COMMUNITY UPDATE

MARCH 2026

A visit from Governor Hochul

ASH students made a new friend at the cafeteria table on March 4 – Governor Kathy Hochul!

Governor Hochul – along with Senator Pat Fahy, Assemblymember Gabriella Romero and Mayor Dr. Dorcey Applyrs – joined Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter, Principal Marie Culihan and Board of Education members Sridar Chittur, Hassan Elminyawi and Ellen Krejci to tout the state’s Universal Meals Program in conjunction with National School Breakfast Week.

A big thank you to Governor Hochul, and to all our incredible food service team members throughout the district!

'Mean Girls' a huge success

Albany High Theater Ensemble’s production of “Mean Girls: High School Version” ran from March 12–15 and brought down the house. The production earned several nominations for the High School Musical Theatre Awards! 

Congratulations on an outstanding theater season!

All-City concerts showcase musical talents

Our three All-City Concerts in March (chorus, strings and band) featured elementary, middle and high school students from throughout the district!

Congratulations to our talented student-musicians and dedicated music teachers for three incredible evenings of outstanding music, and a big thank you to all our families and community members who showed up to support music in our schools!

Bouget named Merit Scholarship finalist

Congratulations to Albany High senior Kailas Bouget for being named a finalist in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Competition!

Bouget’s outstanding score on the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT) placed him in the top 1% of the 1.3 million juniors from approximately 20,000 high schools who took the exam nationwide.

We are proud of Bouget for this amazing accomplishment and wish him the best as he finishes his senior year at Albany High!

Harvey selected for prestigious program

Albany High sophomore Nevaeh Harvey has been selected to participate in the Classics Through the Ages program, which aims to promote arts education among African-American youth, fostering their interest and knowledge in classical arts. 

Linda Jackson-Chalmers from The Albany District Chapter of the Links, Inc., noted that Harvey stood out as the perfect candidate for this year’s financial award due to the video submission of her beautiful violin performance of "Song from a Secret Garden," as well as her desire to take additional music lessons to perfect her talent and skills as an instrumentalist. 

“I want to continue to do music when I go to college,” Harvey said. “I really want to play for people and make them happy.”

Falcons compete at nationals

Five fantastic Falcons — Javanni Garland-Santana, Jasiah Anderson, Noah Bizer, Nasief Smith and Nyloni Smith — competed at the national level for indoor track and field!

Each of these talented student-athletes earned the opportunity to compete on the national stage after hitting a qualifying time earlier in the indoor track and field season.

We are proud of the grit and determination that has granted these Falcons the opportunity to compete against top high school athletes from across the country and wish them the best!

Falcons featured in juried art show 

Congratulations to five Albany High students whose artwork will be showcased in the 27th Annual High School Regional Juried Art Exhibition!

Michael Awili, Michaela Kaitleen Awili, Naomi Calvin, Alex Steuer and Kazi Suprova were among the 127 artists of 515 submissions from 27 school districts selected by the jurors.

The exhibition is on view at Albany Center Gallery, located at 48 North Pearl St., through April 24. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.

We are so proud of our Falcons and their guiding teachers, Thea Beauchamp, David Easton, Kristine Monahan and Theresa Story.

Unified bowling team wins division championship

Congratulations to our Unified bowling team for a thrilling victory over Saratoga, Scotia and Mayfield at the division championship!

We are proud of each Falcon bowler who participated this season and congratulate the team on this well-earned accomplishment.

Thank you to our Unified bowling coach, Alicia Arasim, and our City School District of Albany staff who build confidence in our student-athletes and inspire them to soar!

Albany High grad joins district leadership team

Join us in welcoming Albany High grad Imran Abbasi as our new assistant superintendent for human resources!

“I am so glad for this opportunity to return to Albany and to help lead my hometown school district forward at such a critical time,” Abbasi said. “Albany is a wonderful community and the school district is fortunate to have outstanding educators and staff at every level. I am looking forward to working alongside these dedicated employees to serve all of our students and families.”

Abbasi is an accomplished school and district leader who is currently serving in the same role in the Troy City School District, a position he has held since 2021. He will begin May 1, taking over for Kate Thies, who has resigned to accept a position with another organization.

Santana appointed to STEM leadership role

We’re thrilled to announce that Alexander Santana has been appointed as our next elementary instructional supervisor for science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM.

Santana currently serves as the assistant principal at Sheridan Preparatory Academy and will continue in that role through the end of the school year. Prior to that, he spent several years as a math coach and teacher in our district, as well as Clarkstown Central School District and Ithaca City School District.

A native of New York City, Santana is fluent in Spanish and also has extensive training in trauma-informed care and culturally responsive education. 

He will begin in his new role July 1, replacing Sara McGraw, who is retiring at the end of the school year. 

Valentine recognized as Top Teacher

Congratulations to Albany High culinary teacher Lisa Valentine for being honored by WNYT/Ch. 13 as a Top Teacher of 2026!

Our Falcons who take culinary classes with Valentine know how deeply she cares for her students.

“It feels like a family when I come in here,” senior Asia Green shared about Valentine. “She’s like a second mother to me. She motivates me and makes sure we are all on track when it comes to our future.”

We are so thankful for Valentine’s dedication, enthusiasm and creativity as an educator.

Autism Spectrum Fair draws record crowd

Montessori’s seventh annual Autism Spectrum Fair was an incredible success, thanks to our dedicated faculty and staff, caring community partners and – of course – all of the amazing families who attended!

This year’s theme was acceptance, and we were proud to host this important event that links families to valuable services while also connecting local adults and children with each other for fun, learning and support.

A big thank you to all who made this event possible – especially long-time social worker Sue Hodom, who is retiring after 20 years in the district. Over the years she has grown the Autism Spectrum Fair into a truly wonderful event that brings joy to our students and families each year.

Albany High hosts higher ed initiative launch

“College Is a Brave Choice.”

This is the guiding belief of the Capital Region Higher Ed Alliance, a group bringing together public and private institutions representing the entire spectrum of higher education opportunities: community colleges, four-year colleges, research universities, professional and law schools, online and in-person models, and rural and urban institutions.

Albany High was honored to host the formal launch of this collaborative initiative, which is designed to increase degree attainment, strengthen the regional workforce and reinforce the lasting impact of postsecondary education.

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