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The final elementary walk through happened this morning, June 23, at Southgate Elementary! The Gators welcomed back the Bison for one last send off before graduation. Seniors walked the halls one more time, reconnecting with old teachers, friends, and the memories made in the classrooms where they grew up. Of course, no Southgate celebration is complete without Allie the Alligator! Allie led the way and reminded our soon to be Shaker graduates: once a Gator, always a Gator! Congratulations, Class of 2026! Only three more days until graduation!

A little rain didn't stop these seniors from enjoying their alma mater, Boght Hills Elementary! Monday, June 22, around 50 students from the Boght Hills class of 2021 returned for a final walk through before walking the stage at Shaker High's graduation this Friday, June 26. Students saw old teachers and mentors and were celebrated by the current Colts. Students lined the halls cheering on the seniors with handmade signs and high fives. Afterwards, seniors were given the chance to take pictures and mingle by the playground. Congratulations Class of 2026, see you on Friday!

Were you, a family member, or friend featured in our 2025-26 district calendar? Would you like an extra copy? Come to our Central Office at 91 Fiddlers Lane in Latham, NY to pick up a calendar, while supplies last!

The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday - Friday. Questions? Email communications@nccsk12.org.

Shaker junior Ella Bagchi has earned an opportunity to present her research on an international stage! After attending the New York Youth Institute (NYYI) at Cornell University back in March, Ella was one of seven students selected as a NYYI delegate for the World Food Prize Foundation’s 2026 Global Youth Institute (GYI), which will take place in Iowa in October. She will be one of 180 students from around the world to present at GYI. Ella’s Global Challenge topic is climate change and food insecurity in Yemen. For more information, click the link to the full news story on our website.

Nine former Menands students—seven from Shaker, one from Tech Valley, and one from Lansingburgh—returned on Thursday, June 18 for a final walk through their elementary (and, for some, middle) school ahead of high school graduation. Current students lined the hallways with cheers, handmade signs, waves, and high-fives as teachers welcomed back familiar faces and learned about their graduating schools and post–high school plans. The celebration turned into a meaningful walk down memory lane, ending where it all began for many of them, the playground. Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

The North Colonie Music Department continues to shine! On Tuesday, June 16, five graduating seniors took part in the third annual North Colonie Music Signing Day. Surrounded by family, friends and teachers, these students committed to pursuing music at the collegiate level. Many thanks to the North Colonie Friends of Music for making this occasion special for the following students:

Chaz Siegfeld - The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, Music Education (voice)
Jackson Majewski - SUNY Cortland, Music Theatre
Samantha Behrens - SUNY Fredonia, Music Education (bassoon)
Shane Kelly - SUNY Oneonta, Music
Bathala "Blas" Bernardo - Berklee College of Music, Music Performance (drum set)

For off their historic run to the state championship game, players and coaches from the Shaker girls flag football team hit the field once more... this time for the annual Bison Bowl! It was seniors versus juniors on the turf at Hickey Field at Siena University on Friday, June 12. Current players and coaches passed their knowledge and skills along to non-flag students so they could take part in the game. From the looks of the photos, a fun, competitive time was had by all!

Latham Ridge was the final stop of the day for our senior walk throughs! The soon to be graduates walked the halls of their former school to cheers from the current students and teachers who lined the hallways. Of course, there had to be a class photo on the beloved playground! Thank you to the Latham Ridge PTA for the refreshments for our former Panthers and congratulations to our Latham Ridge/Shaker seniors on their upcoming graduation!

Round two of the senior walk throughs took place at Blue Creek today. Seniors walked through the halls and were met with pom poms, signs, cheers, and high fives. Following the walk, students enjoyed a variety of treats and photo ops outside with their family and friends. Congratulations to our Blue Creek/Shaker seniors! See you at graduation next week!

It was a triple header of senior walk throughs on Wednesday! We started at Forts Ferry with a breakfast put on by the Forts Ferry PTA and teachers for the former Lions graduating from Shaker this year. After that, the seniors walked the halls of their former school to signs, music, bubbles and plenty of cheers... getting high fives and hugs along the way. It ended with a class photo on the playground! Congratulations to our Forts Ferry/Shaker seniors who will cross the stage next week!

