Congratulations to Oak Ridge 5th grader Will Terry, who on Friday was the winner of the 2025-26 Oak Ridge Spelling Bee! Will was one of ten school-wide finalists who competed in a challenging final competition. After over an hour long battle with 2nd and 3rd place finishers, 4th grader Addie Miller and 6th grader Lily Joakim, Will's winning word was "labyrinth." Will will go on to represent Oak Ridge in a regional qualifier of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The Spelling Bee was broadcast from the Multi-Purpose Room into all Oak Ridge Classrooms, so students could cheer on their friends and classmates. Many thanks to ELA Instructional Coaches Shannon Bechard and Lynne Phinney for organizing this fun and educational opportunity!

Congratulations to the Sandwich Middle High School DECA Team who last week earned twenty-five medals and recognized sixteen medalists at the District 8 Massachusetts DECA Conference at the Emerald Resort in Hyannis! Eight members qualified for the Massachusetts DECA State Career Development Conference in March. They are:

Breanna Prindle (1st place, Food Marketing)

Livvy Frost (3rd place, Principles of Finance)

Cotter Bolton (4th place, Principles of Business Management)

Ethan Fife (4th place, Food Marketing)

Joey Watters (4th place, Accounting Applications)

Abbie Cotter (5th place, Accounting Applications)

Ty Creighton (5th place, Business Finance)

Jenna Fay (5th place, Entrepreneurship)

DECA is a state-wide and national student club that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in the fields of marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. Kudos to all SMHS students who competed!

This week marked the beginning of a new administrative team at the Oak Ridge School. Dr. Anna Dunphy assumed the role of Principal of the Oak Ridge School on Monday. Dr. Dunphy has admirably served for the past six and a half years as an Assistant Principal at Oak Ridge. During her tenure she has led data-driven practices to monitor student academic outcomes and improve instruction. As Assistant Principal she has also skillfully partnered with staff and families to best meet students’ academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs in numerous contexts.

Sandwich Middle High School PE/Health Teacher Matthew MacLean has been appointed as an Assistant Principal at Oak Ridge. During the last year and a half Mr. MacLean has served as an administrative intern at SMHS, overseeing daily school operations, managing student discipline and behavior interventions, and supporting school-wide initiatives. As an educator in our district for the past nine years, Mr. MacLean has earned a fine reputation as a fair and child-centered teacher and coach. He will join Dr. Mary Kate Stevens in the assistant principal role.

Best of luck to this forward-thinking and dynamic leadership team for the Oak Ridge community!

If you are interested in a high-quality Pre-K program for your 3 or 4 year child during the 2026-27 school year, please consider joining the staff of the Sandwich Integrated Preschool at the Forestdale School for Open Houses on either January 28 from 10:00 am-12 noon or February 4 from 4:00-6:00 pm. The experienced and professional Pre-K staff offer children the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe, nurturing environment. For more information, please contact Integrated Preschool Coorinator Suzanne Perdigao at (508) 477-6600, X-4723 or via email at sperdigao@sandwich.k12.ma.us.

It was a banner night last night at Gallo Arena, as the Sandwich Middle High School Boys Hockey Team took on Plymouth North for the annual Veterans Appreciation Night to honor those who served. In addition to winning the game, 4-2, the team was paid a visit by NBA legend Charles Barkley, who gave the boys a pre-game pep talk in the locker room!