NO SCHOOL FRIDAY: Parent-teacher conferences/PD Day
COMMUNITY UPDATE
JANUARY 2026
Welcome!
Each month we strive to present this Community Update to help you stay informed about exciting accomplishments and important updates from around the City School District of Albany. These are just a sampling of the incredible things happening across our district each and every day, so I encourage you to follow us on our social media and regularly visit us here on our website for even more great news.
As a reminder, my door and my inbox are always open, so please feel free to reach out with any questions, comments or concerns.
Sincerely,
Blood drive comes at a critical time
Albany High held its second blood drive of the year on Jan. 28, right after a massive winter storm that affected blood donation supplies locally and nationwide.
Thanks to the leadership and dedication of student blood drive coordinator Anya Miller, we surpassed our donation goal for the event!
A total of 59 units of blood were collected, including five Power Red donations, each producing two units of blood. Miller was assisted by Lyra Stetzer, who will assume the role of student coordinator next year.
Famous linguist grad returns to town
We’re thrilled to share that Albany High 2019 salutatorian and New York Times best-selling author Adam Aleksic kicked off the spring 2026 season of events for the New York State Writers Institute!
Aleksic – better known as @etymologynerd – is a renowned linguist and social media celebrity with more than 3 million followers across platforms. His short-form videos provide linguistic analysis that showcase both his brilliance and penchant for humor.
His presentation “The Future of Language” was held at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center in the Main Theatre on Jan. 29.
Our students on stage for State of the State
City School District of Albany students, through their participation in Girls Inc. of the Greater Capital Region, led the Pledge of Allegiance at Governor Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address on Jan. 13!
Myliah Harvey (Pine Hills), Isabella Fantroy (Pine Hills), Leilani Weldon (TOAST), Natalie Hardy (Pine Hills) and Jordan Breland (TOAST) steered the civic tradition at The Egg in the Empire State Plaza to a packed audience of members of the New York State Senate and Assembly, state-wide elected leaders, Cabinet members and agency heads, judges, local leaders, invited guests and media.
Congratulations to our amazing student leaders on such a wonderful accomplishment!
Hackett science heading to space
For the fifth year in a row, an experiment proposed by a team of Hackett eighth-graders will travel 250 miles above Earth to be investigated by researchers aboard the International Space Station!
Later this spring, ISS astronauts will conduct research on the “Effects of Microgravity on Red Maple Tree Seed Germination,” a proposal designed by Juliana DiVirgilio, Camilla Diefendorf and Ruby Mercier, all students of Craig Ascher.
Their efforts were part of the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program (SSEP), an annual experiment-design competition involving high school and college students from the United States and Canada.
Congratulations to all!
Gaines-Harrell appointed to new leadership role
Join us once again in congratulating Rosalind Gaines-Harrell on her appointment as our district’s first director of recruitment, development and retention!
Gaines-Harrell has served our district for nearly 33 years in total and as Arbor Hill’s principal since 2007.
She is known for her exceptional team-building skills, creating a safe and conducive environment where open communication thrives. Her ability to cultivate a secure space for sharing thoughts and ideas has been instrumental in promoting collaboration and growth among her colleagues and staff.
Those attributes will serve her well in the new position, a blend of proactive recruitment and retention strategies focused on equity and staff development, especially mentoring new employees in their formative years with the organization.
Our Board of Education appointed Gaines-Harrell on Jan. 22, and we look forward to her beginning her new role with us on March. 2!
Thank you Albany Elks Lodge #49!
A huge thank you to our incredible partners at Albany Elks Lodge #49 for their Jan. 30 donation of $2,000 worth of Stewart’s egg and milk gift cards for the Hackett Middle School food bank!
We truly appreciate your support!
Celebrating Lunar New Year at Albany High
Students at Albany High gathered for a wonderful Lunar New Year Festival on Jan. 29 to explore this significant holiday celebrated in many Asian cultures.
Thanks to our dedicated Albany High Mandarin Chinese teacher, Hua Lin, our Falcons had the opportunity to take part in an educational program put on by Asian Arts New York, an organization that preserves and elevates Asian heritage through the power of artistic expression.
Family & Community Partnership Survey
A reminder that we would like your input in our annual survey, which has been expanded this year to accept feedback from community members as well as families!
The Family & Community Partnership Survey only takes a few minutes to complete, and the feedback you provide will play a vital role in our school improvement efforts.
The survey will be open through Feb. 27.
If you have any questions, please contact our Office of Curriculum and Instruction at (518) 475-6060.
Thank you, and we look forward to your responses!
Looking ahead
Don't forget that you can view our online calendar for a look at all the important events coming up throughout the district and at our schools! Also, be sure the contact email we have on file for you is correct so that you automatically receive regular updates through SchoolMessenger, and don't forget to follow us on our various social media platforms!
This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.