On Friday, eight seniors from Albany High School—Georgina Asante, Jazzmine Brown, Annabelle Clemens, Kaddisha Findley, Renee Geraghty, Jaileny Nunez Almonte, Madeline Penna and Zeta Schofield —braved the rain to assist Mayor Kathy Sheehan in ushering in the seventy-seventh annual Tulip Festival.
Although the inclement weather necessitated a move indoors to City Hall, the rain did not dampen the excitement surrounding this year's festivities!
Dressed in authentic Dutch clothing, complete with wooden shoes, our Falcons proudly carried bouquets of tulips to celebrate the Dutch heritage of the City of Albany.
After the opening processional, Albany High senior Iris Whalen delivered a beautiful rendition of the national anthem. A highlight of the ceremony was the announcement of Albany High alum, Abigail Williams, as one of the 2025 Tulip Queen finalists! Williams graduated in 2021 and is actively involved in mentoring local youth—including students at Albany High—in her role with The Red Bookshelf.
To close out the event, instead of scrubbing State Street, Asante, Brown, Clemens, Findley, Geraghty, Nunez Almonte, Penna and Schofield performed a ceremonial sweeping of the floors in the City Hall rotunda, bringing smiles all around!
A special thanks to The City Club of Albany, Inc. for their invaluable contribution in providing the beautifully maintained Dutch outfits worn by our Falcons. We also want to give a shout-out to Albany High art teachers Kristine Monahan and Ashleigh Johns for their involvement and support!
