The Sanford High School Performing Arts Center has a new Allen & Heath digital mixing console, thanks to a generous gift from the Gerard and Gertrude Genest Charitable Trust, and the upgrade is already making a difference for students, staff, and audiences alike. The foundation reached out to the school, asking simply what was needed. Brett Williams, Director of the Sanford Performing Arts Center, said the answer came down to sound. The center had been working with a soundboard installed when the building opened in 2018, one that wasn't quite built for the scale of programming the center has grown into. "Most high school Performing Arts Centers don't really take the room out for a ride the way we do," Williams said. "We're bringing in national tours, doing the Newsies mix with 25 wireless microphones plus 15 inputs for the orchestra, and bringing in tribute acts and big bands that require a really great live mix. We weren't able to provide that." The gift addressed two needs at once. The center's outgoing Soundcraft board was repurposed for the cafetorium at Sanford Middle School, which already had quality ceiling speakers but no way to connect a microphone to them. Pro AV completed the full installation over April vacation, giving the middle school a functioning audio system for the first time. "This will be a big help for presentations, small assemblies, faculty meetings, parent nights, the talent show, theatre company, and so much more," said Sanford Middle School Principal Joe Mastraccio. "We kind of hit two targets with one shot," Williams said. "This gift allowed us to fix the deficiencies at the Sanford Middle School Cafeteria at the same time that we're fixing the deficiency with the soundboard at the Performing Arts Center. It was exactly what we needed." Williams said the new board is the right tool for the job. he said. "This Allen & Heath board is appropriate for what we need, and it does it with excellence. It's what we need to continue the quality of programming that we're bringing here." The board arrived just two weeks before Newsies opened, so the school brought in a sound engineer already familiar with the Allen & Heath model, to train students and staff before opening night. Williams called the experience a learning curve worth climbing. "It really brings us up to where we should be with our capabilities with mixing sound,” he said. For Williams, the gift reflects something larger than a single piece of equipment. The Genest family has remained a consistent presence at the Performing Arts Center and continues to check in on what the school needs next. "When they reach out to say, 'What do you need now? What's the next step for the Performing Arts Center?' It means a lot to have neighbors and community who understand what we're doing here," Williams said. "We're really grateful for their generosity."

Performing Arts Center, Sanford Middle School Turn Up the Volume Thanks to Genest Family Gift

Sanford School Department

April 29, 2026

The Sanford High School Performing Arts Center has a new Allen & Heath digital mixing console, thanks to a generous gift from the Gerard and Gertrude Genest Charitable Trust, and the upgrade is already making a difference for students, staff, and audiences alike.

The foundation reached out to the school, asking simply what was needed. Brett Williams, Director of the Sanford Performing Arts Center, said the answer came down to sound. The center had been working with a soundboard installed when the building opened in 2018, one that wasn't quite built for the scale of programming the center has grown into.

"Most high school Performing Arts Centers don't really take the room out for a ride the way we do," Williams said. "We're bringing in national tours, doing the Newsies mix with 25 wireless microphones plus 15 inputs for the orchestra, and bringing in tribute acts and big bands that require a really great live mix. We weren't able to provide that."

The gift addressed two needs at once. The center's outgoing Soundcraft board was repurposed for the cafetorium at Sanford Middle School, which already had quality ceiling speakers but no way to connect a microphone to them. Pro AV completed the full installation over April vacation, giving the middle school a functioning audio system for the first time.

"This will be a big help for presentations, small assemblies, faculty meetings, parent nights, the talent show, theatre company, and so much more," said Sanford Middle School Principal Joe Mastraccio.

"We kind of hit two targets with one shot," Williams said. "This gift allowed us to fix the deficiencies at the Sanford Middle School Cafeteria at the same time that we're fixing the deficiency with the soundboard at the Performing Arts Center. It was exactly what we needed."

Williams said the new board is the right tool for the job. "This Allen & Heath board is appropriate for what we need, and it does it with excellence. It's what we need to continue the quality of programming that we're bringing here."

The board arrived just two weeks before Newsies opened, so the school brought in a sound engineer already familiar with the Allen & Heath model, to train students and staff before opening night. Williams called the experience a learning curve worth climbing.

"It really brings us up to where we should be with our capabilities with mixing sound,” he said.

For Williams, the gift reflects something larger than a single piece of equipment. The Genest family has remained a consistent presence at the Performing Arts Center and continues to check in on what the school needs next.

"When they reach out to say, 'What do you need now? What's the next step for the Performing Arts Center?' It means a lot to have neighbors and community who understand what we're doing here," Williams said. "We're really grateful for their generosity."