Albany High School, Albany, New York
Encyclopedia
Albany High School in Albany
, New York
, United States
, is a public high school
with an enrollment of about 2,400 students for the 2010-11 school year. The school is part of the City School District of Albany. It opened on September 7, 1868 as the Albany Free Academy. Albany High has been located at 700 Washington Avenue since 1974.
Albany High School is an International Baccalaureate school with an Advanced Placement program. The principal is David C. McCalla, Ph.D. The school newspaper is The Patroon, the literary magazine is Inkblot, and the yearbook is Prisms.
Albany High School is the only comprehensive public high school in the city.
, which consists of a series of college-level courses for juniors and seniors leading to an alternative diploma. Every year, several IB or AP students typically attend some of the nation's top-ranked universities, including those in the Ivy League
. Albany High has made Newsweek
s list of America's Top Public High Schools on multiple occasions, most recently in 2010 (when it ranked 976). The ranking is based on the Challenge Index
, which calculates the number of AP and IB exams taken at a school divided by the number of graduating seniors.
Most academic courses are taught at Core, Regents, and Honors levels. Four foreign languages (Spanish
, French
, Chinese
, and Latin
) are available. Within New York State, AHS was one of the first public schools outside of New York City
to offer any form of Chinese as a foreign language. The school also has Senior Career Explorations (internships) in six areas and a Project Lead the Way engineering program. An annex, the Abrookin Vocation-Technical Center, offers many career and technical courses.
club), NYODA Step Team, International Club, Key Club
, Habitat for Humanity Club, Chess Club
, Ski Club, Math Club, Art Club, Video Production Club, Jam Club (playing rock music), Captains' Club, Peace & Social Justice Club, Anime Club, Fashion Club, Jewish Student Union
, National Honor Society
, Masterminds
, Mock Trial
, Gay/Straight Alliance, and Best Buddies. In addition, the school has a club for each of the four languages offered.
for men; cheerleading
, volleyball
, tennis
, and swimming
/diving
for women; and cross country
, soccer, and golf
for men and women. Winter sports include swimming/diving and wrestling
for men; cheerleading and step/drill for women; and basketball
(which had its best seasons under great longtime coach Paul Lyons), bowling
, and indoor track for men and women. Spring sports include baseball
and tennis for men; softball
and step/drill for women; and outdoor track for men and women. Many sports are played at both varsity and junior varsity levels, and intramural activities are also offered. Albany High School soccer team in 2007 after almost 25 years made it through the sectional to semi final beaten the power house in big ten LaSalle, betting Saratoga High School in the 2nd round and beating Collonie Central High in the quarter final losing to Niskayuna high school in semi final.
s, cafeteria
s, and media center
. Across from the academic structure are the physical education building (housing the gym
nasiums, locker rooms, and HVAC
equipment) and another building containing the main office, auditorium
, and music classrooms. Three bridges on the second floor connect the buildings.
The academic building is the largest edifice on the Albany High School campus and the only one with three stories. The ground floor contains the two cafeterias, kitchen
, special education
classrooms, art studios, Falcon Shop (school store), and various other classrooms. The second floor is the main hub of the school because it is connected to the other two buildings by the pedestrian bridges. It contains the media center (the large school library
housing over 26,000 books as well as PC
desktop computers), college center (a relatively new room with computers intended to be used by students to research college
s), and many classrooms. The third floor is entirely occupied by classrooms. All the science labs are located on this floor.
The dominant architectural feature of the rectangular building is its six towers, numbered one through six. Towers One, Two, and Three are on the west side, and Towers Four, Five, and Six are on the east side. The towers contain stairwells, restrooms, and assorted offices (Tower Two contains the school's elevator
). They also have skylights above each stairwell.
The academic building is divided into North and South houses. Each student is randomly assigned a house upon enrolling in the school. Although they are mainly administrative divisions, the houses determine some class assignments. Each has its own administrative office, guidance office, and health office.
Room numbers in the academic building have three digits, with the first digit indicating the floor number. The other two digits depend on the house, with North House rooms having odd numbers and South House rooms having even numbers. Rooms numbers increase as one goes towards the center of the building.
