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First day fun at Albany High

What a joy it was to welcome students in grades 10-12 on their first day of school this past Friday afternoon! Our Falcons kicked off the new school year with an abbreviated schedule, giving them the opportunity to meet their new teachers, locate their classrooms and receive introductory materials for their coursework.

of the festivities on our Facebook page.

Reminder: morning arrival at Albany High

Please be reminded that students are encouraged to arrive at Albany High School at 8 a.m. when our entrances open. With approximately 2,700 students entering the building each day, it is extremely helpful for students to arrive in a timely manner so they have time to pass through our standard security and arrive to their period 1 class on time.

(Due to CDTA tripper bus schedules, we understand that students commuting via public transit will arrive a little later than 8 a.m.)

We have enjoyed welcoming our students for the 2026-27 year, and we thank you for your attention to this matter so we can ensure students can get to class promptly and make the most of instructional time!

Fall sports Senior Media Day is Sept. 14

Seniors, mark your calendars for our fall sports Senior Media Day photo shoot, which will take place on Monday, Sept. 14, at 3:30 p.m.! All seniors playing a fall sport should report to the third-floor balcony area at Albany High promptly at 3:30 p.m. to get their photograph taken by John Wong Photography. Photographs taken on our fall sports Senior Media Day will be utilized for the creation of large, weatherproof senior banners. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Albany Booster Club and their sponsors for partnering together to fund our senior banners, which will be proudly displayed at our senior night events!Check out this news story to learn more!

Join us for our Open House on Sept. 23!

Falcons and families! Please join us for Albany High School’s Open House on Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 5:30-8 p.m.! The event starts with a welcome and introduction in the auditorium and proceeds to teacher presentations in your student’s classrooms. In addition to meeting your student’s teachers, you will have the opportunity to experience a shortened version of their school day. Check out this news story for more details!

CDTA information

Students who live 1.5 miles or more from school are eligible to ride CDTA for free.

Eligible students will have their student IDs activated and can use them to ride any CDTA bus, including CDTA tripper buses that run direct routes to and from Albany High. We strongly encourage all eligible students to take advantage of the CDTA trippers, especially for the ride home at the end of the school day. Visit our Transportation page for CDTA bus schedules and route maps.

Please note that CDTA allows a grace period at the start of each school year, when all students are allowed to ride free. Starting Tuesday, Sept. 22, students without an activated ID must pay CDTA’s regular fare.

Albany High Spirit Team tryouts postponed to Sept. 16

City School District of Albany students in grades 9-12 are invited to try out for the Albany High Spirit Team! The spirit team will perform majorette at school-sponsored events and athletic competitions this fall. Tryouts will now take place on Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 4-6 p.m. in the dance studio (room 3132) at Albany High. Check out this news story to learn more.

Albany Athletics welcomes Joe Sapienza

The City School District of Albany Board of Education has appointed Joe Sapienza as the interim assistant director of health, physical education and athletics.

"I'm excited to be part of the Suburban Council, to be part of a bigger school," Sapienza shared. "I'm really impressed with the facility, and the people that I've met are all very committed and dedicated to the school district, so I'm really excited about this opportunity."

Sapienza began his career in athletics as a football coach in 1987 in the Voorheesville Central School District. In 1999, Sapienza became the athletic director and continued in that role until his retirement from Voorheesville in June. 

Check out this news story to learn more!

Donations needed for Falcon Market

The Falcon Market is a completely free resource that includes a free boutique and food pantry that are open to Albany High students and their families. We are currently seeking donations of new or gently used athletic gear and Falcon pride gear. Donations for the Falcon Market can be dropped off at the Albany High main office from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on school days. 

College and career readiness at Albany High

One of our core commitments at Albany High is ensuring our students are college and career ready when they graduate! Throughout the school year, we will be sharing details with our students via SchooLinks about college visits, college fairs and more! Please be sure to log in regularly to check out all the wonderful resources we have at hand. 

For your convenience, we have outlined upcoming college fairs, college visits and events for this fall in this news story — be sure to check it out!

Spectacular moments in sports

Thanks to all our Falcon fans who have attended games to cheer on our student-athletes! Here are some highlights and important details for fall sports:

• Our Albany High volleyball team opened the season with an exhilarating  at The Nest on Thursday evening! Giselle Lopez and Rylie Kent soared at the net, with nine kills and five kills, respectively. Paige Lemmon also contributed to the offense with 13 assists. Chloe Diefendorf brought a strong defense with 10 digs on the court.

