This edition highlights Sanford Pride Elementary's Celebration of Learning. We also spotlight Sanford High School's Math Team competing at the State Meet, a Sanford High School student earning the Horatio Alger Scholarship, Carl J. Lamb hosting the Maine Adaptive Music Summit, Margaret Chase Smith School's Annual Wellness Fair, and the department recognizing Autism Awareness Month. You'll find student journalism from The Spartan Times, Sights Around Our Schools, and much more. We also share highlights from each school, important updates, and ways to stay connected with Sanford Schools.
Celebration of Learning at Sanford Pride Elementary
Sanford Pride Elementary wrapped up the week before April vacation with its Celebration of Learning, a series of spring concerts showcasing the musical talents of students in Kindergarten through Fourth Grade. The events gave families a chance to see firsthand the hard work students have put in throughout the school year.
Each evening featured live performances in the school's café, with students singing songs ranging from upbeat favorites to classical pieces. Kindergartners performed songs like "Honey Bee" and "The Bunny Boogie," while First Graders sang numbers including "If It Walks Like a Duck" and "Hey Bunny."
Concert videos below!
Sights Around Our Schools
Carl J. Lamb Elementary
Carl J. Lamb Elementary recently hosted Storybook Spectacular, a free community evening packed with games, activities, crafts, and read alouds with teachers. Families enjoyed light refreshments, and every student went home with a free book. The Springvale Library was also on hand to sign families up for library cards. It was a wonderful celebration of literacy that brought the CJL community together for a memorable night.
Margaret Chase Smith Elementary
Pre-K students at Margaret Chase Smith Elementary are putting their science skills to work, exploring how plants and animals grow through a study of gardens from around the world. Students have been following the journey from seeds to full-grown plants, and recently invited their families in to take part by planting their very first seeds together.
Sanford Middle School
Sanford Middle School seventh graders recently completed a seven-week ecology unit centered on global biomes. Working in teams, students took on roles like Chief Ecologist and Chief Engineer, managed budgets, built model dwellings, and created research displays. The unit wrapped up with a presentation day where students fielded questions from peers, administrators and teachers.
Sanford Pride Elementary
Sanford Pride Elementary recently brought the community together for Family Fiesta Night, a festive evening that drew Pre-K through 4th grade students and their families for a night of games, food, and giveaways. The event had an academic purpose behind the fun, with activities designed to support student growth in literacy and math. The strong turnout reflected the enthusiasm of Sanford Pride families
Sanford High School's Math Team Cracks Top 10 at State Meet
The Sanford High School math team turned in a strong performance at Tuesday's state math meet, finishing 10th out of 88 competing teams and placing 6th among all Class A schools. More than 800 students participated in the event.
Three Sanford students earned individual recognition. Junior Nathan Maloney placed 16th in the state in his grade division, while fellow juniors Yashvi Patel and Eli Laurendeau each finished 20th.
The strong showing capped off a successful regular season in which Sanford placed 3rd in the Pi-Cone South league — the southern Maine regional competition for large schools.
Sanford High School Senior Awarded Horatio Alger Scholarship
Sanford High School senior Leah Soucy has been named a recipient of the Horatio Alger Scholarship.
The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans awards this scholarship to students who have demonstrated perseverance, integrity, and the determination to succeed despite significant financial hardship.
This fall, Leah will attend Colby College, where she plans to major in psychology. Throughout her time here, Leah has distinguished herself both in the classroom and on the court.
Sanford High School Junior Earns Spot on Maine NHS State Board
Sanford High School junior Yashvi Patel has been selected as the Southern Regional Representative for the Maine National Honor Society (NHS) state chapter, putting Sanford in statewide conversations for the first time.
Earning the position required an application, an essay, and sign-off from advisors Liz White and Heather English and principal Tracy Gibson. The final step was a speech in front of approximately 300 attendees at the NHS state convention. In it, she spoke to what the four core values of NHS (scholarship, service, leadership, and character) mean to her personally, and how Sanford's chapter has lived those values out in real, tangible ways.
"There were 300 people, so it was definitely nerve-wracking," Yashvi said. "But then I got up there, and I kind of knew what to say. It kind of came naturally after a bit."
Sanford Middle School 7th Graders Participate in Junior Achievement in a Day
Sanford Middle School's 7th grade students participated in the school's annual Junior Achievement in a Day event on Wednesday, April 15, bringing together community volunteers and students for a day of hands-on financial literacy learning.
Volunteers came in to teach lessons about personal finance, drawing on their own professional experiences to bring the material to life.
As Social Studies Department Chair Erin Barry noted, "The volunteers work for various local businesses and share their work experiences and knowledge about money management with students."
Annual Wellness Fair Returns to Margaret Chase Smith Elementary
Margaret Chase Smith Elementary students spent the last Friday before Spring Break at the school's annual Wellness Fair, a fun-filled day packed with hands-on activities focused on health, nutrition, safety, and career readiness.
Students explored an exciting lineup of sessions throughout the day, including fire safety demonstrations, cosmetology tips, and interactive presentations from JMG, our School Resource Officers, and local EMTs.
One of the biggest crowd-pleasers was the smoothie bike, where students pedaled their way to a delicious healthy treat.
Sanford High School Hosts York County Early Childhood Education Conference
For the third consecutive year, Sanford High School and the Sanford Regional Technical Center opened their doors to welcome early childhood professionals from across Maine for the York County Early Childhood Coalition's (YCECC) Early Childhood Education Conference.
On Saturday, April 4, more than 200 attendees gathered under one roof for a full day of professional growth, including registrants, presenters, vendors, and SRTC's own Early Childhood Education students.
Hosting the conference has become a point of pride for Sanford, and this year was no exception.
Carl J. Lamb Welcomes Back The Maine Adaptive Music Summit
Carl J. Lamb Elementary School opened its doors on Saturday, April 11, to host the second annual Maine Adaptive Music Summit.
Organized by Carl J. Lamb music teacher Hattie Skvorak, the summit brought together music educators, special education teachers, and educational technicians for a full day of professional development focused on adaptive music education.
Sanford School Department Recognizes Autism Awareness Month
April is Autism Awareness Month, and Sanford School Department is honored to recognize it alongside our students, families, and community.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects how a person experiences, communicates, and interacts with the world. It's a spectrum, which means it looks a little different for everyone. Most importantly, it's not an illness to be cured. It's a form of human diversity, and one that deserves recognition and respect.
Throughout April, staff wore special shirts that highlight acceptance as a show of support for our students and all individuals impacted by autism.
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 Claire Pordon on the top 10 clubs offered at Sanford High School.
Journalism or School Newspaper Enrichment courses. Below is an article written by Claire Pordon on the top 10 clubs offered at Sanford High School.
Kathy McCall Named Assistant Special Education Director
The Sanford School Department is pleased to announce the appointment of Kathy McCall as Assistant Special Education Director, effective April 27, 2026.
McCall's connection to the district spans nearly three decades. Most recently, she has served as IEP Coordinator since September 2024 and a teaching mentor since 2010. Prior to that, she was a special education teacher at Carl J. Lamb Elementary School from 2007 until last year.
Before joining the district, she gained valuable experience as an In-Home Support Coordinator at Waban (now Waypoint), where she also worked toward her teaching certification.
McCall earned her Master's in Leadership from the University of Southern Maine in August 2024.
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