Congratulations to the newest members of the Shaker High School Alumni Hall of Fame! A record number of eight new members were inducted into the SHS Alumni Hall of Fame on Monday, June 15. The event took place at SHS, giving alumni and their families a chance to revisit the halls of their alma mater, while enjoying some treats and beverages from the Shaker Middle School Bison Brew. Read more about the event on our website: https://www.northcolonie.org/article/2998673

And just like that the sun has set of our senior's final school year at Shaker. On Monday, June 16, the class of 2026 got together at Hill Field for one last night of memory making. Encouraged to wear white, students wrote on each others shirts, signed yearbooks, played games, took pictures and enjoyed cookies provided by The Little Cookie House! Congratulations to all of our seniors, we'll see you at MVP Arena for graduation!

Tuesday, June 16 marked the last official day of classes at Shaker High School! Students wrapped up another year of learning, memories, and milestones! And the biggest celebration is just around the corner for our seniors, only ten more days until graduation!

¡Felicitaciones a nuestros estudiantes de español! Shaker High School is proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students on the 2026 National Spanish Examinations (NSE), one of the most prestigious academic assessments for Spanish language learners in the United States. The exam measures students’ proficiency in reading, listening, vocabulary, and grammar while recognizing excellence at the national level.

This year, 108 Shaker students participated in the National Spanish Exam, earning an impressive collection of national honors:

3 Gold (Oro) Medalists: Sophia Silva Alves, Vicente Merino-Lopez, Keila Burgos

9 Silver (Plata) Medalists: Shubhika Garg, Carolina Donati, Kharen Minier, Afia Konadu-Kusi, Hayden Gemerek, Emily Yang, Adithya Thumilan, Isabel Yang, Ella Bagchi

9 Bronze (Bronce) MedalistsL Maliha Jumsheed, Kaidan Reichl, Daniel Portocarrero, Eden Haggerty, Ahana Gandhi, Megan Goslow, Miquela Torres, Cristiano Logrippo, Caleb Lopez

29 additional students earned Honorable Mention (Honorífica), recognizing their exceptional performance on a nationally normed exam. These accomplishments reflect the hard work, dedication, and passion for language learning demonstrated by our students every day.

Ten Shaker High School Research Students took home awards and other recognitions from the 2026 RPI Science Fair. Getting into the fair, which was held earlier this year, is a feat in and of itself. But bringing home multiple awards is a great accomplishment.

"The students worked incredibly hard to get into the fair," said SHS Science Research Teacher Nate Covert. "That hard work was rewarded with numerous awards. They did an amazing job!"

See their accomplishments from the 2026 RPI Science Fair below:

- Ishika Yalamanchi has won the 1st Place Honorable mention and earned a spot to the New York State science fair
- Ella Bagchi won the NASA Earth System Science award, The US Air Force award and the GCRSEF Excellence in Computer Science Award
- Emma Freed won the Dudley Observatory Award
- Alina Arqam won the National Association of Biology Teachers Award
- Gianna Zhang won the National Grid Award for energy and the Environment Award
- Aleena Saleem won the STANYS: Eleanor Miller Reed Science Research Award
- Nirvana Monsur won the Regeneron Biomedical Science Award
- Ishae Pradeep Nag won the Regional Ricoh Sustainable Development Award
- Priya Pillai won the Society for IN VITRO Biology Award
- Rishabh Kumar won the US NAVY Office of Research Award

Congratulations to bus driver Stewart Zavolinsky, who was given the AAA School Bus Driver Safety Award for North Colonie CSD this year! Affectionately known by students as Mr. Stew, Zavolinsky is known for his outstanding attendance, commitment, reliability and immaculately kept bus. A couple of fun facts about Mr. Stew... he has a degree in mortuary science and a unique collection of automobiles. Congratulations Mr. Stew and thank you for everything you do to get our students to school and home safely everyday!

Only two weeks until Shaker High graduation, and our seniors are feeling the excitement! Today, June 12, a group of Shaker seniors returned to St. Pius X, a place where many of them spent their K–8 years, for a nostalgic walk through the halls that helped shape their journey. Current students and teachers lined the hallways to cheer them on as they took a walk down memory lane. This is just the first of many elementary school walkthroughs as we countdown the days until our grads take the stage. Get ready for more celebrations, memories, and graduation moments! Congratulations class of 2026!