A Message from Mark Anderson & Jaime Morgan

Over the past decade, Sanford has evolved in many ways. Our enrollment has grown from 570 students to a projected 700 students in 2025-26. Sanford’s talented faculty and staff have never been more dedicated and creative in their work with students, and the school’s endowment has nearly doubled from $7M to $13M. Sanford’s idyllic campus has been tremendously improved, with over a dozen building projects completed in the last dozen-plus years.

However, the area that gives me the most pride, and I hope will be an enduring legacy of my headship, is the work we have done as a school to create an inclusive community that celebrates each student. At the core of Sanford’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts is our Board-approved Statement on Diversity, which has been reviewed and revised a number of times over recent years. Sanford’s Mission and Diversity Statement continue to serve as the north star for our work with our students.

For nearly 95 years, Sanford has been a welcoming school with a diverse student body. For much of our history, Sanford has promoted a welcoming and diverse community. While some schools have come to this work more recently, Sanford has included DEI work as a key focus area in each of our last four Strategic Plans (2004, 2013, 2018, and 2023). We’re proud of the steps we have taken and our institutional and programmatic commitments to cultivate each community member’s sense of belonging.

The national conversation surrounding DEI has become politicized and polarized; however, Sanford’s mission of living humanely is not. Celebrating human dignity, creating spaces where all of our students feel a sense of belonging, and developing the skills to have courageous and respectful dialogue requires a conscious, intentional, and thoughtful effort from all members of the school. It is about creating environments where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. This requires empathy, compassion, patience, and the willingness to listen to and respect one another.

Regardless of the political landscape, our mission is constant, and it will always shape and define who we are as an institution: one that cares deeply about its members and centers the humanity of each individual. The inherent dignity and worth of each human being will never be a matter of debate in our Sanford community.

As school leaders, we believe DEI improves the experience for all community members. When we create a school that is diverse in all ways, equitable for all students, families, and faculty/staff, and inclusive and welcoming for all people, we all win. Our work continues and will continue to make us stronger and better.

Warmly,