Sanford Middle School hosted its annual Penny Drive assembly on Tuesday morning, where students and faculty members gathered to contribute to a worthy cause.
This year, the school raised over $3,500 in its annual fundraiser, which has been a tradition since 2012.
During the assembly, students were treated to a special guest, Katie Osmer from Sanford, who spoke about the power of kindness and how small acts can profoundly impact someone’s life.
Katie was the recipient of this year’s Pay it Forward Penny Drive, which Sanford Middle School’s JMG students organize. The middle school nominates a person who is not a Sanford Middle School student or staff member but lives in the community or a surrounding area.
“You have the power to shape and grow your future,” Katie said during her speech. “And as you continue with your day, I hope you choose to include kindness because of it. To strive to be the best version of yourself inside and outside of the classroom.”
The entire school was in attendance to witness Katie’s speech. They were attentive and respectful throughout the whole assembly.
Months before the assembly, the JMG students run a competition to raise money to pay it forward to someone in the community. Katie was chosen to receive the funds, which was a complete surprise to her. The money raised for Katie was to help her get prepared to become a teacher.
The person nominated is typically someone who has maintained a positive and kind attitude regardless of circumstances.
“Every single one of us has a choice to wake up and make each day a great day,” Katie said. “To be kind and mindful of others. When you try your hardest, you can truly do anything you want to. No matter where you are, there’s always something you can do to help someone out.”
Katie recently graduated from Sanford Community Adult Education and will also be the student speaker at SCAE’s graduation on June 14.
The school and community are grateful for the continued generosity and kindness demonstrated by Sanford Middle School’s students and faculty members.
You can watch the assembly on WSSR-TV’s YouTube page at this link: https://youtu.be/YTY74opR9wg
Below are links to previous assemblies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqQbMwkFLtY&t=589s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAEVA-dxKEM&t=1076s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MUe2B4qwEk
You can also watch a WGME’s coverage of the 2017 assembly at this link.