Sanford Middle School

Sanford Middle School JMG students step outside the classroom for career exploration

April 30, 2026

Over the past six weeks, 7th and 8th grade Jobs for Maine's Graduates (JMG) students at Sanford Middle School took part in three career exploration experiences, giving them a firs...

Three Sanford Middle School Students Place in Top 11 of State Stock Market Game

April 30, 2026

Sanford Middle School had another strong showing in this year's statewide SIFMA Stock Market Game, with three students finishing in the top 11 in Maine. Billy Chaplain led the way...

Thursday 4/30 Announcements

April 30, 2026

SPORTS UPDATE: Due to the weather, we have some practice changes for today. Track and Field: No practice today Baseball: Will meet in the gym after dismissa...

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

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 ...

Wednesday 4/29 Announcements

April 29, 2026

*8th grade band and chorus students, permission slips for the USM field trip are due on Friday. If you need a new copy, please see Mr. Hyssong before then. *Mechanical Advant...

Tuesday 4/28 Announcements

April 28, 2026

*JMG Students attending the career and college exploration trip to YCCC today - report to Mrs. Houle's room when block 1 begins, after Spartan Time. ALL 8th Grade JMG students...

Monday 4/27 Announcements

April 27, 2026

*Tonight, ALL CAST AND CREW of the Wizard of Oz have dress rehearsal at the Sanford Performing Arts Center until 5:30. This is a mandatory, cannot miss event. The Cast & Crew ar...

Sanford Middle School's 7th grade students participated in the school's annual Junior Achievement in a Day event on Wednesday, April 15, bringing together community volunteers and students for a day of hands-on financial literacy learning. Volunteers came in to teach lessons about personal finance, drawing on their own professional experiences to bring the material to life. As Social Studies Department Chair Erin Barry noted, "The volunteers work for various local businesses and share their work experiences and knowledge about money management with students." Organizations represented included Machias Savings Bank, Kennebunk Savings Bank, Atlantic Credit Union, the Sanford Chamber of Commerce, Longfellow Hotel, and Moody's Collision. This year's program, Economics for Success, guided students through four key lessons over the course of the day. Rotating through sessions with a different volunteer for each, students learned about budgeting, the role of credit, how to pay for wants and needs, and how to plan for future income. One highlight came from Cari Qatar of the Sanford Chamber of Commerce, who led the Managing My Money unit. Her session drew creative parallels between managing time and managing money, sparked lively discussion about needs versus wants and short-term versus long-term goals, and got students thinking about their own financial futures. "The kids did a great job brainstorming ways middle-schoolers can earn money," Cari said. "They walked away realizing that making many small purchases add up and could affect their ability to buy something more meaningful down the line." Danielle Moody of Moody's Collision, who led the Planning For My Future Income unit, spoke to the lasting impact of the program. "Kids do look back on this learning opportunity and realize how important financial literacy is," she said. "Even though these sessions are only 45 minutes long, I do think the students take away a lot from them. It's really nice to share some of that terminology and help them understand." Junior Achievement in a Day is a wonderful example of what becomes possible when schools and their surrounding communities come together. Hearing directly from working professionals helps make financial concepts feel real and relevant in a way that goes beyond the classroom. A special thank you goes out to all of the volunteers, the teachers who helped organize and host sessions, and the Sanford Middle School staff who worked behind the scenes to make the day run smoothly.

Sanford Middle School 7th Graders Participate in Junior Achievement in a Day

April 21, 2026

Sanford Middle School's 7th grade students participated in the school's annual Junior Achievement in a Day event on Wednesday, April 15, bringing together community volunteers and...

Friday 4/17 Announcements

April 17, 2026

*Any Medallion student interested in attending a Hearts of Pine game on May 2nd should see Mrs. Cole in the Counseling office for a raffle ticket. All entries must be submitted by...

Thursday 4/16 Announcements

April 16, 2026

* Spirit week continues! Today is Funky Hat Day, tomorrow is color wars. 5th - NEON 6th- BLUE 7th - BLACK 8th- RED *All cast and crew have a mandatory Wizard of Oz You...

Wednesday 4/15 Announcments

April 15, 2026

*Spirit week continues! Today is Sports day! Tomorrow is Funky Hat Day, get Wacky! *Today is Jr. Achievement Day for 7th grade, there will be visitors in the building prese...

Tuesday 4/14 Announcements

April 14, 2026

Today is Hawaiian Day! Tomorrow is Sports day! *Tech Hub is open today from 8-9:00am. *Today is a 6th grade Chorus day. *Jazz Band will meet this afternoon aft...

Sanford Middle School Seventh Graders Research, Build, and Present in Biomes Unit

April 13, 2026

Sanford Middle School seventh graders recently wrapped up a seven-week science unit focused on global biomes, blending ecology research with hands-on building and real-world probl...

Monday 4/13 Announcements

April 13, 2026

*Today kicks off Spirit Week! Today is Pajama Day! Tomorrow is Hawaiian Day! *Cast & crew of Wizard of Oz edition should check Google classroom for an important announcement ...

Spirit Week 4/13 - 4/17

April 10, 2026

Join us for Spirit Week the week before break!

Friday 4/10 Announcements

April 10, 2026

Tech hub is closed today. Please see the spring sports practice schedule and locations below for Monday, April 13th: Softball and Baseball: 2:30–4:00 (Blouin Field) G...

Wednesday 4/8 Announcements

April 8, 2026

*Tech Hub is closed today. *First track practice is tomorrow after school from 2:30 -3:30. We will go over paperwork, make sure all are cleared to play and hand out information...

Tuesday 4/7 Announcements

April 7, 2026

*Mechanical Advantage Club meets today after school with Miss Nason. *Jazz Band will meet after school today. *Doctor Who club will be held today in Ms. Hanson's room...

On Thursday, March 19th, members of the Sanford Middle School Environmental Club traveled to Wolfe's Neck Farm for a hands-on look at sustainable farming. The tour began with a walk from the main lodge to the dairy farm area, taking in the ocean views and open fields along the way. Right away, the baby cows stole the show. Students learned that calves on the farm are separated by gender, with females given names and males assigned numbers. The reason? The females stay on to join the dairy herd, while the males eventually move on. There's even a fun naming tradition: when a calf is born, its name begins with the same letter as its mother's. So if mom is named Jasmine, her calf might be called Jane. From there, the group made their way to the milking room, where they watched the entire milking process from start to finish, including how the equipment works, how the milk is cleaned and collected, and how the operation runs so smoothly that the cows know their own spots and walk right to them each day. After leaving the dairy barn, students watched the calves being fed using a "Milk Bar," a device designed to mimic nursing from their mothers. The tour wrapped up with a visit to a greenhouse, where several beds of seeds were already beginning to sprout, and then to the petting barn. There, students mingled with goats, sheep, chickens, and a resident barn cat, all accompanied by the cheerful chirping of sparrows and starlings nesting among the rafters. The club would like to extend a huge thank you to Mr. Mastraccio for covering the entry fees to Wolfe's Neck Farm, and to Mr. Peterman for providing the van and gas for the trip. None of it would have been possible without their generosity!

Sanford Middle School Environmental Club Visits Wolfe's Neck Farm

April 6, 2026

On Thursday, March 19th, members of the Sanford Middle School Environmental Club traveled to Wolfe's Neck Farm for a hands-on look at sustainable farming. The tour began with a wa...

Monday 4/6 Announcements

April 6, 2026

*This afternoon’s rehearsal for the Wizard of Oz is being held at SPAC until 4:30. It is a full cast & crew call rehearsal. Students will be called down to the cafeteria to wait...