Blue Creek Elementary

Seven new members were inducted into the Shaker High School Alumni Hall of Fame on Monday, June 16. The event took place at SHS, giving alumni and their families a chance to revisit the halls of their alma mater. The ceremony was led by SHS Principal Marcus Puccioni, along with SHS student government members, Pranjal Yadav and Regan Morrissey, and SHS musicians Gio Ok and Selena Tang. Yadav and Morrissey took turns reading the biography of each of the inducted alumni, sharing with the audience their accomplishments. Following this, each member offered some brief remarks on their time at Shaker.

Dr. Andrew Marthy was the first inductee for the evening. Dr. Marthy is a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy and is currently completing his fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Albany Medical Center. Dr. Marthy took the time to thank his family for their support over the years. He acknowledged the role they had in shaping his life and career, while also acknowledging his time at SHS and the positive impact that it had upon his life. He thanked SHS for providing him the foundation to his successful career and ventures.

Karen Flewelling was the special recognition recipient of the evening, for her work with the district and her work following retirement. She began her speech by referencing the poem “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou, explaining that she would share the poems with her students to lay the groundwork of support. Having coached thousands of student athletes over the years, Flewelling explained how she would work to make everyone feel special, especially the members of her sports teams, by assigning a day to each person. She and her team members would then offer compliments to that person, sharing why they are special.
“Everyone is special, but we don’t always realize it,” said Flewelling. “I don’t think high school girls get complimented enough and they don’t know how to receive a compliment. We have to learn to say thank you - it’s an important lesson to carry throughout life.”
Flewelling tied this into her work with “Drilling for Hope” to provide clean, easily accessible water to communities, which in turn helps empower young girls to seek new opportunities. She wrapped up her speech dedicating her award to “anyone I have ever taught,” many of whom were in the audience cheering her on.

Rev. Michael-Aaron Poindexter began his speech reflecting on the move from the Bronx into what was at the time Shaker Jr. High School. He thanked his family for their constant support, sharing that they always encouraged him to be himself and that he was “never asked to be anyone other than myself.” He later reflected on how this helped to shape him, sharing, “Part of who I am is because of this school, but also because of my family.”
Poindexter then read from the poem “Life is Just a Minute” by Benjamin E. Mayes. He concluded his speech by encouraging the audience to speak for those who may not have a voice at the table.
“I’ve tried to live my life so that every minute is better than the minute before,” said Poindexter.

Allyson Crowley-Duncan is known to the world as “Ally the Piper” and “the most famous piper in the world.” Achieving this title, however, took a lot of drive, creativity, and practice. She is grateful for her music classes at North Colonie CSD and SHS, as they helped to create that foundation for her. She still uses many of the skills she acquired from these music classes, sharing “the things I learned here I have carried through.” Crowley-Duncan also credits music with helping her through some difficult times.
During her speech, Crowley-Duncan referenced the quote she chose for her senior year by Ralph Waldo Emerson, sharing, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest achievement." She then reflected on how she has done just that with her bagpipes in turning her talents into a career.
“I play bagpipes… I got a lot of looks when I said I wanted to do that,” said Crowley-Duncan. “I was grateful to have the support to be authentic and myself.”

Michela Schillinger’s resume features a wide array of experiences, all of which have helped to prepare her for her current role in the year-long Clinical Leadership Development Program through Northwell Health. During her speech, Schillinger reflected on her time at SHS and how it helped shape her into the person she is today. Since graduation in 2014, Schillinger has garnered an impressive resume of accomplishments, from working to gain bedside patient care experience during the COVID-19 pandemic to working as a physician assistant in a cardiothoracic intensive care unit. Schillinger reflected on her time at SHS being “formative in many ways.” She expressed her gratitude for the opportunities the district presented, sharing “I wouldn’t be the same person.”

Moriah Formica began her speech by thanking North Colonie CSD for “having the role they did in shaping me as a person.” Her gratitude was woven into her speech, as she talked of how she would not be who she is or where she is today if it were not for her Latham Ridge music teacher, Mrs. Wing, who encouraged her to play guitar for one of the school plays.
Formica also thanked the district for their support and efforts in making sure she completed her school work while competing on “The Voice” in California. She shared that all of her teachers were incredibly supportive in helping to make sure she understood her assignments and were willing to support her in any way they could. From here, Formica credited her success to her family, sharing that they “never made anything unrealistic for me.”

Mark Kaercher opened his speech with humor, sharing, “I can now say Moriah opened for me… and yes, I do realize I am the person between you all and dessert.” With this in mind, he kept his remarks focused on things happening in threes and how that has been true throughout his career. He reflected on how he once had to take a math class three times, he applied at North Colonie three times, and has worked in three different buildings in the district. Kaercher wrapped up his speech by thanking his family for this support. In keeping with the theme of three, Kaercher concluded his speech by specifically thanking his parents, wife, and children.

Congratulations to the Shaker High School Hall of Fame Class of 2025!