COMMUNITY UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 2025
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,
Hall of Fame Class of 2025
Presenting the City School District of Albany Hall of Fame Class of 2025! We are looking forward to inducting our 17th Hall of Fame class on Saturday, Oct. 11 in conjunction with our Homecoming activities at Albany High School. The induction ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. that day.
- Taofeek Abijako ‘16
- Carlton Kippins ‘14
- Ariel Miller ‘07
- CJay Philip ‘87
- Dr. Arlene Reed-Delaney ‘58
- Gina Torres ‘12
Visit our Hall of Fame section to meet this year’s inductees and learn about their many accomplishments!
Casasola selected to perform in elite choir
Congratulations to junior Celine Casasola for being accepted to perform in the extremely competitive Treble Chorus of the Conference All-State Music Festival later this year!
Approximately 6,500 sophomores and juniors statewide compete for a spot in the All-State bands, chorus, orchestra and jazz ensembles honors groups.
An invitation to take the stage in Rochester at the prestigious Eastman School of Music at the All-State Music Festival Dec. 4-7. is extended to just 600 students.
Celine, we are so proud of you!
Educator of Excellence, Amie Chermack
Congratulations to Albany High ELA teacher Amie Chermack for being selected as a recipient of the Educator of Excellence award by the New York State English Council (NYSEC)!
With 26 years of experience in our district, Chermack is passionate about education. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Chermack serves as a club advisor for Inkblot, which gives students the opportunity to grow their skills as creative writers.
We are incredibly grateful to have her guiding and inspiring our students each day, and we applaud her for this well-deserved recognition!
Stop-arm cameras: new safety initiative
We joined with our transportation partners and Mayor Sheehan on Sept. 15 to announce stop-arm cameras on all First Student buses, an important new initiative to improve traffic safety for our students and our community.
Coupled with the school speed-zone cameras the city implemented a year ago, this is another significant step toward making Albany’s roads safer for children on their way to and from school each day.
Fines for violations captured on the bus cameras will begin Oct. 20.
Anya Miller: heart of the blood drive
Congratulations to Albany High senior Anya Miller (pictured at right) for leading our first blood drive of 2025-26 with excellence on Sept. 26!
The event was a tremendous success, thanks to Miller’s organization, professionalism and commitment to the cause.
In total, our generous donors contributed 59 pints of blood, surpassing our event goal - the donations collected Sept. 26 will potentially save 177 lives!
Be sure to mark your calendars for our upcoming blood drive events on Jan. 28 and June 4.
Free cosmetology clinic for ages 55+
Our Albany High cosmetology students are once again offering free services to Albany residents ages 55+ on Thursdays through April!
All services require an appointment, some require a consultation. To book an appointment, please call (518) 475-6393 or email llove@albany.k12.ny.us.
Back-to-School Blast a big success!
Our Back-to-School Blast and Safety Day on Sept. 13 was a big success filled with food, fun and community connections!
A huge thank you to our fabulous partners at Mohawk Ambulance Service for co-sponsoring, and to our maintenance crew, Community Engagement Coordinator Cathy Edmondson and our entire outreach team, community partners, dedicated volunteers – and of course, our wonderful families – for making it such a fantastic day.
Capital Jazz Collective
Presenting the Capital Jazz Collective, featuring Superintendent Hochreiter on drums, Albany High orchestra teacher Tony Berman on bass and elementary band teacher Rob Lindquist on keys!
After playing together at our annual music teacher concerts, Hochreiter, Berman and Lindquist decided to combine their talents and love of music to form (in our opinion!) the area’s premiere jazz trio.
Catch them performing at locations around the area coming soon!
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.