Albany High School
Grades 9-12

700 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12203 (click here for directions)

Phone: 454-3987
Fax: 437-0476
 

David C. McCalla, Ph.D., Principal

E-mail: dmccalla@albany.k12.ny.us

Visit Albany High School's Web site

Visit the College Center Web site

Visit the Parent-Teacher Student Association Web site

About Albany High School
Albany High School is a comprehensive high school that serves approximately 2,300 students. With students from 40 countries and rich academic programming, Albany High’s halls, classes and culture reflect the richness of a world-class university setting.

Albany High's principal is David C. McCalla, Ph.D., who came to Albany in September 2009 with more than 35 years of experience in education, including 25 in the nation's fourth-largest school district, Miami-Dade County (Fla.) Public Schools. Visit our District News section to learn more about Dr. McCalla.

Harriet Gibbons High School to close for 2010-11

All freshmen will attend Albany High

The City School District of Albany will close Harriet Gibbons High School and enroll all students that would have attended the ninth-grade academy at Albany High School.

The Board of Education voted unanimously at its meeting July 14 to close Harriet Gibbons, which has provided alternative-education programs in various formats since its inception in 1970 as the independent Street Academy.  

All 73 freshmen scheduled to attend Harriet Gibbons this fall will be enrolled at Albany High or its satellite Abrookin Vocational-Technical Center. The district is developing a plan for the students who had been scheduled to start their high-school careers at Harriet Gibbons in September. The plan will include a special focus on all freshmen who need additional academic and social-emotional supports. (MORE)

Albany High Class of 2010 celebrates graduation

Looking out over a blue-and-white sea of his peers June 27, Albany High School valedictorian Owen Daniels urged them to live up to the examples of their heroes -- including a classmate who lost his struggle with leukemia 13 days before graduation -- and to test their own boundaries so that they can reach the ideals they admire.

The 430 members of Albany High’s Class of 2010 celebrated graduation with family and friends at the University at Albany’s SEFCU Arena. (MORE)

Albany High again ranked among America's top high schools

Albany High School once again has been recognized as one of the top American high schools, and second in the Capital Region, in annual rankings that measure students taking advanced coursework.

Restructuring Albany High School

The City School District of Albany is working to restructure Albany High School through a plan that would create smaller learning communities to better support students in grades 9-12 and assure opportunities for all students to enjoy success and achievement in the 21^st century. (MORE)

Upcoming events

• Monday, Aug. 30 -- Freshman Orientation for North House students, 8:45-10:50 a.m.

• Monday, Aug. 30 -- Freshman Orientation for South House students, 12:45-2:50 p.m.

• Tuesday, Sept. 7-- First day of school

• Wednesday, Sept. 8 -- Open House, 6:30-9 p.m.

• Thursday, Sept. 9 -- Rosh Hashana, no school

• Monday, Sept. 13 -- PTSA meeting, 6:45 p.m.

• Friday, Oct. 8 -- Hall of Fame dinner and inductions, Clarion Inn, 6 p.m.(Details)

• Saturday, Oct. 9 -- SAT exams

• Saturday, Oct. 9 -- Homecoming Parade, noon

• Saturday, Oct. 9 -- Homecoming Game, Bleecker Stadium, 1 p.m.

• Saturday, Oct. 9 -- Homecoming Dance, 7 p.m.

• Monday, Oct. 11 -- Columbus Day, no school

• Tuesday, Oct. 12 -- Winter sports sign-ups begin

• Wednesday, Oct. 13 -- PSAT, Grades 10-11

• Monday, Oct. 18 -- PTSA meeting, 6:45 p.m.

• Wednesday, Oct. 20 -- Blood drive, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

• Friday, Oct. 22 -- Deadline for winter sports sign-ups

• Saturday, Oct. 23 -- ACT exam

2009-10 news

• Summer school registration June 30 and July 1 -- Registration for summer school at Albany High begins Wednesday, June 30 from 8 a.m.-noon. This registration day is for Albany High students only. The final registration day will be held Thursday, July 1 from 8 a.m.-noon for all students. Download the Albany High summer school brochure for complete details.

