School Notes

218 4 minutes read

Yellow tulips brighten the day at Sanford Middle School on May 16 as student groups celebrate hope during Mental Health Awareness Month.

Photo: Sanford School Department

Compiled by Carolyn Cadigan

SMS Yellow Tulip Project gives hope: On May 16, Sanford Middle School’s Sources of Strength peer leaders brought together student leaders, Civil Rights Team members, Jobs for Maine Graduates participants, and classes of sixth and seventh graders at the school’s flagpole to celebrate hope and mental health awareness. The Yellow Tulip Project is a suicide prevention effort designed for Mental Health Awareness Month that uses the symbolism of yellow tulips to represent hope during difficult times.

In October, when it was dark and cold, SMS students planted tulip bulbs. Months later, their bright yellow flowers finally bloomed, bringing hope to the school community. Colleen Quartararo, school counselor, spoke to the gathered students about the importance of helping one another during struggles, checking in on peers, talking to trusted adults, and remembering to have hope when things feel tough. The blooming tulips serve as a metaphor for how difficult mental health struggles like depression, anxiety, or thoughts of suicide can improve with help, support and growth, moving from darkness into a more positive place. Read the full story here.

SCAE has fun in store for toddlers: Sanford Community Adult Education is hosting Toddler Splash Day on June 5, 9 – 11 am, giving toddlers a chance to play, learn and make new friends. FMI, call 207-490-5145.

Summer food program to provide meals to children and teens: The School Nutrition Program from the Sanford School Department is again sponsoring the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program. Open to children and teens ages 18 and under, the program has no eligibility or registration requirements. Nutritious, no-cost meals will be available Monday through Friday, June 17 to Aug. 8, at the following locations and times:

Carl J. Lamb Elementary School, Sanford High School, Sanford Middle School and Sanford Pride Elementary School–Breakfast 7:30 – 8:30 am; Lunch 11:00 am – noon
Curtis Lake Church – Breakfast 7:30 – 8:30 am; Lunch 11:45 am – 12:30 pm
YMCA –Breakfast7:30 – 8:30 am; Lunch 11:00 – 11:45 am
Springvale Playground –Breakfast 8:45 – 9:15 am; Lunch 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
Carpentier Park –Lunch 11:15 – 11:45 am

FMI, call the School Nutrition Office at 207-608-8762.

FAME class teaches high school students money management: There are still spots available for the Personal Finance Summer Institute, a free class offered by the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) for Maine high school students. The class, open to rising ninth to twelfth graders, will be held July 21 to 25 at Waynflete School in Portland. Instructors will teach personal finance topics such as budgeting, taxes, saving, investing and more. FMI, email Steve Kautz at skautz@famemaine.com or register here.

Elementary school students who are part of the Walking School Bus Program board the bus to school.

Photo: Sanford School Department

CJL joins Walking School Bus Program: Building on the success of Sanford Pride Elementary School’s (SPE) program, Carl J. Lamb Elementary School (CJL) has launched its own version of the Walking School Bus Program. In a collaborative effort, CJL and SPE have combined resources and volunteers to serve students in the Brook Street and Lafayette Street neighborhood. The location was selected based on two factors: the number of students at the bus stop and the walkability and proximity of the neighborhood.

Every morning, volunteers gather students from concentrated neighborhoods like Spruce Street, creating walking groups that promote both safety and community connection. “We have some kids who just have rough mornings, and it’s a good way for them to start their day,” said Leah Marks, outreach coordinator for the Sanford School Department. “We have a lot of working parents. We have parents who have multiple bus stops and multiple kids, but they’re super receptive.”

The walking component naturally promotes healthy living, but the program goes beyond simple exercise. Students engage in activities like jumping rope and hula-hooping while waiting, with equipment donated by community supporters. What sets the program apart is its focus on family engagement and community building. Some parents choose to walk with the group, creating opportunities for school staff to build relationships with families.

Root, root, root for the home team and help a local school: St. Thomas School and the Sanford Mainers are holding a fundraiser on June 6, 6:30 pm, at Goodall Park — Opening Day for the Mainers. Mention St. Thomas School upon arrival and 50 percent of the ticket cost will be donated to the school. Students will be invited to participate in games between innings with Broose D’Moose and Boomer. Tickets cost $7 each, regardless of age.

Looking for your next page-turner? The library at Sanford Community Adult Education has books for the taking. Stop in to visit, relax and explore the library and its offerings.

SHS students explore the health field up close and personal: Sanford High School (SHS) students had the opportunity to gain some hands-on health care experience on May 20 on a Doc 4 a Day field trip. A collaboration between Tufts University School of Medicine and Southern Maine Health Care, the field trip provided the students with information about the health care field, various types of careers available, and the chance to work with medical students. The SHS sophomores, juniors and seniors in attendance performed such tasks as applying stitches on fake skin and practicing simulations with mannequins that had a pulse and heart rate and could breathe and blink. Read the complete story here in The Spartan Times.

Happy Birthday, Head Start! York County Head Start & Early Head Start turns 60 this year. Head Start began in 1965 as a program to fight poverty and has grown into a national model supporting children and families — from classrooms to communities — with early learning, health and nutrition, and family support. In 2025, about 750,000 infants, toddlers and preschool children across the country will receive Head Start services. FMI on York County Community Action Corporation Head Start & Early Head Start, go here.