65 years ago a small copper box was used as a time capsule at the Gander Academy. Recently, the box has been discovered and the mysteries of its contents were revealed. (Martin Jones / CBC)
It was 1957. Frisbee had just been invented. The Soviets had launched Sputnik into space, and Elvis Presley was shocked to reach No. 1 on the music charts.
In the city of Gander, NL, students and staff at Gander Academy filled a small copper box with tokens and treasures, newspaper clippings, and letters with the intent of capturing what life was like at the time. That copper box was built in the cornerstone of the school.
Hidden in the cornerstone of the school, Gander Academy staff discover a time capsule sealed in 1957. The capsule was found before the building was demolished. (Gander Academy)
More than six decades later, this building has now disappeared and been replaced by a new modern facility. The time capsule was found and stored, but the contents remained a mystery throughout the school year. Director Collett Kelly acknowledged that the anticipation for the big event was high.
“Opening the time capsule was very exciting,” Kelly said. “The kids’ eyes were bright. It was pretty awesome.”
Gander Academy deputy director Tracy Templeman, left, and director Collett Kelly, decided to present the time capsule at the year-end assembly. Like their students, they were eager to see what was inside the 65-year-old box. (Collett Kelly)
The plan was to mark the end of the first year at the new school with a great presentation of the time capsule. Deputy director Tracy Templeman admits that waiting to see what was hidden inside allowed the imagination to be wanted.
“I think since those students were with us last year when we found the box,” Templeman said, “they anticipated for a whole year what might be inside.”
3rd ESO student Emma Lacour presented the time capsule presentation ceremony. She admits she was nervous speaking in front of a crowd for the first time. (Collett Kelly)
One of these students was Emma LaCour, a 3rd grader who was selected to lead the presentation. Emma admits she was nervous about work.
“Yeah, I was really scared,” Lacour said. “I had never spoken to a large crowd before. I thought I was going to get my words dirty or something.”
She didn’t. He introduced experienced officials, including Health Minister John Haggie and Gander Mayor Percy Farwell.
After some speeches and an enthusiastic performance of the official Gander Academy song by the school choir, the time capsule finally opened.
All eyes were fixed on a small flat rectangular box covered with an intense green and black patina. As they slowly lifted the roof, its interior shone with a bright copper that reflected the fluorescent lights of the gym.
He felt a shudder from the students waiting impatiently to see what was inside. Some were sitting a few feet away, while others watched from their classrooms on TV screens. Some teachers and staff filmed the presentation with their smartphones.
Everything was in stark contrast to what viewers would have been doing 65 years ago, when the box was originally closed.
A section of The Daily News was found inside the time capsule of the Gander Academy. It is dated Wednesday, June 19, 1957. (Martin Jones / CBC)
The content served as a time machine until an era when a new Pontiac would cost you only $ 2,794 and a new pair of shoes sold for $ 2.98. There was a yellowish copy of The Daily News with images of world events. Buried under the paper, students discovered a photograph of a school hockey team with young men wearing Hunt Memorial Academy T-shirts. A quick Google search allowed viewers to remember that this was the name of the school before changing it to Gander Academy. There was also a collection of coins, some dated before Newfoundland became a province of Canada.
A school paper shows a school hockey team with shirts from Hunt Memorial Academy. This was the name of the school before it was renamed Gander Academy in the 1950s. (Martin Jones / CBC)
The excitement for the time capsule was not limited to just those at the Gander Academy. According to principal Kelly, the presentation, which was streamed live on the school’s social media pages, became a community event.
“It was amazing how people had joined because they wanted to see it and see it live,” Kelly said. “It was big business for the city of Gander.”
The Gander Academy has created a new time capsule that will open in 2097. It contains items from each class and some facial masks as a reminder of COVID-19. (Martin Jones / CBC)
The tradition of the time capsule will continue at Gander Academy. Now a new one has been created, this one made of plastic tubes instead of copper. As for what’s inside, director Kelly gave some clues.
“So we asked each class to put two items in the time capsule,” Kelly explains. “We hope that, with the help of the teacher, it corresponds to the children themselves. I know one of the teachers put a spinner.”
What would a 2022 time capsule be without something related to COVID-19? After all, for most current Gander Academy students, learning under the restrictions of COVID is all they know. Deputy Director Templeman says some COVID items have been included, including a face mask.
“We’re the first group of students in a very, very long time who have really experienced a pandemic,” Templeman said. “So it was also very exciting, to put it in there. And I think they expect it to be kept forever.”
The new Gander Academy opened in 2021. It is a modern facility built on the same site as the original school. (Gander Academy)
There are no cornerstones at the new school, but staff have already secured a safe place for the time capsule. It will be safely hidden inside a glass display case, out of sight, in the front lobby of the school. Its content will remain secret until its official presentation in 75 years. Director Kelly wonders if she should leave a note to make sure they find her.
“I won’t be here, but I hope they find him,” Kelly jokes. “I have to record it somewhere in the school before I leave that the time capsule is here.”
When the new time capsule opens in 2097, current Gander Academy students will be 80 years old, possibly with their own grandchildren or great-grandchildren, who themselves could be watching the time capsule open.
You will also find tokens and treasures, newspaper clippings and letters meant to capture what life was like in 2022.
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