Please join us in wishing 13 Shaker High School students good luck this weekend as they head to the NYSSMA All-State Music Festival in Rochester. The students have gone through a complex process to be chosen as a performer or alternate in the 2025 NYSSMA All-State Festival. Congratulations and best of luck to the following students:
Bathala Bernardo 12 Drumset in the Modern Band
Surya Bommasani 12 Bass in the Mixed Chorus
Jenna Cannistraci 11 Alto in the Treble Chorus
Nafiza Ilma 11 Alto in the Mixed Chorus
Adam Judson 11 Oboe in the Symphonic Band
Lauren Lee-Chung 11 Violin in the Symphony Orchestra
Jackson Majewski 12 Tenor in the Mixed Chorus
Lily Maynard 12 Soprano 1 in the Treble Chorus
Avery Subik 11 Bass in the String Orchestra
Isabel Yang 12 Alto in the Treble Chorus
Sophie Freed 11 Alternate on Percussion
Gio Ok 11 Alternate on Cello
Chaz Siegfeld 12 Alternate on Tenor
Bathala Bernardo 12 Drumset in the Modern Band
Surya Bommasani 12 Bass in the Mixed Chorus
Jenna Cannistraci 11 Alto in the Treble Chorus
Nafiza Ilma 11 Alto in the Mixed Chorus
Adam Judson 11 Oboe in the Symphonic Band
Lauren Lee-Chung 11 Violin in the Symphony Orchestra
Jackson Majewski 12 Tenor in the Mixed Chorus
Lily Maynard 12 Soprano 1 in the Treble Chorus
Avery Subik 11 Bass in the String Orchestra
Isabel Yang 12 Alto in the Treble Chorus
Sophie Freed 11 Alternate on Percussion
Gio Ok 11 Alternate on Cello
Chaz Siegfeld 12 Alternate on Tenor
Happy Giving Tuesday! The North Colonie @unitedwaygcr Season of Giving campaign continues as we look to provide a happy holiday season for all of our families in need. If you would like to contribute, use the QR code on your screen or by visiting https://ignite.stratuslive.com/uwgcr/get-involved/fundraise/25NCCSDgiving.
100% of the proceeds go directly back to North Colonie to assist our families. Thank you for your support! #givingtuesday
100% of the proceeds go directly back to North Colonie to assist our families. Thank you for your support! #givingtuesday
The North Colonie Central School District is closed today, Tuesday, Dec. 2, due to inclement weather. Only snow removal employees are to report.
On Friday, Nov. 21, Communications and SHS students gathered in the Taft Cafeteria for the Gratitude Gathering, enjoying an hour filled with food, fun, and laughter. It was a warm and welcome chance for students to unwind, spend time with friends and teachers, and celebrate the spirit of appreciation together.
Look at the Boght Hills Food Pantry! With the help of the Community Food Drive a couple of weeks ago, the pantry is stocked and ready to serve our students and families in need through the Backpack Program. Thank you to everyone who donated food and personal hygiene items to help fill all of our eight school pantries! If you would still like to help our students, you can use the QR code for the United Way Season of Giving campaign which directly benefits our district families.
Happy Thankful Thursday and Happy Thanksgiving. Each Thursday in November, we have been sharing our gratitude for the people who have helped make North Colonie CSD the community it is today.
This year is especially meaningful as we celebrate our district’s 75th anniversary. For seven and a half decades, our community has stood alongside our schools, supporting our students, educators, and programs and helping shape a strong and caring district. Families, alumni, partners, volunteers, and neighbors: your support, collaboration, and commitment continue to make a lasting difference.
Thank you for believing in our mission and being an essential part of North Colonie. Wishing you a warm and meaningful Thanksgiving from our North Colonie family to yours.
#ThankfulThursday #thankyounorthcolonie #nccsd75 #throwbackthursday
This year is especially meaningful as we celebrate our district’s 75th anniversary. For seven and a half decades, our community has stood alongside our schools, supporting our students, educators, and programs and helping shape a strong and caring district. Families, alumni, partners, volunteers, and neighbors: your support, collaboration, and commitment continue to make a lasting difference.
Thank you for believing in our mission and being an essential part of North Colonie. Wishing you a warm and meaningful Thanksgiving from our North Colonie family to yours.
#ThankfulThursday #thankyounorthcolonie #nccsd75 #throwbackthursday
Prior to the Thanksgiving break, Shaker High School hosted its biggest Career Fair yet, welcoming nearly 60 companies from across the Capital Region! Students had the chance to explore career paths, ask questions, and make real-world connections that could shape their futures. Thank you to all the organizations who spent the day inspiring our students!
