Fourteen Sanford Regional Technical Center students were celebrated during a breakfast hosted by the Sanford-Springvale Rotary Club. The event, held in SRTC's café, featured a meal prepared and provided by students in the culinary arts program. The breakfast honored nominees for SRTC's Student of the Year award, giving Rotary members the opportunity to meet these students and give special recognition.
SRTC Director Matthew Petermann introduced each nominee with personalized comments from their instructors. Students from programs including Health Occupations, EMT, Precision Manufacturing, Engineering and Architectural Design, Automotive Technology, Electrical Wiring, Video Production, Digital Design, Agricultural Enterprise, Academy of Business, Baking and Pastry, and Sports Medicine were represented among the nominees.
The breakfast showcased impressive student accomplishments. Braeden Landry, a Sanford senior in Video Production, earned a gold medal in Digital Cinema Production at SkillsUSA Maine and plans to take his talents to a four-year college. Alex Janousek, a Sanford senior in Precision Manufacturing, plans to pursue a degree in engineering and precision manufacturing after high school.
Among those honored was Sofia Sharood, a Kennebunk student in the Sports Medicine program, who was named the 2026 SRTC Student of the Year. Sharood joined the program during its inaugural year and quickly made it her own. She plans to study osteopathic medicine and athletic training at Penn College. Sharood will join recipients from Maine's 26 other Career and Technical Education centers at a statewide recognition ceremony.
Below is the list of the SRTC students nominated for Student of the Year who were recognized by the Sanford-Springvale Rotary:
Heidi Smith — Baking and Pastry (Homeschool)
Rowan Berounsky-Porter — Emergency Medical Technician (Marshwood)
Zoe Davidson — Health Occupations (Massabesic)
Whitney Borenstein — Health Occupations (Massabesic)
Esme Gori — Academy of Business (Marshwood)
Connor Grogg — Engineering & Robotics (Marshwood)
Gianni Carreria — Automotive Technology (Massabesic)
Mair Clarke — Digital Design (York)
Braeden Landry — Video Production (Sanford)
Alex Janousek — Precision Manufacturing (Sanford)
Gabriel Hatfield — Engineering & Architectural Design (Wells)
Rowan Rhodes — Agricultural Enterprise & Environmental Systems (Traip Academy)
Conner Wilcox — Electrical Wiring (Homeschool)