Dear Schenectady Community,

I hope you had a restful holiday and break from school with friends and family, as you may be aware, we returned to school this week to somber news of two students from the Schenectady City Schools family missing. We are working closely with Schenectady Police Department’s Youth Aid Bureau and asking for the community’s assistance in locating Samantha Humphrey, and Hajile Howard. If you have any information, please call the police department’s non-emergency line 518-630-0911, or reach out to a trusted adult at school.

We understand that this situation may be difficult for our students and staff due to what they may be hearing on tv or reading on social media, and they could be experiencing a range of emotions. Our Student Support Services team members are always available to help students, staff and families, and we strongly encourage talking to a school social worker, counselors, or psychologist.

Please know that the safe return of Samantha and Hajile is our top priority, we are in contact with law enforcement and are providing any assistance we can with the investigation that is underway. Our sincerest hope is that the students are located and brought home quickly. Please keep the students and their families in your thoughts. 

Thank you to each of the students, faculty and staff that participated in the Downtown Schenectady Holiday Parade on November 19. The streets were filled with holiday cheer, we saw many familiar faces lining State Street, and our district was represented by more than 100 people. Kudos to Keane, MLK, Hamilton, and our high school students from JROTC and the dance team. We look forward to including even more of the Schenectady Schools family next year.

On Wednesday evening the Board of Education held a work session that included presentations from the district's offices of Teaching and Learning, and Planning and Accountability. The materials presented included attendance, testing, grading and assessment figures from the first quarter of this school year. Watch the presentations on our YouTube channel.

Wednesday evening saw the season begin for a number of Patriots sports. I want to extend congratulations to the SHS Boys Basketball team for their opening day win against Columbia High School. I would also like to recognize the efforts of our combined Niskayuna-Schenectady Girls Wrestling team which began its inaugural season on Wednesday against Shaker High School. This is an amazing group of girls with great coaching and bright futures. We thank all of our scholar-athletes for helping Schenectady Rise.

Have a great weekend. Let's finish out 2022 strong during these final weeks!

Sincerely,

Anibal Soler, Jr.

Superintendent of Schools

Rise High is a program for Schenectady students where participants learn about STEM and other skills, in a fun and nurturing environment. Students will be exposed to a wide variety of careers in technology and hands-on, experiential learning.

Click here to begin the application process https://sites.clarkson.edu/rise-high/apply/

Schenectady Schools were well represented in the Downtown Schenectady Holiday Parade that took place on Saturday, November 19. Kudos to MLK, SHS, Hamilton, Keane, JROTC, the SHS Dance Team, and the district office for helping Schenectady rise!
🎥 Watch video highlights below.