Woods Road Elementary School digs up time capsule left 8 years ago
By Kelly Velocci, Packet Media Group
In 2005, the fourth-grade students of Woods Road Elementary School wrote themselves a poem and a letter to be buried in a time capsule in the school’s garden.
The students were writing to their future selves.
Years flew by, and the future became the present when Hillsborough High School seniors dug up their time capsules June 12.
About 50 students came out to the event, curious to see what memories the time capsule held.
”It’s almost like coming full circle,” said Woods Road School’s Principal Jodi Howe.
The students gathered in the school’s garden as their fellow classmates, Garrett Dickinson and David Perez, grabbed shovels and began digging up fourth-grade memories. After a few minutes of work, the white plastic container was lifted from the ground.
The container was brought to the school’s field where current fourth-grade students watched the seniors read their letters.
Next week, the current fourth-grade students will continue the tradition and bury their own time capsules that will be resurrected in 2021.
Many of the seniors had no recollection of what they had written to themselves nearly eight years ago as they waited for the time capsule to be dug up.
Ethan Kravitz said he was trying to recall the memories, but said, “Nothing’s coming to me.”
Fellow classmate John Kral was unable to remember what he had written in his letter.
”I’m surprised we hit this point. Time went by so fast,” he said.
For other students, writing their letters didn’t feel like a distant memory.
”Now that I’m in high school, it doesn’t feel like it was that long ago,” Jill Rothblatt said. “It’s so surreal. Everything’s so different — the friends I had and my interests.”
Maeve McCracken said she recalled sitting in her fourth-grade classroom writing about her favorite things. Maeve laughed as she read her letter that listed Big Macs as her favorite food.
The students’ letters included their favorite foods, activities and future aspirations.
Katie Press said she had written about becoming an author or an actress. Today, she intends to pursue a degree in social studies secondary education.
For students who had left the district’s school system, the opening of the time capsules allowed them to catch up with old friends.
Allison Corchado, an Immaculata High School senior, said it was nice to come back and see her former schoolmates. Allison’s time capsule letter didn’t make it through the eight-year burial and was ruined by deterioration. But that didn’t ruin the enjoyment of catching up with old classmates, she said.
The students’ former teachers also came out to celebrate the event.
Dina Stoff, a fourth-grade teacher at Woods Road, taught the students in third grade. She said it was nice having her old students come back and visit.
As the Hillsborough seniors face graduation tonight, the event enabled them to pause and reflect on what has changed and what will come next.
Ms. Howe said it is important to continue the Woods Road tradition so the students can see how their lives have changed over the years.