What began as a simple observation of Sanford Middle School’s grounds soon evolved into a dynamic yearlong collaboration between Sanford students, staff, and community businesses and organizations to beautify the school’s campus.
Noticing that the landscaping surrounding the school’s entrance needed revitalization, Diana Allen, Life and Environmental Science teacher at SMS, enlisted her students to take on the task. As they began to work, it became clear that the need was too great for a simple afternoon project, leading Diana to approach Jennifer Coverdale, Agriculture Instructor at Sanford Regional Technical Center, who brought her students on board to help.
Together, they cleaned up the school’s exterior landscaping by trimming the bushes, moving plants to the flag garden, weeding, adding gravel, and rebuilding the stone retaining wall outside the building. The students worked as a team, with Jennifer’s students guiding their younger peers and sharing their skills along the way. The project gave the students opportunities to practice collaboration and mentorship, develop resilience as they worked through setbacks, and gain tangible firsthand experience with hardscaping and construction through a meaningful outdoor learning experience.
For Amelia, one of Jennifer’s senior students, the experience strengthened the group’s relationships with each other. “This project was one of the components that allowed us to become so close,” she said. Another student, Esther, added candidly with a laugh, “it really forced us to work together.”
Jennifer praised her students’ commitment and perseverance, especially as the project stretched into the final days of the school year. “While other high school students were winding down and cleaning their classrooms in the last few days of school, mine were out in the 90 degree heat packing stone dust and leveling bricks!” she said. Many of her students grew up in Sanford and cherish memories of their own time at SMS, she noted, making the opportunity to collaborate with Diana and her students even more meaningful.
The project didn’t end there. Feeling there was more work to be done, Diana and fellow SMS staff members banded together to weed and refresh the flower beds and surrounding landscaping, donating their time over the summer break to prepare the campus for the start of school.
Their efforts were supported by the generosity of Matthew Brock at Springvale Hardware & Paint, who provided soil and mums at a significantly reduced price. Brock, who bought the business in January of last year, finds joy in contributing to the broader community, and welcomed the opportunity to support SMS. “As the new owner of a third generation business in town, I have quite the legacy to live up to and would like to have as much positive impact on the community as possible,” he commented.
The mums were planted in the flower beds at the front of the school and in a garden near the building’s corner, where Diana and her students added signs they created to thank Springvale Hardware & Paint for its support.
The summer landscaping effort brought together a dedicated group of staff and students who all donated their time. Sanford Middle School raised its Honor Flag in recognition of their contributions during the first week of school. Read more about their Honor Flag ceremony here.
Now, SMS staff are working to form a gardening club at SMS, with the garden beds receiving care from a faithful crew of students and staff in the meantime. They hope to expand their efforts through a partnership with the Southern Maine Garden Club, which connected them with Diana Huffman from Chill Hill Flowers to source affordably-priced bulbs to add alongside the mums.
The transformation of SMS’s grounds is a testament to what Sanford school communities can accomplish when students, staff, and community members come together with a shared goal of caring for their school. From rebuilding a retaining wall to planting flowers, the project reflects the generosity, service, and commitment of all those who helped make SMS a more welcoming space for students to return to each week.