• Third class of Albany High students complete groundbreaking NanoHigh program -- Nineteen Albany High School students graduated from the NanoHigh program May 14, marking the third group of Albany High students to complete the groundbreaking program, developed jointly by the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and the City School District of Albany. (MORE)

• Albany High varsity teams receive scholar-athlete awards -- Three out of seven spring varsity teams at Albany High School have received scholar-athlete recognition from the New York State Public High School Athletic Association. The award is given to teams with a composite grade-point average of 90 or greater.
  Albany High teams receiving this recognition are girls' and boys' track and boys' tennis. NYSPHSAA designates a predetermined number of athletes from each team who have their GPAs used to calculate the team average. The students whose averages are used to determine the team GPA will receive a lapel pin and certificate from the state. Click here to read the list of scholar-athletes on each team.

• Future engineers teach Congress the importance of STEM education -- Two Albany High School seniors and one of their teachers recently visited Washington, D.C., to urge lawmakers to make it a priority to fund science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education programs. Albany High was one of six schools in the country that Project Lead the Way selected to pitch STEM education. Project Lead the Way is a national non-profit group that designs middle- and high-school STEM education programs; it is one of several STEM-focused options available to Albany High students. Click here to read more in our District News section.

• Senior Clinton Mathai recognized as one of the '13 Kids Who Care' -- Albany High senior Clinton Mathai has been named one of "13 Kids Who Care" in the Capital Region for his volunteer work with 15-Love, an Albany nonprofit that gives free tennis lessons to inner-city youth. Click here to see a video clip of Mathai's interview with WNYT/TV-13. Mathai will attend Rensselaer in the fall and has been accepted into that school's prestigious joint medical-school program with Albany Medical College. You can read more in our District News section.

• Albany High soccerista Katie Michaelis accepts scholarship at Division II Mercyhurst -- Albany High School senior Katie Michaelis on March 24 signed a ceremonial letter of intent to attend Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa. A first-team Times Union All-Star last season, Michaelis also earned an academic scholarship, which, combined with her athletic aid, will provide a full tuition scholarship to the Division II school. (MORE)

• Senior attends prestigious national conference -- Albany High School senior Victoria Clo recently joined outstanding students from across the country in a leadership- development conference in Washington, D.C. Clo attended the National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) from March 9 through 14, where she had the opportunity to interact with people who work in the three branches of government, the media and the international community. (MORE)

• Albany High senior, '09 grad help Queen Latifah inspire educators -- Albany High School senior Maya Carrasquillo and 2009 graduate Ocasio Willson helped actress and performer Queen Latifah inspire 3,000 educators in March during the annual Celebration of Teaching and Learning Conference in New York City. Carrasquillo and Willson, a freshman at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, joined Latifah and three other high-school students for a conversation that allowed the students to share their perspectives on school, community, peers, family and the future. (MORE)

• State Senate commends Theatre Ensemble -- Albany High's Theatre Ensemble recently was recognized in a New York state Senate resolution for the human-rights award it received for its performance of the play "The Laramie Project." In November, the ensemble staged four performances of the play about the brutal murder of a gay college student in Laramie, Wyo. Each performance was followed by a community panel discussion about the effects of prejudice and intolerance. The resolution was sponsored by Sen. Neil Breslin, who also participated in the community discussions following the play.

• Albany High's 'agent of change' -- Check out a Feb. 16 Times Union feature story about Principal David C. McCalla, Ph.D. You also can check out an extended interview with Dr. McCalla that was conducted March 2 with CBS6-Albany reporter Ken Screven for the "Ken's Corner" feature on the CBS6 Web site.

