This week we celebrate Board of Education Recognition Week! Thank you to our dedicated board members, Linda Harrison (President), Matthew Cannon (Vice President), Nicholas Comproski, Michelle Dischiavo, Ayesha Geter, Samuel Johnson, Mary Nardolillo, and Melissa Veino, for their leadership, commitment, and continued support of our students, staff, and community.
Shaker Middle School eighth grade student Livia Lu was invited to perform at the Colonie Town Board meeting on Thursday, Oct. 2. Livia played the piano at the meeting as a part of a new initiative, introduced by Colonie Town Supervisor Peter Crummey, to showcase outstanding student musicians. Livia was the first student this year to be recognized. Great job representing SMS and the district, Livia!
Hooked on learning and fishing! Just last year, five students asked Shaker Middle School Principal Mr. Chamberlain if they could start a fishing club. One year later, that idea has grown into a group of nearly 80 students, many of whom had never even held a fishing pole before. The club enjoys catch and release trips each season, and on Wednesday afternoon, they cast their lines at the Town Hall pond. This marks the final trip of the fall, but they’re already reeling in excitement for spring!
Reminder: No school on Monday, Oct. 13 in observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day and Columbus Day.
Fall Family Festival is just hours away! Join us tonight from 5-7 p.m. at the Shaker High School inner courtyard for fall related fun, crafts, music, art and more!
Earlier this week, Blue Creek kicked off the fall festivities with the Inaugural Apple Festival & Cookout! It included plenty of food, fun and fall related activities just outside of the Blue Creek Garden and Apple Orchard. Thank you to everyone who came out for the event! We hope to see you at SHS tonight!
Earlier this week, Blue Creek kicked off the fall festivities with the Inaugural Apple Festival & Cookout! It included plenty of food, fun and fall related activities just outside of the Blue Creek Garden and Apple Orchard. Thank you to everyone who came out for the event! We hope to see you at SHS tonight!
Shaker High School German Club celebrated Oktoberfest today, but this year the event was extra special as our German exchange students were there to celebrate with us! Danke schön to all who joined us for the celebration! The festivities included plenty of delicious food, a donut eating contest, fun crafts, and (of course) plenty of music and dance with a few rounds of musical chairs. Prost to new friendships, shared cultures, and great memories!
Congratulations to Shaker High School alum ('71) and former Athletic Director Dave Herman on his induction into the Capital Region Track, Field and Cross Country Hall of Fame this past weekend! Herman was celebrated among 10 athletes and coaches in the eighth class of inductees on Saturday, October 4, at the Albany Marriott in Colonie.
Herman established 12 school records in his time at Shaker and dominated Section 2 in his signature event, the low hurdles. In his senior year, he was selected as New York State Indoor Track Athlete of the Year (1971). Herman received a full scholarship to the University of Florida and during his freshman year, set a school record for the indoor 70-yard low hurdles and placed fifth in the outdoor 440-yard intermediates at the Southeast Conference Championships.
Herman established 12 school records in his time at Shaker and dominated Section 2 in his signature event, the low hurdles. In his senior year, he was selected as New York State Indoor Track Athlete of the Year (1971). Herman received a full scholarship to the University of Florida and during his freshman year, set a school record for the indoor 70-yard low hurdles and placed fifth in the outdoor 440-yard intermediates at the Southeast Conference Championships.
Shaker High School is proud to announce 21 of its seniors have been named Commended Students in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. Each of these talented seniors received a letter of commendation from Principal Marcus Puccioni in honor of the recognition. This group is among 34,000 Commended Students throughout the country who placed in the top five percent of the 1.5 million students who entered by taking the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Congratulations to the following students:
SURYA BOMMASANI
VARUN CHAGANTI
YUNHAN CHEN
FAHIM FIDA
EMMA FREED
YIROU KAO
DEEPAK KILAPARTY
HANA KIM
SANJANA KOLLI
ANGELA LI
EVERITT LI
SAMYA MADHUKAR
SHAYLA MIEU
AYDAN SHAHBAZLI
FARAZ SHAIKH
SNEHA SINHA
ANGAD TENDULKAR
ISHIKA YALAMANCHI
EMILY YANG
ISABEL YANG
RUI ZHENG
SURYA BOMMASANI
VARUN CHAGANTI
YUNHAN CHEN
FAHIM FIDA
EMMA FREED
YIROU KAO
DEEPAK KILAPARTY
HANA KIM
SANJANA KOLLI
ANGELA LI
EVERITT LI
SAMYA MADHUKAR
SHAYLA MIEU
AYDAN SHAHBAZLI
FARAZ SHAIKH
SNEHA SINHA
ANGAD TENDULKAR
ISHIKA YALAMANCHI
EMILY YANG
ISABEL YANG
RUI ZHENG
On Saturday, October 4th, the Shaker High School 11-12 band proudly performed at the Honor Flight ceremony at Albany International Airport.
This powerful event honors veterans with a trip to Washington, D.C., to visit monuments and memorials dedicated to their service. Many veterans personally thanked our band members for the moving performance of military marches bright and early in the morning.
