Yearbook cover design contest

We are seeking submissions for our 2025-26 yearbook cover design contest! Artwork can be digital or hand drawn and all students in grades 9-12 are invited to participate. Designs must be submitted by Sept. 30 via this Google Form.

Important morning arrival details

We wanted to share a few important reminders to help ensure a smooth entry process in the morning at Albany High.

• Students need their school ID to enter the building. They should bring it with them each day to school.
• Due to the size of our student population at Albany High, it takes time for everyone to enter the building and pass through our standard security protocols. We highly recommend that students arrive to school at 8 a.m. and no later than 8:15 a.m. When large numbers of students show up right before the start of school, long lines form at the door, making it challenging to get everyone in the building in a timely manner. Please note we understand that students who commute to school via bus may not be able to arrive during the recommended timeframe of 8-8:15 a.m. due to the schedule of their route.
• Period 1 begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. 

College & career resources 

Thank you to those who joined us for our Financial Aid event on Sept. 25! If you were unable to attend, please know we will continue to have lots of wonderful resources and support throughout the 2025-26 school year for our families exploring next steps for their students post-graduation. Check out this flyer and be sure to mark your calendars for our upcoming college fair events on Tuesday, Sept. 30, Tuesday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 15. More details are also available by logging into SchooLinks.  

Stellar moments in sports

Falcon fans, here's some awesome highlights from this past week:

• An explosive offense and a smothering defense propelled the Albany High School football team to its best season-opening record in 29 years on Saturday with a commanding 46-10 home win over Schenectady! Check out this news story to learn more and enjoy photos of the game on our Facebook page! Our Falcons will face off against the Guilderland Dutchmen tonight, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. at Guiderland High School. Tickets must be purchased via the GoFan website, and spectators are highly encouraged to purchase online tickets prior to arriving at the game. 
• Congratulations to senior Noah Bizer for being named the Times Unions Athlete of the Week, Boys' Sports! Bizer led our boys' cross country team to victory at the Broadalbin-Perth Invitational on Sept. 20 with a first-place overall finish, completing the 2.95-mile course in 15:56 and shattering the previous course record by over 30 seconds! We are so proud of Bizer and the whole team for securing a team win for the third year in a row!

• Our girls' tennis team played Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake at home on Monday, Sept. 22. A big shout out to freshman Isabella Antunes for her excellent performance leading to a match win! Check out photos of the competition on our Facebook page.

Lastly, one of our favorite traditions is our senior night celebrations for our student-athletes! Check out this news story that includes the schedule for our senior night celebrations. Please note the date for the girls' tennis senior night was moved from Sept. 29 to Oct. 7. 

Be sure to follow our Albany Athletics Facebook and Instagram pages to see lots of great sports highlights throughout the season!

Falcon 5K & Fun Run

Get ready to run for an awesome cause! Join us for the 11th Albany Booster Club Falcon 5K and Fun Run in Washington Park on Sunday, Oct. 5. Check out this news story for more details!

Homecoming Spirit Week 2025 & Pep Rally

Falcons, we can't wait to see your school spirit shine during Homecoming Week! Check out this Spirit Week flyer with all the daily themes. We'll end the week with our Homecoming Pep Rally at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10. Students will receive an email with a Google Form to cast their vote for the Homecoming King & Homecoming Queen! Voting ends at noon on Oct. 10.

Homecoming Weekend 2025

• We have lots of wonderful festivities planned for Homecoming 2025, including a parade! Check out this flyer for details!
• Falcons, join us for our Homecoming Dance on Saturday, Oct. 11 from 6-9 p.m.! Check out this flyer to see this year's theme and all the important details! Dance tickets are $5, non-refundable and on sale at our Box Office at Albany High during lunch periods until Thursday, Oct. 9. (Please note the theme is for the decor, not attire.)
• Parents/guardians - thanks so much to those who already committed to a donation for our Homecoming concession sale! We could still use drinks (water, juice boxes) and sweet treats. Please sign up using this form. All donated items will be for sale during the dance, and the proceeds will go to support Class of 2026 events. Thank you for helping make this a special celebration for all our Falcons!

Cultivating valuable skills in our Albany High gardens

Students from Albany High's Best Buddies club welcomed the arrival of fall with an engaging hands-on learning experience, guided by City Gardener Jena DiTonno, Assistant City Gardener Sarah Cameron and their dedicated gardening crew from the Department of General Services! Check out the news story to learn more!

School picture days are coming up!

• School picture days for students in grades 9-11 will be Nov. 3-6. More details coming soon!
• Seniors, please remember to book your senior photos! We will have sessions at Albany High available the following dates: Monday, Dec. 8 – Thursday, Dec. 11 and Monday, Dec. 15 – Friday, Dec. 19.
  • Visit Upstate Images to book your session. Typically, sessions are available between 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Be sure to select “Capital District” as your region.
  • Check out this flyer with important details on photo packages, requirements for attire and the option for a free Yearbook only portrait session.

Parent-teacher conferences: Oct. 23 & 24

This year, our parent-teacher conferences are Thursday, Oct. 23 from 4-7 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 24 from noon-3 p.m. Please note all schools will be closed on Oct. 24 to accommodate this schedule. 

Parent-teacher conferences are an opportunity for parents/guardians to meet individually with teachers to discuss student progress in academics, behavior and attendance. 

To schedule a conference, you can contact your child’s teacher using the school’s directory or by calling your child's academy office. The numbers are listed below:

• Citizenship Academy: (518) 75-6220             
• Discovery Academy: (518) 475-6230
• Innovation Academy: (518) 475-6240
• Leadership Academy: (518) 475-6250

Congratulations to Albany High teacher, Amie Chermack!

Congratulations to Albany High teacher, Amie Chermack, for being selected as a recipient of the Educator of Excellence award by the New York State English Council (NYSEC)! She has taught here at Albany High for 11 years and is thrilled to be teaching two English 12 courses, Literacy as Liberation and Creative Writing for the 2025-26 academic year. Check out this news story to learn more! 

PSAT is Friday, Oct. 24

Albany High School will administer the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT) during the school day on Friday, Oct. 24, starting at 7:45 a.m. in the Main Gym.  Any sophomore or junior may take the test and must pre-register via this Google Form to participate. The cost is $18 per student. 

Join us for Heroes Cabaret Nov. 7-9!

The Albany High Theater Ensemble is thrilled to present our fall musical Heroes Cabaret which will run Friday, Nov. 7 to Sunday, Nov. 9! 

Come help us pick Albany's next superhero at this one-of-a-kind production directed by Rose Biggerstaff and stage managed by seniors Millie Casanova and Freddy Lizardo!

Show times are as follows:

• Friday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 8 at 6:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m.

General admission tickets are $15 and student tickets are $5. 

Cosmetology Free Clinic

Please spread the word about our Cosemtology Free Clinic for City of Albany residents 55+! 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.

Albany High communications

We hope you enjoyed this Albany High weekly update! As a reminder, to avoid overwhelming your inbox with lots of messages throughout the week, we curate this weekly communication on Fridays at this webpage with important updates and exciting news to keep our Falcon families "in-the-know." Feel free to bookmark this page so you always have the important details you need at hand.

We also have dedicated Albany High social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. Follow us to see lots of great photos and reels!

Exciting events coming up soon

This is a list of events coming up that we want to draw particular attention to for students and families! These are just some of the great things happening here at Albany High, and remember you can view our full calendar to see them all!