CONTINENTAL, Ohio (WLIO) — Continental Elementary School took a step back in time this morning, celebrating the opening of a time capsule from 25 years ago.
The capsule was buried during a building expansion in 2000, and today, students, staff, and even former teachers and classmates returned to see what was inside. Items from 2000 were put on display, and students watched old videos, spotting some familiar faces. They also compared classroom tools then and now — with many current students not recognizing technology from 25 years ago, like the overhead projector. Students created a poster showing what they’d include in a new time capsule, which the school plans to make this year and open again in 2050.
“All the kids talked about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. They talked about Labubu dolls. Bluey was in there, Stranger Things, you know, popular TV shows and songs that they like. They talked about Starbucks and Applebee’s and different restaurants they go to. So that was definitely cool to see the transition from then to now,” said Sydney Brecht, fifth grade teacher.
“It’s awesome that I was able to be here even 25 years ago. I was a preschool teacher, so I had my students put items in the time capsule, and then to still be here and to have the opportunity to spend some time with former colleagues was amazing,” said Tracy Potts, principal of Continental Elementary School.
Students were surprised at how different life was just 25 years ago.
Your News Now asked, "What would it be like if you had to do everything on paper and pencil?" Fifth grader Wade Branham said, “Well, first off, I know everyone would get hand cramps really easily.”
“Well, they didn’t have games, and they didn’t have whiteboards. They had chalkboards, and a lot of teachers were young back then,” said Cece Schnipke, a second grader.
If you’d like to check out the fifth and sixth-grade time capsule videos from 2000, you can visit the Continental Schools YouTube page.