For the 2025-26 school year, the district welcomed 98 new employees. To celebrate the occasion, we held our annual New Employee Recognition Celebration on Monday, Nov. 24, with new employees, their friends and family, the Board of Education, and NCCSD administration. The event, which was held prior to the Board of Education meeting at Forts Ferry, offered refreshments, raffles, photos with the Bison, and a chance to mingle and see friendly faces ahead of Thanksgiving break. Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us!
In September, SHS seniors taking the Education and Literacy class visited the SMS library to learn how to give book talks to students. The Education and Literacy class allows for students to learn more about the education field, and to work towards a Level 1 Teacher Assistant Certification. For this training, SMS librarians covered how to choose books, how to be engaging during the talks, and the most important point: never give away the ending!
From here, the SHS students then took on the challenge to read a middle school book that they thought would appeal to seventh graders, plan a book talk, and create a mini lesson on how to do book talks in the future. This prepared the seventh grade students to eventually offer their own book talk for their independent reading projects.
Great job to the Education and Literacy class for their work and support!
From here, the SHS students then took on the challenge to read a middle school book that they thought would appeal to seventh graders, plan a book talk, and create a mini lesson on how to do book talks in the future. This prepared the seventh grade students to eventually offer their own book talk for their independent reading projects.
Great job to the Education and Literacy class for their work and support!
Congratulations to the Shaker High School Varsity History Bowl Team! The team, consisting of Shrijan Sharma, Yunhan Chen, Charles Adelstein, Everitt Li, and Peter Gong, went 6-0 to win the Central New York History Bowl Competition in Syracuse, NY on October 11. In addition to bringing home another Champions plaque for the trophy case, .the team now qualifies for both the National History Bowl Competition in Arlington, VA and the International History Olympiad. Devesh Kusampudi was the top scorer on the Biology National Qualifying Exam during the event. Mustaeen Morshed was the top scorer on the Geography National Qualifying Exam. Yunhan Chen and Devesh Kusampudi tied for second in that same event. All three students qualified for Nationals.Yunhan Chen also placed second in the History Bee event and qualified for Nationals in that event. Great job to our Varsity History Bowl Team!
On November 7th, a group of 45 French 4 students participated in a trip to the Clark and Norman Rockwell museums in Massachusetts. Students spent the day admiring paintings by such famous artists as Monet, Renoir, and Degas as a culminating activity to the Impressionism unit. They also were introduced to Norman Rockwell and his contributions to American art and culture.
The Bison Is One Step Closer to a Name!
After three weeks of nominations from staff, students, alumni, families, and community members, we officially have our top six names! Thank you to everyone who participated, nominations closed at an incredible 1,000 submissions! The six finalists will now go on a ballot for elementary students, starting Monday, Nov. 24 at Blue Creek Elementary School. The Bison will then travel across the North Colonie Central School District, collecting votes from elementary schools before heading to Shaker Middle School and High School. Once voting is complete, the Bison will tally the results, and the winning name will be announced later this school year. After 75 years, our Bison is finally getting a name, thank you for making history with us!
https://youtu.be/sCUhMV6pmRE
After three weeks of nominations from staff, students, alumni, families, and community members, we officially have our top six names! Thank you to everyone who participated, nominations closed at an incredible 1,000 submissions! The six finalists will now go on a ballot for elementary students, starting Monday, Nov. 24 at Blue Creek Elementary School. The Bison will then travel across the North Colonie Central School District, collecting votes from elementary schools before heading to Shaker Middle School and High School. Once voting is complete, the Bison will tally the results, and the winning name will be announced later this school year. After 75 years, our Bison is finally getting a name, thank you for making history with us!
https://youtu.be/sCUhMV6pmRE
It's Substitute Teacher Appreciation Day! Please join us in celebrating our substitutes and thanking them for all they do!
Canstruction took over Upper J Wing on Wednesday as 17 clubs transformed thousands of donated cans into jaw-dropping sculptures for a great cause, supporting the school pantry located just steps away. This year’s event brought in more than 2,000 cans to help keep the pantry stocked for students and families who depend on its support. Teams had only a few hours to build, and judges evaluated every creation for creativity, completion, and how cleverly the cans were used.
The hallway buzzed with energy as students, staff, and spectators watched iconic landmarks and pop-culture scenes rise from stacks of cans. Shaker Robotics wowed the crowd with a replica of R2-D2, the SLC team built an impressive model of Walker Field, and UNICEF recreated the famous house from Up, complete with balloons!
Coding Club took home the award for the most cans donated with its tissue box build. Latin Club claimed first place overall with a stunning Colosseum, German Club earned second for its towering Rapunzel tribute, and the National English Honor Society secured third with a dramatic Hamlet’s skull display. From creativity to community impact, every team delivered. Congratulations to all participants for an unforgettable Canstruction event!
