The Sanford Elks Lodge hosted its annual Youth Banquet on Wednesday, May 6, bringing together students, families, and community members for an evening dedicated to celebrating academic achievement across Sanford's schools. This year's event recognized outstanding students from Sanford Middle School, Sanford Regional Technical Center, and Sanford High School.
Sanford Middle School was well represented, with Sophia O'Connell and Eamon McGuckin-Welsch both named Junior Student of the Year. Seeing younger students recognized for their early commitment to excellence is always a welcomed part of the evening.
At Sanford Regional Technical Center, two students were honored for their achievements in career and technical programs. Olivia Adornetto was recognized in Early Childhood Education, and Alex Janousek was honored in Precision Manufacturing.
For Olivia, the experience included a hands-on internship working directly with children, one that clearly left a lasting impression. "In that moment more than ever, I knew I had a purpose," she said.
Sanford High School's individual honors were equally impressive. Valedictorian Isabella McCall was named Student of the Year, while Teen of the Year honors were shared by Annalise Stimmell, the class salutatorian, and Matthew Hebert. This fall, Matthew will attend New England College to major in special education and play baseball.
The banquet has long been a signature moment for Sanford High School's senior class, and this year was no different. Fifty academically ranked seniors were honored throughout the evening, with the top 10 introduced individually and recognized for their achievements. Isabella McCall and Annalise Stimmell lead that group and will both attend St. Joseph's College of Maine in the fall.
Rounding out the top 10, Hannah Labbe will attend Bentley University, Leah Soucy will study psychology at Colby College, and Addison Gendreau will pursue speech pathology at Duquesne University. Lily Gillis will study ecology and environmental sciences at the University of Maine Orono, Ava Hudson will play soccer and study business at New England College, and Kai Hamblin will attend York County Community College. Alex Janousek will study precision machining at Southern Maine Community College, and Isabella Tounge will pursue cosmetology at Empire Beauty School.
These students, along with all those recognized throughout the evening, carry with them the pride and support of their families, teachers, and the entire community.