campus. During the four years of construction, between 1997 and 2001, classes were held in portable trailers. The new school building and gymnasium opened in 2001. During the 2004–2005 school year, several security cameras were installed in the building to prevent vandalism. In 2004, the school suffered overcrowding due to an overly large freshman class. The large influx of students was caused in part by an Albany Unified School District policy, which allowed students from other cities such as El Cerrito and Richmond to enter Albany schools. The school mascot is the cougar and the school colors are red and white. The current principal as of the 2017–2018 school year is Alexa Ritchie, who was formerly the principal of Marin Elementary School in the same school district. Academic competitions Albany participates in many local competitions, including NAQT, NOSB's Otter Bowl (which they won in 2006 and took fourth in nationwide), and the National Science Bowl, in which they also took fourth place nationwide. The school hosts a well-established Model United Nations program. In the 2010–2011 academic year, Albany became home to a forensic (Speech and Debate) team. The Albany High Speech and Debate team is a member of the Golden Gate Speech Association and the National Forensic League. Both programs are established in club format; while other local schools have classes dedicated solely to Model UN and debate, Albany runs both programs as student clubs. Instagram postings controversy On May 1, 2017, four Albany High students filed suit against the school arguing that they had been punished unfairly for their involvement with racist harassment on Instagram. The students and their lawyers claimed that the school had violated their First Amendment rights by punishing them for actions that took place outside of school grounds and outside of school hours. The complaints also stated that the students were refused protection by Jeff Anderson as a growing body of students gathered outside of the office where they were meeting for a restorative justice session. As the four students attempted to leave through their peers, two of the students were struck in the head by an enraged demonstrator, while others hid in a locked vehicle for safety, prompting complaints that the school mishandled the situation and allowed an unruly assembly to take place. Many teachers did not take attendance or mark students as absent for attending the unsanctioned assembly. In the interim between the