. The Rubber Gym contains a rock climbing wall that is not currently used, likely due to safety concerns. The building also houses the male and female locker rooms, the athletic health office, the athletic director's office, and the Falcon Fitness Center, a recently renovated weight room. On the first floor of the two story building is the boiler room housing the school's heating equipment. The two air conditioning
units are located on the roof.
, main offices, and music classrooms. The diamond shaped auditorium has red cushioned seats and a triangular stage. Located on the ground floor, the music facilities include a rehearsal rooms, choir room, office, and several practice rooms. The auditorium building contains the main lobby and serves as an entrance for school visitors.
The courtyard
is located between the three buildings. A brick
and concrete
space with small trees and many benches, it serves as a meeting place for students. During much of the school year, eating lunch in the courtyard is a popular activity. With the introduction of Dr. McCalla as principal though, students were informed that they were no longer permitted to eat outside - instead, lunch became more strict and students now must eat in the cafeteria matching their house assignment (North or South) in an effort to decrease the number of students skipping class and going to lunch. Because it only has a few storm drains, large puddles often form after rain showers and linger for days. Some brickwork in the ground has decayed, but new masonry was added recently in a courtyard beautification project.
, American football
, and softball
. The school's running track was resurfaced in 2010. Albany High's varsity football, soccer and baseball teams play their games at nearby Bleecker Stadium.
, cooking
, electricity
, engineering
, and computer
s (including a Cisco
networking academy). About 300 students are enrolled in the Career Academy full time, but many others walk to the building for one period a day to take a technical class. Also known as "the Occ.", the center is named after the late school board member Manny Abrookin (1927–1994).
In 2007, David Bryan, then principal of the vocational center, was accused of embezzling $337,000 from the school and local charities. He was relieved of his duties and subsequently convicted and sentenced to seven years in jail.
), 11.4% are Hispanic, 6.5% are Asian
, and 1% are Native American
. Seventy percent of students are eligible for free or reduced price lunch and the attendance rate is 89%. The school has about 200 teachers with a student-to-teacher ratio of 12:1.
Albany High enrolls students from more than 40 foreign nations.
Recently, Albany High has had issues with violence amongst students. Following several fights in 2006, the school began random searches, and in 2007 the police donated two metal detector
s to add to security. The last day of the 2006-2007 school year was interrupted by a large brawl in the cafeteria that forced a lockdown. The school has also initiated a stricter ID policy. AHS has continued to have problems with violence, with two police injured and nine students arrested in the beginning of the 2007-08 school year, and the last day of school that year was canceled due to incidents the day before. In September 2008, the first two days of classes were canceled due to scheduling problems.
Sources: http://www.ahs.albany.k12.ny.us/AHS/ahs_history/, http://timesunion.memlink.com/default.aspx?xsubmittype=GoSite&xsubmit=10131661
Class rank is determined from an unweighted average of all courses taken in grades nine through twelve. The valedictorian
delivers an address at commencement exercises, which are held in late June at SEFCU Arena.
was printed on all school mailings beginning in 2006. It reads as follows:
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is a public high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
with an enrollment of about 2,400 students for the 2010-11 school year. The school is part of the City School District of Albany. It opened on September 7, 1868 as the Albany Free Academy. Albany High has been located at 700 Washington Avenue since 1974.
Albany High School is an International Baccalaureate school with an Advanced Placement program. The principal is David C. McCalla, Ph.D. The school newspaper is The Patroon, the literary magazine is Inkblot, and the yearbook is Prisms.
Albany High School is the only comprehensive public high school in the city.
Academics
Albany High has a wide variety of academic programs, including a longstanding Advanced Placement program offering 19 courses. In 2005, AHS was accredited as an International Baccalaureate World School and introduced an IB Diploma ProgramIB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
, which consists of a series of college-level courses for juniors and seniors leading to an alternative diploma. Every year, several IB or AP students typically attend some of the nation's top-ranked universities, including those in the Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
. Albany High has made Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
s list of America's Top Public High Schools on multiple occasions, most recently in 2010 (when it ranked 976). The ranking is based on the Challenge Index
Challenge Index
The Challenge Index is a method for the statistical ranking of top public high schools in the United States by Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews...
