Sanderson will be hosting their 50th Anniversary celebration. The events begin Thursday, September 27 and last through Friday, September 28. On Thursday, beginning at 5:30 p.m., current high school students will lead tours around the school for Spartan alums. Following the tours, a panel will be held with all of Sanderson’s former head principals. The panel will offer a look into the past and how the school functioned 50 years ago. After the panel, a reception will be held in the gym lobby.

The tailgate and football game will be on Friday, September 28. The current Student and Alumni Carnival is a fantastic event with many local food trucks and student booths. This event will showcase the wonderful community spirit reflected at Sanderson. At 7 p.m., Spartan fans will gather in the stadium to watch Sanderson take on Leesville Road High School. The theme for the football game is a “retro/red out” so past students can show off their own high school style.

Fifty different posters will be scattered throughout the school, each one spotlighting a graduate from each of the 49 graduated classes. These posters will continue to hang in the halls after the celebration, inspiring the current and future students who will walk by them every day.

Mrs. Pettiford was responsible for organizing the Spotlight Student posters and said, “I hope to inspire current and future students to dream big about their possibilities by looking to the lives of people who walked these same halls. Honorees were nominated by peers and selected for making a positive impact on their community. No matter what they’ve chosen as a vocation or lifestyle, these alumni have stayed classy.”

Sanderson hopes that for past students, the celebration will be a time to reconnect with long lost friends and recall what life was like almost 50 years ago. For current and future students, they hope that it will be an impactful experience that will teach them the value of Sanderson.