A group of 63 students from Shaker High School recently spent the day in training to become student ambassadors for the Sources of Strength program. Sources of Strength is a fun and positive program where students work together to spread hope, help, and strength throughout our school. The program, which was established through the University of Rochester, aims to help everyone know that they have people and things in their life that make them strong—even when things get tough. Thank you to our 63 new student ambassadors who spent the day learning, supporting their peers, and showing us just what it means to be a Bison! Read more on our website: https://www.northcolonie.org/article/2590714

It's almost here! The first “Holidays Around the World” event takes place this Friday, Dec. 12 from 5-7 p.m. at Shaker High School. The North Colonie community is invited to attend this event, which will celebrate diversity and culture by allowing SHS students a chance to share their cultural holidays. Read more about the event on our website at https://www.northcolonie.org/article/2578704. We hope to see you there!

On December 6th, the Shaker Speech and Debate won 1st Place in team sweeps at the Snowball Invitational at Mt. Markham High School. Leading the team to their success were the following competitors:

Original Oratory Speech:

1st Place – Ella Bagchi

2nd Place – Pragna Obiddi

3rd Place – Aven Kilmer

Extemporaneous Speaking:

1st Place – Renee Bates

Oral Interpretation:

1st Place – Aven Kilmer

Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate:

1st Place – Victoria Chung

2nd Place – Sima Amiri

Intermediate Lincoln Douglas Debate:

1st Place – Gianna Zhang

Congratulations everyone on a job well done!

The North Colonie community is invited to attend the first “Holidays Around the World” event on Friday, Dec. 12 from 5-7 p.m. at Shaker High School. The event, hosted by the Cooking & Culture Club, celebrates celebrate diversity and culture by allowing SHS students a chance to share their cultural holidays. Read more about the event here: https://www.northcolonie.org/article/2578704

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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!

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!