This issue highlights the musical talents on display during winter concerts at Sanford High School and Middle School, where students filled the halls with seasonal performances. You'll find stories including high school students gaining real-world experience at a local manufacturer, and an SRTC student earning top honors at the statewide SkillsUSA design competition. The newsletter also features the induction of five new members into the Sanford Hall of Honor, Sanford High School's hosting of the SMAA leadership summit, student journalism through The Spartan Times and SMS Times, and much more.
Sanford Students Take the Stage for Winter Concerts
The Performing Arts Center has been filled with the sounds of the season as Sanford High School and Middle School students took the stage for a series of winter performances. The middle school's 7th and 8th grade show, the high school's "Sounds of the Season," and the 5th and 6th grade presentation showcased the musical talent across the district.
The middle school kicked off the festivities on Wednesday, December 10, when seventh and eighth grade musicians took the stage. The evening featured the Seventh Grade Band, Eighth Grade Band, and combined Seventh and Eighth Grade Chorus, performing a diverse repertoire of seasonal favorites and contemporary pieces under the direction of band instructor Joshua Hyssong.
Videos Below!
Check out the rest of the concert videos on WSSR-TV's Youtube page below!
Sanford Students Gain Experience at Rubb USA Manufacturing
When Anderson White, Spencer Jourdain, and Duncan Blanchard walk into Rubb USA in Sanford, they're not just students anymore. They're welders, fabricators, and professionals learning their trade alongside seasoned workers. For these three Sanford Regional Technical Center students, the transition from classroom to factory floor has been about more than earning a paycheck. It's been about discovering what they're capable of.
White was the first to make the leap, landing his position at Rubb last spring after interviews with Nate Bedell, Derek Gauvreau, and Eric Glidden.
By June, he was spending his summer fabricating legs and roofs for the metal buildings the company manufactures. Jourdain and Blanchard followed about a month and a half ago, joining their classmate from Adam Hartford's welding program on the factory floor.
Sights Around Our Schools
Carl J. Lamb Elementary
Carl J. Lamb Elementary second graders are diving deep into number patterns in Unit 3 of Reveal Math, exploring skip counting, even and odd numbers, arrays, and repeated addition. The young mathematicians are building on their place value skills and discovering the patterns that make math both fun and exciting. Click here for the school's newsletter.
Margaret Chase Smith Elementary
Margaret Chase Smith Elementary's 3rd and 4th grade Ukulele Club wrapped up their fall session with a fantastic performance at this month's assembly, showcasing their newly learned chords and strumming patterns. The young musicians demonstrated impressive hard work, focus, and teamwork that truly shined on stage. Click here for the school's newsletter.
Sanford Middle School
Sanford Middle School sixth graders Lyla Wells and Riley Penley helped coordinate a toy fundraiser for Barbara Bush Children's Hospital in memory of Chace Fromwiller. The school community rallied together with generous donations to honor Chace's memory and bring joy to children at the hospital. Click here for the school's newsletter.
Sanford Pride Elementary
Sanford Pride Elementary's Grade 2 Puzzle Club wrapped up this past week after a successful session of teamwork and fun. Each week, students gathered before school to work together on completing puzzles before the school day started, building collaboration skills and friendships along the way! Click here for the school's newsletter.
SRTC Student Wins Statewide Design Competition for SkillsUSA
Mastering Adobe Illustrator in her first year at Sanford Regional Technical Center's Digital Design program, Harley Robinson has already made a statewide impact.
She won the SkillsUSA branding competition with a design celebrating Maine's iconic sunsets and wildlife that will appear on everything from conference materials to promotional items. This marks the second consecutive year an SRTC student has claimed the top honor.
Robinson, a senior at Massabesic High School, drew inspiration from deep family roots in the Acadia National Park area and experiences working in Maine's farmers market community.
"I know a lot of people think of Maine as the sea life and oceans, but I wanted to really focus on something that a lot of Mainers really love, which is the sunsets and then the moose," Robinson said.
Sanford High School Inducts Five Into Athletics Hall of Honor
Sanford High School inducted five new members into its Athletics Hall of Honor on Saturday, November 29, during a ceremony at the Performing Arts Center that recognized decades of athletic excellence and community impact.
Keynote speaker David Woodsome (Class of 1965) opened the afternoon ceremony with a message about the ripple effects of kindness in athletics. Woodsome reflected on the moments that shaped his own athletic journey.
"Be grateful, pay it back and pass it on," he said. "Each one of you can reach out to someone who hasn't yet had that chance."
Sanford High School Hosts SMAA Leadership Summit
Sanford High School welcomed student-athletes and athletic administrators from the Southern Maine Activities Association for the SMAA Leadership Summit on Tuesday, December 9. The event, themed "Be the ONE: on the courts, fields, mats and life!," challenged students from all SMAA schools to rethink success, prioritize mental health, and develop authentic leadership skills. This marks the sixth consecutive year Sanford High School has hosted the summit.
Reese Beaudoin, Miranda Payeur, Gabe Phillips, Austin Kittredge, Colin Demers, Claire Pordon, Andrew Boissonneault, Lyla Fiandaca, Mattea Peters, Jaslinn Johnson, and Isaac Pelletier represented Sanford High School. For Pelletier, the summit offered a chance to develop skills he's still working to understand.
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 Ellie Hughes previewing Sanford High School's Unified basketball season.
Journalism or School Newspaper Enrichment courses. Below is an article written by Ellie Hughes previewing Sanford High School's Unified basketball season.
Inclement Weather Protocols
As winter approaches, we want to remind everyone of our weather-related protocols. When there is inclement weather, we work closely with local authorities, public works, transportation services, meteorologists, and nearby school districts to make informed decisions about school delays, early dismissals, or cancellations. Ensuring our students and staff’s safety is our top priority.
Our last day of school is currently scheduled for Tuesday, June 9th if we use no snow days; for every day that school is cancelled due to weather, we will add a make-up day starting with June 10th. If we have to use storm days beyond June 18th, we will plan to utilize remote school days.
Attendance During the Holiday Season
As we approach the busy holiday season, we want to remind you of the importance of regular school attendance. We know this time of year brings many celebrations, family gatherings, and traditions and we also know that every day your child is in school matters for their learning.
The weeks before and after holiday breaks are especially important learning times. Teachers are wrapping up key concepts before breaks and introducing new material afterward. When students miss these days, they can fall behind and struggle to catch up in January. Remember, missing just two days a month, even for seemingly good reasons, can impact your child's progress in reading and math.
We have several breaks built into our calendar specifically for family time and rest:
- December 24 - January 2, 2026 - Holiday Break
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)
Spend New Year's Eve with Chris Funk
What do you get when a magician picks up a violin? A show unlike anything you’ve seen before!
Set to start at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31 at Sanford Performing Arts Center, Chris Funk’s Redefining Wonder blends the art of illusion with the power of live music in a high-energy, multimedia experience that has wowed audiences across the globe.
Set to start at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31 at Sanford Performing Arts Center, Chris Funk’s Redefining Wonder blends the art of illusion with the power of live music in a high-energy, multimedia experience that has wowed audiences across the globe.
With instruments like violin, guitar, and saxophone woven into jaw-dropping illusions, Funk delivers a one-of-a-kind performance that’s as much a concert as it is a magic
show.
Read more here
show.
Read more here
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