This issue celebrates Sanford High School's 132nd Commencement Ceremony, where over 200 graduates from the Class of 2025 were honored at Alumni Stadium. You'll find inspiring stories of student achievement, including the exceptional accomplishment at SRTC where every Health Occupations student passed their CNA state board exams, and SMS 8th Grader Xyla Kurz receiving the Secretary of State's Citizenship Award. The newsletter highlights inclusive programming like Carl J. Lamb's Adaptive Track and Field Festival, features student journalism through The Spartan Times, and showcases spring concerts available on WSSR-TV's YouTube channel. Also included are summer meal program details, community resources, and ways to stay connected through the Sanford School Department app.
Sanford High School's 132nd Commencement Ceremony
A warm and sunny evening provided the perfect backdrop as Sanford High School held its 132nd Commencement Ceremony at Alumni Stadium on Wednesday, June 4, celebrating over 200 graduates from the Class of 2025. Families, faculty, and friends gathered to honor these young adults who have dedicated years to their education and personal growth.
Principal Tracy Gibson welcomed the crowd, expressing gratitude to the dedicated staff members who worked behind the scenes, the facilities team, and the technical crews who live-streamed the event to connect distant loved ones to this special celebration. The ceremony featured heartfelt addresses that reflected on the journey these students have taken together.
If you missed the ceremony, you can watch it below!
The seniors also did their annual Walkthrough the day before graduation. The graduates visited Sanford Middle School, Sanford Pride Elementary, Carl J. Lamb Elementary, and Margaret Chase Smith Elementary before finishing their journey at Sanford High School. Seniors got to reconnect with former teachers who helped shape their journey, while current students lined the hallways cheering and celebrating.
Watch the Walkthrough below!
Carl J. Lamb Elementary Hosts Adaptive Track and Field Festival
Carl J. Lamb Elementary School's second annual Adaptive Track and Field event brought together students, families, staff, and community members for a celebration on Thursday, May 29. The day was filled with competition, camaraderie, and joy as the entire school community came together to cheer on their adaptive athletes.
The event was organized by health and physical education teacher Tatyana Wolterbeek, working alongside Mr. Eldridge and IEP Coordinator Kathy McCall. Their year-long preparation included practicing events during adaptive PE classes and coordinating with various school departments to ensure every detail was perfect.
"Our goal was to show the parents and general education staff how our students can shine in an adaptive setting," explained Wolterbeek. This year's event included a special new feature: parents were invited to watch their children compete.
Sights Around Our Schools
Carl J. Lamb
Carl J. Lamb had its end-of-year Field Day and BBQ for all students on Friday, June 5. The day was filled with fun activities for students and staff. It was a wonderful way to bring the entire school community together.
Margaret Chase Smith
National Art Honor Society students came to visit Margaret Chase Smith classrooms to share their passion. They gave MCS students advice on what classes to take and to persevere when it may get tough.
Sanford Middle School
Therapy dogs from the Animal Welfare Society visited Sanford Middle School on a bi-weekly basis this year. A special thanks to the yellow lab “Butterscotch” and his handler Karen along with labradoodle “Boots” and his handler Amy.
Sanford Pride
Mrs. Boivin's third graders recently helped Mrs. Jenkin's first graders with collecting facts and writing about lobsters, their habits, features and habitat during classroom buddy time.
Sanford Middle School Student Wins Secretary of State's Citizenship Award
Sanford Middle School student Xyla Kurz has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the Secretary of State's Eighth Grade Citizenship Award. This honor recognizes students throughout Maine who demonstrate exceptional academic success, meaningful community engagement, and outstanding citizenship.
From her earliest days at Sanford Middle School, Xyla has exemplified what it means to be a thoughtful and empathetic leader. Her former fifth-grade teacher, Kristi Peters, shared a memorable story that captures Xyla's character. "On Valentine's Day, Xyla surprised every one of her classmates with hand-drawn bookmarks,” Peters said.
Sanford Middle School Students Celebrate Growth at JMG Ceremony
Sanford Middle School hosted its annual Jobs for Maine's Graduates (JMG) Closing Ceremony on Thursday, June 5th, bringing together students, families, and community members to celebrate another successful year of career development and academic achievement. The evening event showcased the program's commitment to helping Maine students graduate, pursue post-secondary education, and build meaningful careers.
The ceremony began with a welcome and pledge, led by JMG students Khloe Herbert, Isabella Burns, and Melayna Bolduc. Following dinner, the program featured opening remarks from students Alana Perez and Aubrey Fifield, who shared their experiences and growth throughout the year.
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 recapping Varsity Spring Sports from May 19-30.
Journalism or School Newspaper Enrichment courses. Below is an article recapping Varsity Spring Sports from May 19-30.
Sanford Regional Technical Center Honors New CNA's at Annual Pinning Ceremony
Sanford Regional Technical Center held its Health Occupations Pinning Ceremony on Tuesday, May 27th at the Sanford Performing Arts Center, celebrating a group of students who have achieved an extraordinary milestone in their healthcare education journey.
SRTC Assistant Director Mike Redmond welcomed families and friends to the ceremony, expressing pride in both the students and their instructors, Jenna Holmes and Shawnda Williams.
What made this year's ceremony particularly special was an unprecedented accomplishment: every single Health Occupations student passed their Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) state board exams. Williams noted that this perfect pass rate may be a first in the program's history, calling it "a huge accomplishment."
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Looking for news and notes about events at your child's school? Hoping to keep track of a traveling sports team? Download the Sanford School Department App directly to your mobile device, and you'll be on top of the freshest news from any and all of the Sanford Schools.
Need a tutorial on how to
download our app? Watch the video below.
download our app? Watch the video below.
Announcements
2025-2026 School Calendar
Scan the QR code below to access the 2025-2026 School Calendar. The calendar, recently approved by the Sanford School Committee, is very similar to this year’s calendar. Our school calendar is guided by Sanford Regional Technical Center and all of its sending schools as we are not allowed to have more than five dissimilar days among the schools. Please use this calendar for planning purposes for personal business and appointments when possible.
Community Announcements
Are you looking to share your organization’s events and activities with the Sanford school community? The Sanford School Department website offers a Community Announcements page to help you reach students, families, and staff members.
The process is simple: complete our online approval form (click here for the form), submit it to the Superintendent's Office along with your promotional materials for review
Summer Meals
The Sanford School Department’s School Nutrition Program is once again sponsoring the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program. The program is open to all children and teens 18 and under. There are no eligibility requirements and registration is not required.
Nutritious and appealing no cost meals will be available at sites throughout the community on Monday through Friday beginning June 17th through August 8th at the following locations and times:
Carl Lamb School – Breakfast 7:30 to 8:30; Lunch 11:00 to 12:00
Carpentier Park – Lunch 11:15 to 11:45
Curtis Lake Church – Breakfast 7:30 to 8:30; Lunch 11:45 to 12:30
Sanford High School – Breakfast 7:30-8:30 and Lunch 11:00-12:00
Sanford Middle School – Breakfast 7:30-8:30 and Lunch 11:00-12:00
Sanford Pride Elementary – Breakfast 7:30 to 8:30; Lunch 11:00 to 12:00
Springvale Playground – Breakfast 8:45 to 9:15; Lunch 11:30 to 12:15
YMCA – 7:30 to 8:30; 11:00 to 11:45
Additional Links to Stay Updated With the Community