, which calculates the number of AP and IB exams taken at a school divided by the number of graduating seniors.
Most academic courses are taught at Core, Regents, and Honors levels. Four foreign languages (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
) are available. Within New York State, AHS was one of the first public schools outside of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to offer any form of Chinese as a foreign language. The school also has Senior Career Explorations (internships) in six areas and a Project Lead the Way engineering program. An annex, the Abrookin Vocation-Technical Center, offers many career and technical courses.
Clubs
Albany High School has a number of clubs; among the more active of these are the Drama Club, Speech and Debate Team, FIRST Robotics, Inkblot (a literary club), Prisms (the yearbookYearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
club), NYODA Step Team, International Club, Key Club
Key Club
Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...
, Habitat for Humanity Club, Chess Club
Chess club
A chess club is a club formed for the purpose of playing the board game of chess. Chess clubs provide for both informal games and timed games, often as part of an internal competition or in a league.-Organisation:...
, Ski Club, Math Club, Art Club, Video Production Club, Jam Club (playing rock music), Captains' Club, Peace & Social Justice Club, Anime Club, Fashion Club, Jewish Student Union
Jewish Student Union
The Jewish Student Union, or JSU is an organization aimed at educating youth in public schools about the Jewish culture, heritage, and religion...
, National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
, Masterminds
Masterminds (Quiz Bowl)
MasterMinds is an academic Quiz Bowl Public-access television program active in Upstate New York. There are currently four regions multiple sets of leagues for the different areas of New York State: the Albany Leagues, Buffalo Leagues, Rochester Leagues, and the recent additions of the Syracuse...
, Mock Trial
Mock trial
A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...
, Gay/Straight Alliance, and Best Buddies. In addition, the school has a club for each of the four languages offered.
Athletics
Albany High School's interscholastic athletics program is affiliated with the Big Ten Conference of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (Section II). Fall interscholastic sports include American footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
for men; cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
/diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
for women; and cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, soccer, and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
for men and women. Winter sports include swimming/diving and wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
for men; cheerleading and step/drill for women; and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
(which had its best seasons under great longtime coach Paul Lyons), bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, and indoor track for men and women. Spring sports include baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and tennis for men; softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
and step/drill for women; and outdoor track for men and women. Many sports are played at both varsity and junior varsity levels, and intramural activities are also offered. Albany High School soccer team in 2007 after almost 25 years made it through the sectional to semi final beaten the power house in big ten LaSalle, betting Saratoga High School in the 2nd round and beating Collonie Central High in the quarter final losing to Niskayuna high school in semi final.
Campus
Albany High's current location at 700 Washington Avenue opened in 1974. The school consists of three brick buildings connected by indoor pedestrian bridges. The largest of these, the academic building, contains the classroomClassroom
A classroom is a room in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, corporations, and religious and humanitarian organizations...
s, cafeteria
Cafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
s, and media center
Hybrid library
Hybrid library is a term used by librarians to describe libraries containing a mix of traditional print library resources and the growing number of electronic resources.-Overview:...
. Across from the academic structure are the physical education building (housing the gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasiums, locker rooms, and HVAC
HVAC
HVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
equipment) and another building containing the main office, auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
, and music classrooms. Three bridges on the second floor connect the buildings.
Academic building
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
, special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
classrooms, art studios, Falcon Shop (school store), and various other classrooms. The second floor is the main hub of the school because it is connected to the other two buildings by the pedestrian bridges. It contains the media center (the large school library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
housing over 26,000 books as well as PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
desktop computers), college center (a relatively new room with computers intended to be used by students to research college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s), and many classrooms. The third floor is entirely occupied by classrooms. All the science labs are located on this floor.
The dominant architectural feature of the rectangular building is its six towers, numbered one through six. Towers One, Two, and Three are on the west side, and Towers Four, Five, and Six are on the east side. The towers contain stairwells, restrooms, and assorted offices (Tower Two contains the school's elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
). They also have skylights above each stairwell.