Willkommen! On Wednesday, twenty-three German students arrived in Latham while twenty-two Shaker students set off for Germany as part of the German student exchange program. Now in its twentieth rotation since beginning in 2006, the program offers students the chance to experience a new culture by traveling abroad and living with a host family. One of the German teachers shared, “It is a friendship that has spanned generations... and we hope it will live on forever.” For many of the visiting German students, this is their first trip to the United States. They are eager to explore New York, including a visit to New York City on Monday!
Shaker kids are doing great things! SHS senior Elena Hymes was one of two students from Capital Region BOCES invited take a trip to the nation's capital to gain leadership and professional skills. Representing New York State, Hymes (pictured left) and her peer Malachi Plaza (pictured right) joined 500 SkillsUSA officers from across the country for the SkillsUSA Washington Leadership Training Institute. Read more on our website at https://www.northcolonie.org/article/2449767
Homecoming weekend is here! Shaker High kicked things off with an epic pep rally full of games, performances, and of course the Bison (still nameless by the way, but stay tuned). The fun continues tonight with the Club Parade and Shaker football vs. Albany Falcons at 7 p.m.!
With cooler weather and falling leaves, it’s officially apple season! On Wednesday, the Blue Creek community joined together for the NYS Big Apple Crunch. Students and staff paused for a moment of silence before taking a big, synchronized bite into their apples, then enjoyed their crisp fall snack outside in the beautiful autumn weather.
Shaker Latin takes on Union College! Ms. Edythe Malara's Latin II and Latin III students visited Magistra's alma mater on Wednesday and were welcomed into the Classics Department in Schenectady. Faculty members of the department were kind enough to host a breakfast for our students, before immersing them in the many options for courses and content in the Classics.
Later on, students sat in on a presentation by Admissions, went on student-led tours of campus (one by Shaker alumna and current Union Senior Mia!), met Charger the mascot, had lunch in the dining hall and visited the bookstore. We also caught up with several other Shaker Latin alumni who are now Union students.
Magistra Malara was thrilled to show off her former school to her current students and the students were just as excited to be there! Thank you to Dr. Hans-Friedrich Mueller, Dr. Stacie Raucci, Professor Tommaso Gazzarri, Professor Gregory Callaghan and Professor Angela Commito for a wonderful day on campus.
Later on, students sat in on a presentation by Admissions, went on student-led tours of campus (one by Shaker alumna and current Union Senior Mia!), met Charger the mascot, had lunch in the dining hall and visited the bookstore. We also caught up with several other Shaker Latin alumni who are now Union students.
Magistra Malara was thrilled to show off her former school to her current students and the students were just as excited to be there! Thank you to Dr. Hans-Friedrich Mueller, Dr. Stacie Raucci, Professor Tommaso Gazzarri, Professor Gregory Callaghan and Professor Angela Commito for a wonderful day on campus.
Shaker Middle School’s Russian 1R classes teamed up with the FACS department for a cultural cooking lesson, preparing and tasting vegetarian Ukrainian borsch! This two-day project began with chopping plenty of vegetables, carefully measuring ingredients, and keeping the kitchen spotless. Day two was all about the taste test, students were excited to sample their creation, with many even going back for seconds! A truly delicious way to bring language, culture, and hands-on learning together!
Meet the new Unified Bocce team! Their next game is against Albany on October 6 at 4:15 p.m.! Be sure to show up and cheer them on!
On Saturday, September 27th, members of the Shaker community came together for the Out of the Darkness Walk, hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), in honor of Suicide Prevention Month.
Building on last year's work with the Wellness Committee, student's recently founded NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) at Shaker, a mental health awareness club that proudly formed a team for this meaningful event.
We thank everyone who participated in the Out of the Darkness Walk and continues to support mental health awareness and suicide prevention in our community.
The Advanced Woods class spent the past few weeks building new raised gardens located in the courtyard of the High School. Several of our gardens were in need of replacement, so the Advanced Woods class went into action. The gardens have a fresh look and will last for years to come.
As Safety/Security Monitors in the North Colonie Central School District, Chris Bober and Dewayne Crawford have quickly become familiar names and faces throughout the district. Mr. Bober, who is stationed primarily at Shaker Middle School, has worked for North Colonie since December 2024. Mr. Crawford, who is stationed at Shaker High School, was hired this past summer. During their tenure with the district so far, the duo has enjoyed becoming familiar with their schools, students, and community. Though they are stationed at different schools, they are in constant communication with each other. They are also in agreement on one very important thing - they love the work and supporting the district in any way they can.
“At the end of the day, we're a resource for the district,” added Mr. Bober. “If anybody ever has any question or anything … reach out to us. We’re here to help everybody, not just at the high school and middle school.”
Read more about Mr. Bober and Mr. Crawford on our website: https://www.northcolonie.org/article/2444787
“At the end of the day, we're a resource for the district,” added Mr. Bober. “If anybody ever has any question or anything … reach out to us. We’re here to help everybody, not just at the high school and middle school.”
Read more about Mr. Bober and Mr. Crawford on our website: https://www.northcolonie.org/article/2444787
Monday, Sept. 22 marked the annual tradition of Blue Creek "Peace Day," where the school celebrates International Peace Day. Students and staff were invited to add their handprints to their mural on the side of the school. What a great way to spend the day - great work, Bulldogs!
