On Tuesday, Feb. 10, members of the Parliament of Uzbekistan visited Shaker High School to meet with students from AP Government, Civic Engagement, and Gender in Politics classes. Representing a young democracy less than 30 years removed from the Soviet Union, the parliamentarians discussed topics such as modernization, civil rights, youth engagement, and women’s participation in government. The five members were accompanied by two translators, one speaking Russian and the other Uzbek, the country’s primary language. As a recently independent nation, the parliamentarians main goal for this visit was to learn about the structure and workings of the United States government, as well as to gain a deeper understanding of American culture. Their trip was supported by the International Center of the Capital Region (ICCR) and the Congressional Office for International Leadership.
Shaker's Blue Team and White Team, composed of 15 students each, battled it out with 18 other competitive teams from the Capital District in 23 different science events, ranging from builds like Boomilever to labs like Forensics. The Blue Team came out on top, while the White Team placed 8th. The teams received a combined 23 medals—15 of which were top three placements. Not only was it the first time the team has qualified for States in 15 years and only the third time in Shaker history, but it was their best ever performance at a regionals competition.
Shaker High School also had two other Microsoft Office Certification students place at the state level. Alex Mahan earned second place, while Aiden Brady earned third place, both with perfect scores as well. The final placements were determined by a tiebreaker based on exam completion time. Great job to our SHS students!
#nationalschoolcounselingweek
Leave your troubles outside! The Shaker High LaFollette Cafeteria was transformed into a 1920s-style jazz club on Friday night, Jan. 30, for the North Colonie Friends of Music annual Jazzart showcase and fundraiser. More than 30 Shaker Middle and High School students filled the night with vibrant jazz, while eighth-grade chorus students served as wait staff, completing the speakeasy vibe. A special shoutout to Mr. Suzuki, who is retiring after 30 years as a Shaker High School music teacher. This marked his final Jazzart, but his influence will always be an essential note in the ensemble. All proceeds from the evening support future Friends of Music events, celebrating music, students, and community.
Both members of Science Olympiad at the high school, they recognized a need at the middle school level and took it upon themselves to find a faculty advisor, a space to meet and got the club started. Mr. Steadham, a science teacher at SMS, says Sam and Simran are kind and that they want everyone who comes out for Science Olympiad to feel welcome and like they have a role to play on the team... so much so that they even put together a second team to allow more students to participate. This is a wonderful example of students not only advocating for increased opportunities for other students, but also putting in the work to make it all happen. Congratulations Sam and Simran, and thank you for being kids who care here in North Colonie!
-1st Place Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate – Victoria Chung
-1st Place Intermediate Lincoln Douglas Debate – Gianna Zhang
-First Place Intermediate Lincoln Douglas Debate – Sima Amiri
-First Place Intermediate Public Forum Debate – Simran Nichani / Niharika Lumb
-Third Place Intermediate Public Forum Debate – Chloe Li / Sharvi Gawad
-Third Place Varsity Extemporaneous Speaking – Charita Devarampati
-First Place Original Oratory Speech – Pragna Obiddi
Prior to this success, the team had another first place win on January 17, when Aven Kilmer and Gianna Zhang competed in the Mt. Markham Invitational. Aven finished first place in both Extemporaneous Speaking and Oral Interpretation, while Gianna finished first place in Intermediate Lincoln Douglas Debate.
Great job to our Speech and Debate students on these wonderful accomplishments!
Tomorrow’s Board of Education meeting previously scheduled to take place at Blue Creek, will be rescheduled for Tuesday, January 27. The location will be moved to the District Office at the Goodrich building (91 Fiddlers Lane) due to a previously scheduled event taking place at Blue Creek. The start time for the Board meeting will remain 6:30 p.m.
Spring 2026 Continuing Education registration is officially OPEN! Classes begin Monday, February 23 and offer opportunities to learn new skills, explore hobbies, and grow personally and professionally. There’s truly something for everyone! In-person registration will be available on Wednesday, Feb. 11, from 3–5 p.m. (snow date Feb. 12) at the Central Office, 91 Fiddlers Lane, Latham, NY. Please note that in-person or phone registrations must be paid by check. Kick-off spring with learning and register today!
***NOTE: As of Thursday, Jan. 22, the advisory has been lifted.** The Town of Colonie is under a boil water advisory until further notice due to a water main break. The district is aware and we are taking steps to ensure the safety of our students and staff in all of our school buildings on Tuesday, January 20th. Our Facilities team is bringing bottled water in for students and staff to use in all of our school buildings. Additionally, our staff will make all drinking fountains and bottle refill stations unavailable for use. The North Colonie Food Services team is prepared to adjust all cooking to meet health and safety requirements during the boil water advisory. We will pass along any updates from the Town of Colonie as we receive them. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
"The time is always ripe to do right.”
Reminder: No School Monday, Jan. 19 in Observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Kindergarten registration is now open! We are eager to meet our new kindergarten students for the 2026-27 school year! Online registration is now open at www.northcolonie.org/kindergartenregistration.
For any questions or if your student will not be attending kindergarten next year, please contact Student Registration at student.registration@nccsk12.org to let us know so that we can update our records. You may enroll your child through online registration or make an appointment to enroll your child by emailing student.registration@nccsk12.org.
