This school year, the English department decided to create a new requirement for enrolling in English 3 Honors and AP English Literature and Composition after an influx of struggle in classes. Students needed to maintain Bs or better in their English courses and most controversially, they needed to show proficiency writing a timed CER paragraph.
In December, Sara Stone, longtime Bay Area educator, took up the torch as Albany Unified’s new superintendent. We interviewed her in January 2025 to learn more about her and her outlook for our district.
Based on the classic Broadway musical, Wicked is part one of the long-awaited adapted film prequelling The Wizard of Oz (1939).
“A Complete Unknown,” the film based on the highly acclaimed folk singer Bob Dylan, hit the theaters on December 25. Since then it has gained steady popularity, with a current Rotten Tomatoes rating of 96%, and countless gushing reviews.
Last Thursday, September 5th, Albany High School’s JV football team won their first game in almost two years. This game against St. Helena was closely followed by another September 13th against Northgate.
Voices blend as the absence of background music makes more space for their harmonizing. Albany High School’s acapella group, Vocal Soul, is made up of 16 singers in the choir program. They perform a variety of genres, from pop to holiday classics. Members learn more about harmonies and different vocal techniques. “Vocal Soul has taught me a lot about being part independent and working with the group to be as cohesive as possible,” senior June Ritzman explained.
Dr. Frank William Wells passed away on March 11, 2024, after serving as Superintendent of the Albany Unified School District (AUSD) for nearly five years. A lifelong Bay Area resident, he was born on March 14, 1963, in San Francisco, California.
Opening a new book can be an exciting experience, with the reader running their hand along the pages, eager to discover the story within. Reading and analyzing books is a near-universal practice for students worldwide, and at AHS, it almost always begins in English classes. These books have been selected by teachers whose focus is on teaching important works of classic literature while incorporating relevant topics such as race, religion, gender, and more. However, while balancing these two aspects of their curriculum each year, teachers try to find new ways to keep students engaged with their reading as well as helping them understand the nuances of the people and cultures around them.
Squeaking shoes on the court, the swish of the ball as it falls through the net, the loud buzzer at the end of the quarter. Basketball: one of the most popular sports across the nation and worldwide. In recent years, Albany High has seen a large increase in boys basketball players while the girls basketball roster, despite their success, continues to shrink.
“If you own an apartment building, or if you own Target, you’re going to have to pay more because you get taxed on square footage instead of a flat amount.”
Samuel Destin
