Teen Night is Feb. 27

Falcons in grades 9-12 are invited to join us for Albany High Teen Night on Friday, Feb. 27! This free and fun event takes place from 5-7 p.m. Spend time with friends and enjoy music, games, snacks and more.

Join us for our Black History Celebration "Afrofuturism"

Albany High staff, students and families are invited to join us for our Black History Celebration on Thursday, March 5, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

This year's event - Afrofuturism - will be an evening full of incredible moments as we gather as a school community to experience a beautifully curated program featuring a guest speaker, delicious food, performances and more! We are proud of our student leaders in My Brother's Keeper and My Sister's Keeper for planning and facilitating this event.

Hope to see you there!

Mean Girls opens March 12!

Albany High Theater Ensemble's production of "Mean Girls: High School Version" will run March 12–15 at 6:30 p.m. (Sunday show at 2 p.m.)! Don't miss this great opportunity to see our incredibly talented student performers, crew and musicians in action! Tickets are $5 for district students and seniors, $15 general admission. Please note, the show contains a parental advisory for mild language and adult themes. We hope to see you there!

Graduation 2026

Our graduation ceremony for the Class of 2026 will take place on Sunday, June 28, at noon at the MVP Arena! The time has come for our seniors to complete some important steps by April 2 to prepare for this special day:

• Please place the order for your cap and gown via this Google Form.
• The MVP Arena will require tickets for all guests at this year's graduation celebration. Each graduate may reserve up to 15 tickets. Tickets are free and can be secured via this Google Form. 

Be sure to check out our Class of 2026 Graduation page for more details as you and your loved ones plan for this wonderful milestone! 

Snow Ball Dance is canceled

Please be advised that the Snow Ball Dance scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 28, is canceled. Students who purchased tickets can stop by their academy office to pick up their refund. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Falcons fly high in winter sports

We've had lots of thrilling moments as our Falcons have wrapped up the regular season and have entered postseason competition!

• Albany High senior Noah Bizer has qualified for the state indoor track and field championships in both the 600 meters and the 1,000 meters. He won the 1,000 at the Section 2 state qualifiers Feb. 14 with a time of 2 minutes, 34.40 seconds, and placed second in a photo finish in the 600 with a time of 1:25.95. He will compete in the state meet in Staten Island on March 7.

• Our girls' basketball team celebrated a 71-48 victory over Saratoga Springs in the Section 2 Class AAA quarterfinals at The Nest on Wednesday evening. Akarri Gaddy scored 28 points to power the team forward, with Janae Byrams contributing 10 points to the win. They will play Shaker in the semifinals on Monday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. at Hudson Valley Community College. Tickets must be purchased on the GoFan website. 

• Our boys' basketball team is headed to the playoffs and will play Shenendehowa in the Section 2 Class AAA quarterfinals on Sunday, March 1, at Hudson Valley Community College. Tickets must be purchased on the GoFan website. 

• Congratulations to Albany High School girls’ basketball coach Decky Lawson for setting a new program record for coaching wins! Lawson earned his school-record 215th career victory with the Falcons’ win at Schenectady on Jan. 27. He has led the Falcons to three Section 2 titles, and to the championship game five times overall. Read more about Lawson's accomplishments in this news story. 

• Our seniors on the indoor track and field teams were honored at a special ceremony on Wednesday. We are so proud of each senior's commitment, enthusiasm and leadership, and we commend these student-athletes for their hard work during training and competitions throughout their high school athletic careers!

• The New York State Public High School Athletic Association has announced its winter 2026 scholar-athlete individuals and teams. Check out this news story celebrating our 41 Albany High School student-athletes who received an individual award, as well as our two team award winners.

Be sure to follow our Albany Athletics Facebook and Instagram pages to see our sports highlights!

Register for spring sports by Friday, March 6!

As we look forward to the spring athletic season, here are some important details:

• Spring sports registration closes on Friday, March 6! Sign up via Final Forms. Families are encouraged to schedule a visit with their child's provider to secure a completed physical form. If this is not possible, the district physician will offer sports physicals at Albany High School on March 4 and 5. Check out this news story for additional information. 
• Students interested in playing boy's tennis are invited to a pre-season informational meeting on Monday, March, 2. This year we will be adding a JV team, an exciting expansion to our program!
• Students are encouraged to participate in open workout sessions in our fitness room/weight room to prepare for the spring season.

Vote for John Halvorsen for the Manilow Music Teacher Award!

Help band teacher John Halvorsen win the Manilow Music Teacher Award by casting your vote! You can vote once per day between now and Thursday, March 19.

With 20 years in our schools, including over 15 at Albany High, Halvorsen's unwavering dedication has been a cornerstone of our incredible music education program. He is now one of 10 local finalists for the prestigious Manilow Music Teacher Award.

The award winner, chosen through public voting, will be honored onstage at Manilow's April 2 performance and will receive a $5,000 cash prize along with a $5,000 grant for purchasing classroom instruments.

Grab-and-go meals during Ramadan

To support our students who are observing Ramadan, Albany High is offering "grab-and-go" meals that students can pick up at the end of the school day in the cafeteria to bring home. Grab-and-go meals will be available for pickup on school days through Thursday, March 19.

Summer Youth Employment Program

The City of Albany is accepting registration through March 31 for the 2026 LIGHT Summer Youth Employment Program. The LIGHT Program – Learning, Initiative and Gaining Headway Together – will run from July 6–Aug. 7. The program is open to youth aged 14-18 who live in Albany. Youth employees will work up to 20 hours per week, earn $16.00 per hour and must meet all eligibility and orientation requirements to participate. Check out this news story to learn more! 

Exploring a literary classic

Students in Amy Hayes and Erin Gannon’s English 11 classes are taking a deep dive into "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston, exploring themes of love, identity and fulfillment through an analysis of the symbolism and imagery woven throughout this literary classic. By completing a two-part assignment focused on a pivotal scene in the book, students utilized written word and visual analysis to study different elements of the passage. Read our news story to see their learning in action!

Parent Teacher Student Association to vote for new officers

Our Albany High Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) will soon vote for new officers for the upcoming school year. Come partner with our school leaders to help make our school an environment where all students can grow and thrive. Reach out to our PTSA President Jenny O'Neil via email at ptsaalbanyhigh@gmail.com to learn more.

Autism Spectrum Fair

Montessori Magnet School invites all district families to the district's 2026 Autism Spectrum Fair. The annual and free event is scheduled from 5—7 p.m. on March 31 at MMS (45 Tremont St.). We hope to see you there!

2026-27 calendar

Our one-page 2026-27 calendar for families is now available!  This family calendar shows days off at a glance, and can be downloaded at any time by visiting the Communications page of our website.

The 2026-27 school year for students will officially begin Friday, Sept. 4. Please watch for additional information regarding student schedules for the first days of school. 

Online Success Program

Our Online Success Center Program allows students to raise their grade for previous quarters. This is a fantastic opportunity for our Falcons to earn back credit and enhance their academic achievement! View this digital flyer to learn more!

After-school tutoring at Albany High

Falcons, do you need extra help with your coursework? Join us at our after-school tutoring program, which runs Monday through Thursday from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in room 2235. If you need extra help with your classes, come join us and get some support from Albany High teachers. Hope to see you there!

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 web page 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!