The academic building is divided into North and South houses. Each student is randomly assigned a house upon enrolling in the school. Although they are mainly administrative divisions, the houses determine some class assignments. Each has its own administrative office, guidance office, and health office.
Room numbers in the academic building have three digits, with the first digit indicating the floor number. The other two digits depend on the house, with North House rooms having odd numbers and South House rooms having even numbers. Rooms numbers increase as one goes towards the center of the building.
Physical education building
The physical education building contains the indoor athletic facilities. These include the main gymnasium (which can be divided into three smaller gyms using motorized curtains), "Rubber Gym" (a smaller gym named for its floor material), wrestling gym, dance studio, and six-lane swimming poolSwimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
. The Rubber Gym contains a rock climbing wall that is not currently used, likely due to safety concerns. The building also houses the male and female locker rooms, the athletic health office, the athletic director's office, and the Falcon Fitness Center, a recently renovated weight room. On the first floor of the two story building is the boiler room housing the school's heating equipment. The two air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
units are located on the roof.
Auditorium building
The third building on the Albany High campus houses the auditoriumAuditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
, main offices, and music classrooms. The diamond shaped auditorium has red cushioned seats and a triangular stage. Located on the ground floor, the music facilities include a rehearsal rooms, choir room, office, and several practice rooms. The auditorium building contains the main lobby and serves as an entrance for school visitors.
Courtyard
Courtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
is located between the three buildings. A brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
and concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
space with small trees and many benches, it serves as a meeting place for students. During much of the school year, eating lunch in the courtyard is a popular activity. With the introduction of Dr. McCalla as principal though, students were informed that they were no longer permitted to eat outside - instead, lunch became more strict and students now must eat in the cafeteria matching their house assignment (North or South) in an effort to decrease the number of students skipping class and going to lunch. Because it only has a few storm drains, large puddles often form after rain showers and linger for days. Some brickwork in the ground has decayed, but new masonry was added recently in a courtyard beautification project.
Athletic fields
The Albany High campus contains athletic fields for soccer, baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
. The school's running track was resurfaced in 2010. Albany High's varsity football, soccer and baseball teams play their games at nearby Bleecker Stadium.
Parking lots
Albany High School has two main parking lots. The Washington Avenue parking lot is located next to the auditorium building. It primarily contains spots for visitors and administrators. The larger Main Avenue parking lot is located next to the academic building. Most teachers park in assigned spots in this lot. A smaller parking lot is located next to the physical education building. The school used to provide parking for seniors, but it has discontinued this practice. Students with cars, therefore, park on streets surrounding the campus.Abrookin Vocation-Technical Center
The Abrookin Vocation-Technical Center is an annex located close the high school. It houses the Career Academy, which offers many career and technical courses in fields such as constructionConstruction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
, cooking
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
, electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, and computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s (including a Cisco
Cisco
Cisco may refer to:Companies:*Cisco Systems, a computer networking company* Certis CISCO, corporatised entity of the former Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation in Singapore...
networking academy). About 300 students are enrolled in the Career Academy full time, but many others walk to the building for one period a day to take a technical class. Also known as "the Occ.", the center is named after the late school board member Manny Abrookin (1927–1994).
In 2007, David Bryan, then principal of the vocational center, was accused of embezzling $337,000 from the school and local charities. He was relieved of his duties and subsequently convicted and sentenced to seven years in jail.
Demographics
Of Albany High School's approximately 2,400 students, about 57% are African-American, 24% are White (non-HispanicHispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
), 11.4% are Hispanic, 6.5% are Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
, and 1% are Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. Seventy percent of students are eligible for free or reduced price lunch and the attendance rate is 89%. The school has about 200 teachers with a student-to-teacher ratio of 12:1.
Albany High enrolls students from more than 40 foreign nations.
Distinguished alumni
- Glen BarkerGlen BarkerGlen F. Barker is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros. He was a leadoff hitter with great defensive skills and was used mainly as a pinch runner. He has the rare distinction of having more major league career runs scored than hits...
- Houston AstrosHouston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
outfielder - Tracy Baskin – Former Olympian 800m, former 4 by 4 co-world record holder, #3 rank 1988 US men 800m
- Carolee CarmelloCarolee CarmelloCarolee Carmello is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals.She made her Broadway debut in a small role in City of Angels...
– BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
actress who made her Broadway debut in City of AngelsCity of Angels (musical)City of Angels is a musical comedy with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel, and book by Larry Gelbart. The musical weaves together two plots, the "real" world of a writer trying to turn his book into a screenplay, and the "reel" world of the fictional film.-Productions:City of Angels...
; she recently starred in LestatLestat (musical)Lestat is a Broadway musical inspired by Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles. The score is by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, book by Linda Woolverton and directed by Robert Jess Roth with musical staging by Matt West...
and ParadeParade (musical)Parade is a musical with a book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. The musical was first produced on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on December 17, 1998. The production was directed by Harold Prince and closed 28 February 1999 after only 39 previews and 84 regular...
. She is currently starring in Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
. - Lionel ChalmersLionel ChalmersLionel Chalmers, Jr. is an American professional basketball player. He is 6'0" in height and he weighs 180 pounds . He plays at the point guard position.-Amateur career:...
– Successful basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who went from Albany High to Xavier UniversityXavier University (Cincinnati)Xavier University is a co-educational Jesuit university in the United States located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and has an undergraduate enrollment of about 4,000 students and graduate enrollment of 2,600 students. Xavier is primarily...
and eventually to the NBA. He was drafted by the L.A. Clippers and traded to the Minnesota TimberwolvesMinnesota TimberwolvesThe Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
for the 2005-2006 NBA season. - Gene CretzGene CretzGene A. Cretz is a career diplomat, who was nominated in July 2007 by President Bush to be the first U.S. Ambassador to Libya since 1972. His nomination was confirmed by the US Senate on November 21, 2008. He was sworn-in as U.S. Ambassador to Libya by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on...
- Class of 1968 - U.S. Ambassador to LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
since 2008; taught English at Albany High from 1977 to 1979. - William DevaneWilliam DevaneWilliam Joseph Devane is an American film, television and theater actor.-Life and career:Devane was born in Albany, New York in 1937 or 1939 , the son of Joseph Devane, who was Franklin D. Roosevelt's chauffeur when he was Governor of New York...
- Film and television actor - Alfred FreedmanAlfred FreedmanAlfred Mordecai Freedman was an American psychiatrist. A long-time educator and advocate of social justice, Freedman is known for leading the effort to have the American Psychiatric Association de-classify homosexuality as a mental illness.-Early life and education:Alfred Freedman was born January...
, M.D. - Class of 1933 - PsychiatristPsychiatristA psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
who headed the American Psychiatric AssociationAmerican Psychiatric AssociationThe American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...
when it declared homosexualityHomosexualityHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
was not a mental disorder in 1973. - Donell James Foreman – Class of 2006 – Actor, has toured with Broadway musicals Mama Mia! and HairsprayHairspray (musical)Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
- Dennis Green – Class of 1993 – Professional European Basketball Player – Iceland Team Hotur
- Stefon HarrisStefon HarrisStefon Harris is an American jazz vibraphonist. In 1999, the Los Angeles Times called him "one of the most important young artists in jazz" who is "at the forefront of new New York music" and "much in demand as a star sideman"...
– Class of 1991 – JazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician, vibraphonistVibraphonistNotable players of the vibraphone include:* Peter Appleyard* Roy Ayers* Karl Berger* Jeff Berman* Jack Brokensha* Larry Bunker* Christian Burchard* Rusty Burge* Gary Burton* Joe Chambers* Teddy Charles* Salem Chiles* John Cocuzzi* Monte Croft... - Jay LefkowitzJay LefkowitzJay Lefkowitz is an Orthodox Jewish American politician and lawyer. He is a senior partner at the Kirkland & Ellis law firm, and he also served as President Bush’s Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea.-Career:...