The hallway buzzed with energy as students, staff, and spectators watched iconic landmarks and pop-culture scenes rise from stacks of cans. Shaker Robotics wowed the crowd with a replica of R2-D2, the SLC team built an impressive model of Walker Field, and UNICEF recreated the famous house from Up, complete with balloons!
Coding Club took home the award for the most cans donated with its tissue box build. Latin Club claimed first place overall with a stunning Colosseum, German Club earned second for its towering Rapunzel tribute, and the National English Honor Society secured third with a dramatic Hamlet’s skull display. From creativity to community impact, every team delivered. Congratulations to all participants for an unforgettable Canstruction event!
Lanterns were aglow for the annual Martinstag Lantern Parade and Celebration on November 13! Students and families from around the district gathered to celebrate the traditional German holiday at Shaker Middle School with performances and an outdoor lantern parade. This event has grown each year with tremendous support from the German program, students and staff. We hope to see you next year!
Please join us in congratulating SHS senior Nithin Vinothkumar, who recently earned the distinction of an Eagle Scout. For his Eagle Scout project, Nithin remodeled the area that his old preschool used as a play space. The room had thin carpeting that had been damaged by flooding and contained several hazards for the children who used it, so he removed the existing carpeting, sealed the walls that were letting water in with concrete sealant, and painted the walls. I then installed padded flooring to make the area safer for the kids and wrapped the support poles for added protection. Thank you to Nithin for your hard work and commitment to our community!
Reminder! Tomorrow is the community food drive, we will be hosting the event from 8am-12pm at Central Office (91 Fiddlers Lane). We need your help to support our district students and families in need! All donations of non-perishable food items will be used to support the backpack programs at each of our eight school buildings. A list of most needed items can be found by clicking the link in our bio. Thank you for your support!
Shaker High School is excited to present Peter and the Starcatcher on Nov. 21 and 22 at 7 p.m., and Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. at SHS auditorium.
Tickets are available online and at the door. Scan the QR code to purchase your tickets today!
Tickets are available online and at the door. Scan the QR code to purchase your tickets today!
North Colonie CSD appreciates our Veterans and active-duty service members today and everyday. To mark the occasion, a variety of events were held throughout the district.
On Friday, Nov. 7, Forts Ferry Elementary welcomed members of Christian Brothers Academy for their second annual Veterans Day presentation. During the visit, students learned about the military and the importance of respect through an engaging demonstration by the CBA Color Guard. The event concluded with a special birthday song for Sean, a Color Guard member celebrating his birthday that day, and for a student whose birthday falls on Veterans Day. Thank you to CBA for providing our students with such a meaningful and memorable experience!
On Monday, Nov. 10, the Boght Hills Elementary School community gathered in the gym to celebrate and honor Veterans and active-duty service members. Before the event began, honored guests were welcomed with refreshments and had the opportunity to spend time with their Boght Hills students. Twenty individuals from the Colts community were recognized for their dedication and service across the Air Force, Army, Army National Guard, Navy, and Marines. Each grade paid tribute by singing the military hymns: kindergarteners performed the "Marines’ Hymn," first graders sang "The U.S. Air Force Song," second graders presented "The Army Goes Rolling Along," third graders performed "Always Ready, Always There" in honor of the Coast Guard, and fourth graders sang "Anchors Aweigh" for the Navy. The ceremony concluded with a unifying moment as the entire school, joined by the Shaker High Band, sang "America the Beautiful." After students were released back to their classes, some guests took a moment to look at Boght Hills' Wall of Heroes.
Thank you to all the Veterans and active-duty service members!
Shaker High School’s National English Honor Society is proud to welcome E.L. Shen, Shaker alumna and author of The Queens of New York, for a special author visit for SHS students. E.L. Shen will visit Tuesday, November 25, where she will share her journey from Shaker student to editor to published author, along with insights into her writing process and career in publishing.
Following the reading, a writing workshop will be held for students interested in creative writing and the publishing world. Both the author talk and the workshop are open to all SHS students, but space is limited. Students are encouraged to scan the QR code and register by Friday, November 14. Copies of The Queens of New York are also available for presale, with orders due the same day.
We hope you’ll join us for this exciting opportunity to meet and learn from a Shaker graduate and accomplished author!
Following the reading, a writing workshop will be held for students interested in creative writing and the publishing world. Both the author talk and the workshop are open to all SHS students, but space is limited. Students are encouraged to scan the QR code and register by Friday, November 14. Copies of The Queens of New York are also available for presale, with orders due the same day.
We hope you’ll join us for this exciting opportunity to meet and learn from a Shaker graduate and accomplished author!
