wall Memorial and Documentation Center, and a tour of the Reichstag. The two week trip was an unforgettable immersion into the target language and culture, and life-long friendships and connections were formed. Thank you to our chaperones (Melissa Brandt, Robert Pollaro, and Christine Connor) for helping to make this trip a success. On to the next 20 years!

Lose your blues and kick off your Sunday shoes at Shaker Theatre's production of Footloose! The show will take place on Friday, March 27 at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 28 at 2 p.m., and Saturday, March 28 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are now available! Visit https://shsnccs.booktix.com to purchase tickets for any show. Tickets have been selling quickly - don't miss out!

For the fourth straight year, Ms. Vanessa Fulmore's fourth graders at Southgate presented Our History, Our Heroes: Black History Living Wax Museum. As part of their studies during Black History Month in February, each student in Ms. Fulmore’s class selected an influential Black figure in history for a research project. Each student created an informational report, as well as a visual presentation, and the project culminated with the living wax museum.

On Thursday, February 26, students dressed up and transformed into their influential individual, bringing that person's story to life with a biographical reading when prompted with the touch of a button. Some students read off an index card, while others chose to memorize their subject's story. Students had posterboards with photos and information to go along with their live presentation and written report. For the full story, go to news stories.

Tuesday, Feb. 24, North Colonie hosted an event titled “Paving Your Path in Education.” This event was designed for individuals interested in exploring a career in education. The evening consisted of networking, a panel discussion with district leaders, and one-on-one screening sessions. It was an informative experience for both current and future educators.

As we head into March, this event marks the first of many recruitment efforts. Jewelie Koutelis, our Recruitment and Retention Specialist, will be traveling from Plattsburgh to Niagara Falls in search of top teaching talent across New York State, along with some of our administrators. Part of their journey will consist of attending two Teacher Recruitment Days (TRD), during which they will meet with college students from a total of 18 colleges in NYS.

If you were unable to attend, but are interested in joining the North Colonie team, please visit northcolonie.org/recruitment to learn more.

Congratulations to all of our Shaker High School students who achieved High Honor Roll, Honor Roll and Merit Roll for the second quarter of the school year! See the full list here: https://www.northcolonie.org/article/2728781

The Shaker High School DECA chapter proudly announces that three members have qualified for the New York State DECA Competition, which will be held March 4 to 6 in Rochester, NY. Congratulations to Ansh Maurya and Adithya Thumilan, competitors in Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making, and Srivar Gilela, competitor in Automotive Services Marketing Sales. Special recognition goes to Faraz Shaikh, a qualifier not attending, and to Shaker DECA Club President Naisha Majmudar for three years of hard work and dedication.