- Special Envoy for Human Rights in North KoreaNorth KoreaThe Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and former member of the George W. Bush AdministrationGeorge W. Bush administrationThe presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
. - Charlie Leigh – NFL player for the 17–0 1972 Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
Champions, primarily as a kick returner - Todd Levin – Comedian and humorist who has appeared on Comedy CentralComedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
- Moira Mack Muntz – Class of 1999 – Regional communications director for the Obama administration
- Charlayne WoodardCharlayne WoodardCharlaine "Charlayne" Woodard is an American film, stage and television actress and playwright. She has written four plays, titled Pretty Fire, Neat, In Real Life, which she starred in, and "Flight"....
– Award-winning American film, stage and television actor and playwright
History
Albany High School opened on September 7, 1868 as the Albany Free Academy with 141 students. The school was housed in Van Vechten Hall at 119 State Street until May 4, 1876, when it was relocated to Eagle Street (where the Albany County Courthouse is now located). In 1913, the school was moved to a more central location between Washington and Western Avenues. This "old" Albany High School building still stands, and it housed Philip Schuyler Elementary School until 2004. Prior to 1974, Albany had two high schools, Albany High School and Philip Schuyler High School. That year, the institutions were merged to form the "new" Albany High, located at 700 Washington Avenue (the school's current location).Recently, Albany High has had issues with violence amongst students. Following several fights in 2006, the school began random searches, and in 2007 the police donated two metal detector
Metal detector
A metal detector is a device which responds to metal that may not be readily apparent.The simplest form of a metal detector consists of an oscillator producing an alternating current that passes through a coil producing an alternating magnetic field...
s to add to security. The last day of the 2006-2007 school year was interrupted by a large brawl in the cafeteria that forced a lockdown. The school has also initiated a stricter ID policy. AHS has continued to have problems with violence, with two police injured and nine students arrested in the beginning of the 2007-08 school year, and the last day of school that year was canceled due to incidents the day before. In September 2008, the first two days of classes were canceled due to scheduling problems.
Principals
- 1868-86: John E. Bradley
- 1886-1911: Oscar D. Robinson
- 1911-16: Frank A. Gallup
- 1916-51: Dr. Harry E. Pratt
- 1951-59: Stanley Heason
- 1959-67: Douglas Lincoln
- 1968-86: John Bach
- 1987-95: David McGuire
- 1995-98: Dr. Willard Washburn
- 1998-2001: Dr. John Metallo
- 2001-02: John Pellitier
- 2002-06: Michael T. Cioffi
- 2006-09: F. Maxine Fantroy-Ford
- 2009–Present: Dr. David C. McCalla
Sources: http://www.ahs.albany.k12.ny.us/AHS/ahs_history/, http://timesunion.memlink.com/default.aspx?xsubmittype=GoSite&xsubmit=10131661
Valedictorians and salutatorians
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
delivers an address at commencement exercises, which are held in late June at SEFCU Arena.
- 1997: Michael Kay, Dorothy Weiss
- 1998: Lisa Stern
- 1999: Marc Silverman
- 2000: Heidi Schumacher, Jason Kay
- 2001: Karen Zawisza, Elizabeth Acker
- 2002: Christopher Paynter
- 2003: Joshua Goldman, William Tobin Przylucki
- 2004: Benjamin Colman, Nerissa Clarke
- 2005: Joshua Hancox, Kelly McKay
- 2006: Sarah Magidson, Jasmine Mauger
- 2007: Lucy Reeder, Benjamin Pastel
- 2008: Rachel Rudinger, Benjamin Amodeo
- 2009: Rachel Barnas, Hilary Worden
- 2010: Owen Daniels, Fern Beetle-Moorcroft
- 2011: Brian Carr, Robert Cosgrove
Alma mater
- Hail, Alma Mater, Hats off to you.
- Ever you'll find us Loyal and true;
- Firm and undaunted Ever we'll be.
- Albany High, we love, Here's a toast to thee.
Mission statement
Albany High's Mission StatementMission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
was printed on all school mailings beginning in 2006. It reads as follows:
We believe that all students can and will learn. An excellent education will lead to the development of responsible citizens in our school and community. All students will be challenged in a comprehensive educational setting. It is the goal of Albany High School to enable each student to realize their full potential and enhance lifetime opportunities.
External links
- Albany High School website
- The Patroon (school newspaper)
- News about Albany High School (Albany City School District website)