Shaker Junior High School is a public middle school (7th through 8th grade) in Latham, New York, near the state's capital of Albany. As of 2006, it enrolls a little over 900 students. Shaker Junior is part of the North Colonie Central Schools school district, which is consistently ranked as one of the top school districts in New York State. The Junior High's Building Principal is Dr. Russell Moore. The school is divided into 4 Halls: Houston, Norris, Calhoun, and Clay. Shaker Junior has many sports to offer to their students.[1]
Shaker Junior High School is a separate building from Shaker High School, which is only 100 meters away.
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The building principal is Dr. Russell Moore. The Houston and Norris Hall principal is Dawn Savery, and the Clay and Calhoun Hall principal is Michael Mitchell. About 900 students are enrolled in Shaker Junior High School. A variety of sports programs are offered. Also, some Regents Examinations courses are available, although not many students are in these classes, with the exception of foreign language.
Houston Hall is named after Sam Houston, the leader of Texas when they were a separate country from Mexico and the United States during the 19th century. The hall color is red. In 7th grade the teachers are Mr. Harris(Social Studies), Mrs. Mailoux(English), Mr. Slyer(Science), and Mrs. Shanz(Math). In 8th grade the teachers are Mr. Coughlin(Social Studies), Mrs. Lyng(English), Dr. Bisnett(Science), and Ms. Rossi(Math).
Norris Hall is named after early-to-mid-20th century United States Senator George W. Norris , who was also a progressive supporter of FDR's New Deal Programs. The hall color is green. The teachers in 7th grade are Mr. Myer(Social Studies), Mr. Salvi(Science), Mrs. Basile(English), and Mrs. Lindhurst(Math). In 8th grade the teachers are Mrs. Kerr(Social Studies), Mrs. Bullis(Science), Mr. Edgar(English),and Ms. Carrol(Math). Norris has won the inter-hall competition 2 years in a row, and before being unseated last year had won the Track Meet for 5 straight years. They are currently in 2nd in the inter-hall competition.
Calhoun Hall is named after United States Senator John C. Calhoun. The hall color is blue. The 7th grade teachers in Calhoun are Mr. Wallingford(Social Studies), Mr. Gara(Science), Mrs. Howard(Math), and Mrs. Patenaude(English). In 8th grade they are Mr. Berti(Social Studies), Ms. Mangan(Science), Mrs. Mathews(Math), and Ms. Favro(English). Calhoun is the current track meet champions after dethroning Norris in 2010. They currently sit in last place in the inter-hall competition.
Clay Hall is named after United States Senator Henry Clay, who made many great compromises for the United States in the 19th century. The hall color is purple. The teachers in 7th grade are Mrs. Strause(Science), Mr. Rizzo(Social Studies), Mr. Moffre(Math), and Mr. Bedell(English). The 8th grade teachers are Mrs. Jaffe (Science), Mrs. Peterson(Social Studies), Ms. Matthews(Math), and Mrs. Froehlich(English). Clay has had little success in the inter-hall competition during recent years.
Each year, the four halls compete in inter-hall competitions for points. These competitions include the Faculty Feud, which is a teacher-played game based on the TV game show Family Feud, with the answers being based on student feedback, and the Quiz Bowl, which is an academic competition in which the faculty chooses each hall's top four students for each grade. A big track meet is held in May or June on Shaker's High School's football and track stadium. Another event in the competition is Halloween Door Decorating where each homeroom competes to see who can decorate their door the best. Spirit Week is another event, students dress up according to the predetermined theme and the hall with the most students dressed up wins.
Shaker Junior High School currently has a broadcasting studio in which 8th graders chosen by their English teachers from the previous academic year broadcast reports using the equipment in the broadcasting studio. These broadcasts are received in every homeroom on the television set.
Shaker Junior High School has a wide variety of activities, clubs, and intramural sports.[2] The clubs include, but are not limited to, Adventure Club, Builders Club, Drama Club, Fantasy problem solvers, foreign language clubs, History Club, Math Club, Ski Club, and Stock Market Club. The intramural sports include basketball (boys and girls), cross country running, field hockey (girls), soccer, track and field (boys), track and field (girls), and volleyball.