Jurors' Choice Award: Kayra Etienne Maître, Almost Like Home
Jurors' Choice Award: Anya Vedhathiri, Oneirism
The Joe Faul Memorial Award: Riley Luczak, Just the Three of Us
The Patricia Clahassey Memorial Award: Trinity Pitts, Clarity
Kevin & Cindi Dubner Showcase Award: Trinity Pitts, Handle with Care
Lory Tansky 3D Award: Riley Luczak, From the Depths
The Opalka Gallery at Russell Sage College Award: Kayra Etienne Maître, Almost Like Home
More than 126 works were selected from 109 students from 27 schools around the Capital Region by jurors D. Colin, Tony Iadicicco, and Alicia Lea. The exhibition will remain on display at Albany Center Gallery until April 24, 2026. There is a public reception on Friday, April 3, from 5-8 p.m. at the gallery located at 48 North Pearl Street, Albany, NY 12207.
Congratulations to all of the Shaker artists and their teachers for such an outstanding performance at the High School Regional Juried Art Exhibition! We’re proud to see your work recognized by the larger art community.
Prom season is almost here, and we’re excited to support our students once again. On Monday, 4/6 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, NCCSD is hosting our annual Free Prom Attire Giveaway. All students are invited to browse our collection in G103 (Chorus Room), entering through the Auditorium Entrance. We’ll have over 100 dresses and some men’s formalwear available, all in great condition, with some brand new and never worn items. Everything is completely free and yours to keep. We had a great turnout last year and hope to see even more students this time!
We are also accepting donations, so if you have gently used formalwear to share, please drop it off at the Shaker High School main office.
For the past few weeks, Mrs. Hoffman, Mrs. Nolett and Mr. Zitolo’s physics students spent time engineering cardboard boats that finally hit the water on Monday, March 23 and Tuesday, March 24. Students competed across three categories including Best Theme, Most Buoyant, and Fastest Race Times. Huge shoutout to all participants for their creativity, teamwork, and determination, great job!
Congratulations to SMS student Livia Lu SHS student Gianna Zhang for their winning submissions in the Albany County Legislature essay contest! The contest, a part of the commemoration of Women’s History Month, invited students across all grade levels to reflect on what a sustainable future looks like to them. Congratulations Livia and Gianna!
The SHS Shaker Character Award for Quarter 2 honors students who exemplify self-awareness, self-advocacy, and emotional resilience each and every day. These outstanding students were nominated by their teachers for the positive choices they make, the way they support others, and their commitment to personal growth. Their actions truly make a difference in our school community! Join us in celebrating our Shaker Strong Character Award winners for Quarter 2. We are incredibly proud of all they’ve accomplished!
Oliver Aiossa
Arek Bardakjian
Sam Behrens
Faith Brate
Mikayla Brice
Noli Ceccucci
Nealy DeBiccari
Makayla Jackson
Nana Kyiretwie
Gaven Li
Yanitcia Pino-Mercado
Anthony Walls
Javeria Zahid
Gianna Zhang
Stay tuned for more information about the Bison Birthday Bash on May 9, 2026!
From pencils and paper in 2006 to a classroom full of curious minds in 2025, learning has always been at the heart of our schools. We’re proud to look back at the students who filled our classrooms years ago and just as proud of the learners continuing that tradition today!
Have photos from the last 75 years? Send them to us at communications@nccsk12.org. We’d love to see them! #NC75 #ThrowbackThursday
March 4 to 6, marked the 62nd Annual New York State DECA State Competition in Rochester. In just their third year as a DECA charter, this was the first time Shaker qualified for states. The team, consisting of juniors Adithya Thumila and Ansh Maurya and sophomore Srivar Gillela, represented Shaker High School while competing against over 3,500 students from across New York State. Adithya and Ansh earned medals in their events, marking a memorable achievement. Special thanks to senior and outgoing president Naisha Majmudar for establishing DECA at Shaker High School. DECA provides students with opportunities in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through competitions, leadership development, and real-world experience.
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!
Initially fearful of the water, Haitham worked together with Evie for weeks, making small gains with her encouragement. The process took a lot of patience, communication, learning and trust on the part of both students. After five weeks, Haitham made it all the way into the pool, walking around the shallow end with confidence.
Thank you to both Haitham and Evie for their dedication, care and support for one another and congratulations on being our February Kids Care recipients! For the full story, head to our website or click the link in our bio.