• Smart Scholars program to provide Albany High School Students a free jump-start on college -- Albany High School will be one of just 11 schools in New York state with an opportunity to send students to college for free while they're still in high school thanks to a $447,500 grant made possible in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gov. David Paterson and Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch, Ed.D., announced that the City School District of Albany has been selected to participate in the Smart Scholars Early College High School program. The four-year grant will allow up to 275 students in Albany High's Academy of Engineering to attend Hudson Valley Community College for free, earning up to 30 college credits before graduating from high school. (MORE)

• Library adds young-adult series section -- The growing popularity of book series such as Darren Shan's "Cirque du Freak" has prompted the Albany High library to create a special section for any series with more than five books. Read more about what's happening in the library's newsletters:

  • January-February 2010 library newsletter

  • November-December 2009 library newsletter

• New weekly procedures for gym lockers -- In an ongoing effort to keep Albany High School healthy and safe, all students are being asked to empty their gym lockers every Friday afternoon. This will allow the high school's custodial staff to properly clean the locker rooms every weekend. Any items that are left in gym lockers on Friday afternoon will be discarded. This includes sneakers. The City School District of Albany and the custodial staff will not be responsible for any items left in gym lockers on Friday afternoons. (MORE)

• Four Albany High seniors recognized in National Merit Scholarship program -- Four Albany High School seniors have been recognized in the annual National Merit Scholarship program, ranking them among the top 5 percent of more than 1.5 million students nationally. Owen Daniels, Benjamin Miller, Lauren Schaefer and Matthew Wu each have been recognized as Commended Students for their high achievement on the 2008 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. They are among 34,000 students nationally to achieve that distinction.

• Congratulations to the varsity boys' and girls' soccer teams -- Big 10 champions! -- Both Albany High varsity soccer teams won Big 10 championships this season. For the girls' team, it is the first outright championship in school history! The boys' team remains unbeaten heading into the Oct. 22 regular-season finale at home against traditional rival LaSalle. You can read more about the teams' success in our Athletics section or the Times Union -- check out coverage of the boys' championship on Oct. 21 and coverage of the girls' championship on Oct. 22. Sectionals begin for both teams next week.

• Albany High School Theatre Ensemble presents "The Laramie Project" Nov. 19-22 -- In 1998 the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard tore apart the quiet town of Laramie, Wyoming. Moved and disturbed by the international media blitz, a New York City-based theatre company traveled to Laramie in hopes of telling the real story of the hate crime and subsequent trial. Compiled from interviews and court transcripts, this touching true story transcends the persecution of a single minority group, exploring core issues of hate and violence, and the indelible scars they leave on communities plagued by intolerance. Panel discussions with community experts will follow each performance. (Contains mature subject matter and strong language. May not be suitable for all audiences.) Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Download an order form to purchase tickets in advance. You also can download the Theatre Ensemble's 2009-10 season brochure to learn about future performances and how you can support the award-winning program.

• Albany High ranked among top U.S. high schools -- Albany High School has been recognized as one of the top 1,500 U.S. high schools, and second in the Capital Region, in the 2009 Newsweek/Washington Post rankings, which measure students in advanced courses such as Advanced Placement and the International Baccalaureate program. You can read more in the Sept. 25 Times Union, the Sept. 28 Times Union or our District News section.

• President Obama's communications team includes Albany High grad -- When President Obama visited the Capital Region on Sept. 21, he relied on Albany High School graduate Moira Mack to help brief him on important issues facing the region. Ms. Mack is the White House communications officer for the Northeast region. Check out the Sept. 22 Times Union to read more about her role in the Obama White House, and how she first developed an interest in government and politics while growing up in Albany.

• Local businesswoman Cheryl Pollock donated a high-tech sewing and embroidery machine and software to Abrookin on July 1 to enhance hands-on learning opportunities for students in family and consumer science teacher Kim DeHart's classes. Check out our District News section to read more.

• Click here to visit the City School District of Albany Photo Gallery.

School times

• Breakfast begins at 7:20 a.m.

• Classes begin at 7:50 a.m.

• Dismissal is at 2:50 p.m.