This edition highlights Sanford Middle School's Unified Basketball team and their first-ever scrimmage. We also spotlight the SRTC Student of the Year, a Sanford High School student interning with the Mainers, and our Nature Journal Club. You'll find student journalism from The Spartan Times and Sanford Middle School's newspaper, Sights Around Our Schools, and much more. We also share highlights from each school, important updates, and ways to stay connected with Sanford Schools.
Sanford Middle School Unified Basketball Takes the Court for the First Time
Sanford Middle School reached a historic milestone recently, hosting its first-ever Unified Basketball scrimmage.
Unified Sports is a Special Olympics program that pairs students with and without intellectual disabilities as teammates. This is the program's first year at Sanford Middle School. The team practiced once a week, with 17 athletes and 11 partners, 28 participants in all, spanning grades 6 through 8.
Sanford’s scrimmage against Massabesic Middle School was the team's first time competing, with Massabesic edging out a close 82-80 win. Massabesic accepted the invitation to play after school administration reached out to neighboring schools, and their coach provided valuable guidance as coach Meagan Collupy worked to get the program off the ground. Read more at the link below.
Sights Around Our Schools
Carl J. Lamb Elementary
In third grade at Carl J. Lamb Elementary, students have been on an exciting journey through outer space — all from their classroom! Through engaging nonfiction reading, they've explored the wonders of the universe and sharpened their comprehension skills along the way. Using Venn diagrams, students organized their thinking to identify similarities and differences between space-related topics.
Margaret Chase Smith Elementary
In the art room students at Margaret Chase Smith continue to learn about and creating lots of art. 4th grade artists are practicing Op Art techniques. 3rd and 2nd grade artists are creating sculptures using paper clay inspired by Wayne Thiebeau. 3rd grade is using liquid watercolors to paint their paper clay once it is dry. 1st grade have been creating art using oil pastel techniques.
Sanford Middle School
8th grade JMG students from Sanford Middle School traveled to Central Maine Community College in Auburn to take part in the Maine Youth Action Network Leadership Conference. Over the two days, students attended workshops led by youth and organizations from across Maine, connected with peers and community leaders at a networking fair, and sharpened their leadership skills through hands-on training sessions.
Sanford Pride Elementary
During their monthly assembly, Sanford Pride Elementary took a moment to honor the many volunteers who have made a difference throughout the school year. From parents and PTA members to former employees, high school and middle school students, and participants in the school's mentorship program, the ceremony celebrated the wide range of community members who give their time to support Pride Elementary's students and staff.
Sophia Sharood Named SRTC Student of the Year
The Sanford Regional Technical Center (SRTC) is proud to announce Sofia Sharood, a junior at Kennebunk High School, as its 2025–2026 Student of the Year.
Enrolled in SRTC's Sports Medicine program — one of the center's newest offerings, launched in the fall 2025 — Sofia has distinguished herself through academic excellence, professional certifications, hands-on clinical training, and a clarity of purpose that is rare in any student, let alone a junior.
Sofia maintains High Honors at both Kennebunk High School and SRTC, is a member of the Class of 2027 Executive Council, and serves as Secretary of the KHS Healthcare Club, where she helps organize meetings and encourages student engagement in the medical professions. Read more at the link below.
Sanford Senior Finds His Shot Behind the Camera with the Mainers
When Braeden Landry first joined the Sanford Mainers' broadcast production crew, he admitted he didn't know much about baseball and wasn't sure he knew enough about cameras either. Now, after one summer operating equipment for games broadcast on major streaming platforms, the senior Sanford Regional Technical Center student is returning with an expanded role and a growing passion for live sports production.
"At the start of the summer, I was like, I don't know anything about baseball. I might not even know how to use a camera fully," Landry said. "I only had one year of video production under me at that point."
Landry's path into video production started with a chance visit. Two years ago, he walked into SRTC's Video Production Program during an open house, and what he saw changed his plans entirely. Read more at the link below.
Margaret Chase Smith Kindergarteners Shine K for Me Learning Unit
Margaret Chase Smith Elementary recently welcomed families into classrooms for the K for ME Learning Showcase: Unit 3 – Construction, and the results were nothing short of impressive.
