Sanford Regional Technical Center honored students and achievements at their annual Recognition Night Ceremony held Thursday, May 21, at Partners Bank Gymnasium.
SRTC Director Matt Petermann welcomed families and guests to the celebration. The evening began by recognizing SRTC Administrative Assistant Darlene Breton, who was named the 2026 Maine Principals' Association Administrative Assistant of the Year for her dedication and service to the school community.
Director Petermann and Assistant Director Michael Redmond presented awards for the SkillsUSA and National Technical Honor Society programs, recognizing students who demonstrated excellence in technical skills competitions and maintained high academic standards. Petermann reflected on the broader meaning of the evening: "I get goosebumps watching our students every single day. Not because of what they built or coded or designed, which is remarkable, but because of the people they are becoming."
The night also featured scholarship presentations to students, supported by generous community partners including the Cameron Mahoney Memorial Scholarship fund, the Dearborn Foundation, MACTE, Maine Blue Collar, the Melmac Education Foundation, the Nasson Alumni Association, the Sanford-Springvale Chamber of Commerce, the Sanford Springvale Rotary, SkillsUSA, Springvale Village Car Wash, the Town Fair Tire Foundation, and the York County Early Childhood Coalition. (Click here for the complete list of students who received scholarships)
One of the evening's highlights was the Student of the Year recognition, an honor that involves a comprehensive selection process including nominations, student applications, and interviews with a selection committee.
Sofia Sharood, a Kennebunk High School junior in SRTC's brand-new Sports Medicine program, was named the 2026 Student of the Year. This year alone, Sofia earned four professional certifications, participated in emergency response simulations, interned with the Kennebunk athletic training staff, organized her school's Healthcare Club Blood Drive, and volunteered as a tour guide at SRTC's Sports Medicine Open House. This spring she joined NTHS and earned a Bronze medal in Career Pathways Health at SkillsUSA Maine.
Other Student of the Year finalists included Whitney Borenstein and Zoe Davidson from Health Occupations at Massabesic High School, Rowan Berounsky-Porter from the EMT program at Marshwood High School, Heidi Smith from Baking and Pastry, Connor Wilcox from Electrical Wiring, Alex Janousek from Precision Manufacturing at Sanford High School, Esme Gori from the Academy of Business at Marshwood High School, Rowan Rhodes from Agriculture Enterprise & Environmental Systems at Traip Academy, Gabriel Hatfield from Engineering & Architecture Design at Wells High School, Braeden Landry from Video Production at Sanford High School, Conor Grogg from Engineering Technologies at Marshwood High School, Mair Clarke from Digital Design at York High School, and Gianni Carreria from Automotive Technology at Massabesic High School.
The ceremony also recognized students for perfect attendance, presented by Student Services Counselor Deanna Farrell, and celebrated academic achievement with special recognition for students graduating with honors, graduating with high honors, and National Technical Honor Society membership.
Following the major awards, SRTC instructors presented recognition certificates to students across all technical programs.
The evening's program was designed by SRTC Digital Design student Kira Thompson, Class of 2027. Director Petermann closed the evening with a message for the crowd: "I want to thank all of the parents, family and friends for attending. We always appreciate your support. Good luck to the class of 2026."