•  and are posted on the Athletics page of our website. Schedules are subject to change and student-athletes are encouraged to stay in touch with their head coach.

• We are excited to welcome our Falcon fans and sports enthusiasts to our home competitions at Albany High! To help everyone plan accordingly, we have outlined some helpful details in this news story

• The Albany Booster Club is seeking volunteers to help run our concession stand at home sporting events this fall! Sign up for a shift today by visiting the !

Follow our Albany Athletics and pages to see our sports highlights! 

Get involved with the Albany High PTSA

Our Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) is excited to collaborate with parents, guardians and students as we embrace a new school year at Albany High.

Here are a few helpful details to know:

• is a great way to show your support! Membership is $10 for parents, students and staff and $5 for each additional family member. 
• Come to our first PTSA meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 5:30 p.m. 
• Save the date for the PTSA's Blaze Fundraiser on Sept. 29 from 4-9 p.m. for more details!
• You can like and follow the  to stay in the loop about ways to be involved.
• from the Albany High PTSA President, Kerlan Lovell!

Donate blood on Sept. 24

Join us for Albany High School's first blood drive of the school year!

Students, staff and community members are invited to donate. Donors must be at least 16 years of age and all prospective donors must make an appointment by registering online using the sponsor code AlbanyHS. Students who are 16 and want to donate also need to bring a signed permission form. Visit our event calendar to register and to get additional information.

Masterclass workshops: dance and acting

Albany High students who will be in grades 9–12 for the 2026-27 school year are invited to register for our free masterclass workshops! Each workshop will be offered on two different dates and will be hosted in the Albany High auditorium.

• The Dance Workshop led by Freddy Ramirez will focus on technique, foundation of jazz, performance, musicality and bringing your own self to your work. The same workshop will be offered from 4-6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 28 and Monday, Oct. 5.

• Acting Workshop led by Noëlle Gentile will help students learn that our best work as artists comes from liberated space, both internal and external. The same workshop will be offered from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1 and Friday, Oct. 2.

Students are welcome to register for dance, acting or both! Check out our event calendar to learn more and to access the Google Form to sign up!

Cozy donations for the Falcon Market

Thanks to a local community knitting group, Chicks with Sticks of Glenmont, New York, our students at Albany High have access to beautifully handcrafted winter gear free of cost at the Falcon Market!

Founding member Jody Mason, along with three fellow knitters, visited the Falcon Market on Tuesday to drop off a generous donation of hand-knit hats, cowls, scarves, ear warmers and mittens with a matching hat. We are so thankful for these generous community members who have engaged their talents to help students stay cozy and warm when the temperatures begin to drop. Check out this news story to learn more!

Sign up for the PSAT

Albany High School will administer the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT) during the school day on Friday, Oct. 23, starting at 7:45 a.m. in the main gymnasium. Any student who is a sophomore or junior during the 2026–27 school year may take the test. Visit our event calendar for additional information, including details on how to register for the test.

Save the date for Homecoming 2026!

We are counting the days until Albany High School's Homecoming Weekend, which will take place Friday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, Oct. 3!

Join us for a festive and fun weekend that will include home sports competitions, the City School District of Albany Hall of Fame 2026 Induction Ceremony, a parade, dance performances, a tailgate party, booths, a home football game and more.

Senior portraits

Class of 2027, you can now make appointments for your senior portraits! Upstate Images will be holding senior portrait sessions at Albany High on Dec. 4, Dec. 7-10 and Dec. 15-18. Check out this news story to learn how to book your session.

Falcons' Best Dance Crew

Do you have what it takes to be Albany High’s best dance crew? Join us for a one-of-a-kind dance competition this October to showcase your moves and compete for a cash prize! Participation is free and open to all Albany High students that will be in grades 9-12 for the 2026-27 school year.

• Dress rehearsal dates: Wednesday, Oct. 28 or Thursday, Oct. 29
• Competition date: Friday, Oct. 30

Register by Friday, Oct. 2! Check out our event calendar for additional details.

Track volunteer hours with SchooLinks

·¬ÇÑÉçÇø service is an amazing way for our Falcons to develop interpersonal skills and build character while making a positive impact in the lives of those in our local community and beyond.

Students entering grades 9-12 are eligible to document volunteer hours towards graduation honor cords. Be sure to check out this news story with detailed instructions on how to log your hours!

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 and . 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!