Kindergarten students proudly presented their learning to visiting family members, demonstrating the knowledge and skills they've developed throughout the unit. From explaining materials and structures to showing off their own construction projects, students highlighted their exploration of building, designing, and problem-solving in hands-on and creative ways.
The event gave families a firsthand look at just how much their youngest learners have grown. Read more at the link below.
Sanford High School's Nature Journal Club Gives Students a Place to Explore and Create
Every Thursday afternoon, a group of Sanford High School students gather with sketchbooks in hand to slow down, step outside, and connect with the natural world around them. Welcome to the Nature Journal Club offered at the high school.
The club was started two years ago by wildlife biology teacher Lindsay Strout, who noticed that a handful of her students had a genuine hunger for nature observation that extended beyond the classroom. Read more at the link below.
Sanford High School Students Honored at Portland Museum of Art
March is Youth Art Month, and three Sanford High School students had reason to celebrate! Charlotte Fuentes Hood (2D Design, grade 9), Parker King (Drawing, grade 9), and Olivia Farrington (Ceramics, grade 11) were recognized for their outstanding artwork at the Youth Art Month exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art.
Their work was on display at PMA through April 5th.
SRTC Students Take Center Stage at Annual Celebrating Partnerships Event
Sanford Regional Technical Center held its annual Celebrating Partnerships event on Wednesday, March 18. The gathering brought together local business partners, educators, and students to highlight successful individual program advisory councils, internships, and strengthen community connections.
SRTC Director Matt Petermann welcomed attendees, expressing gratitude for their continued support and emphasizing the importance of community partnerships for student success. Petermann noted that SRTC is one of the largest CTE centers in the state, serving students across 25 programs. "You are not waiting for the pipeline to fix itself," Petermann told the assembled partners. Read more at the link below.
National Recognized Youth Advocate Rob Holla Visits Sanford Middle School
Youth health advocate Robb Holla visited Sanford Middle School recently to speak with 6th and 7th graders about the very real dangers of vaping. Known for his ability to connect with young audiences across North America, Holla brought his signature blend of straight talk, humor, and hard-hitting facts to engage students on one of today's most pressing health issues.
Principal Joe Mastraccio was enthusiastic about the visit: "We are excited to share an impactful visit from our guest speaker this past Friday! Robb's message was empowering and aimed to help students realize the power they have to be healthy, successful and happy. " Read more at the link below.
The Spartan Times
The Spartan Times, SHS's online student newspaper, features articles by student reporters enrolled in CCP
Journalism or School Newspaper Enrichment courses. Below is an article written by Eliza Allen on Sanford High School;s Winter Guard and Percussion competing at the Maine Band Directors Association Winter Finals.
Journalism or School Newspaper Enrichment courses. Below is an article written by Eliza Allen on Sanford High School;s Winter Guard and Percussion competing at the Maine Band Directors Association Winter Finals.
How Sanford is Getting Kids Ready to Read Before Kindergarten
Long before a child sounds out their first word, the seeds of reading are already being planted in songs, rhymes, and sound games that have nothing to do with the alphabet. That's because our brains aren't naturally wired to read. Learning to read requires building a very specific skill called phonemic awareness, and it starts with something as simple as learning to listen.
The Sanford School Department recently took an exciting step to make sure more of our youngest learners get this strong start, no matter where they spend their Pre-K year. Staff from Kids Kove Learning Center visited Sanford Pride Elementary for a training session on phonemic awareness, part of a new partnership that brings consistent, research-based instruction to community Pre-K programs as well as our own school buildings. Read more at the link below.
See Something, Say Something
As a school system, we are committed to creating and sustaining a comprehensive, coordinated effort to maintain the overall safety and well-being of our students, educators and administrators. Therefore we utilize the “Say Something Anonymous Reporting System” (SS-ARS), a system fully funded by the national nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise. The SS-ARS allows youth and adults to securely submit anonymous safety concerns – anytime, from anywhere – to help identify and intervene upon at-risk individuals before they hurt themselves or others. The system enables school administrators and law enforcement (if needed) to create effective interventions and to help prevent violence, suicide, bullying, self-harm and other forms of threatening behavior.
How to submit a tip to the Say Something program:
- Say Something website (SaySomething.net)
- Say Something mobile app (App Store | Google Play)
- Say Something hotline (1-844-5-SAY NOW | 1-844-572-9669)
Additional Links to Stay Updated With the Community
