Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Though it has only been a couple years since they were in the sixth grade, Presque Isle Middle School eighth-graders recently went back in time as they opened time capsules they created during their first year of middle school.
“This was something special that we did because these eighth-graders were the first class to go all three years at Presque Isle Middle School after Skyway and Cunningham middle schools were consolidated,” said Elaine Hendrickson, sixth-grade science teacher at PIMS. “It was an interdisciplinary English project that we did. Each one of the sixth-grade teachers did a portion of it and then we put it all together in 10-inch by 13-inch manila envelopes.”
Hendrickson said Nov. 23, 2005 was declared “Time Capsule Sealing Day.” Once the students congregated in the auditorium, she read a proclamation and instructed them to open their envelope, place the items inside, lick the flap of the envelope and press them down to seal the envelope.
Students were also told to close the brass fastener, and walk as a class to the front of the auditorium where they received a sticker to place on the back of each envelope.
“That was emblematic of ancient sealing wax used to seal documents,” Hendrickson said. “Everything was done in unison, so it was an interesting ceremony.”
The envelopes were then placed in cardboard boxes which were wrapped with duct tape and hidden in a secure – undisclosed – location.
Subsequently, June 12, 2008 was declared “Grand Time Capsule Opening Day.”
“The kids were so excited,” said Hendrickson. “I had kids e-mailing me to find out when we were going to do this. I had one little girl who moved away who e-mailed me from out West to see if I could send it to her. Other kids have stopped me in the hall and said, ‘Mrs. Hendrickson, when are we going to do this?’ They had been looking forward to it for quite a while.”
Student Jeremy Parlin said he enjoyed looking at the various things he placed in his time capsule.
“I found a picture of me from when I was in sixth grade that I brought in, and a string that was cut to show how tall I was,” he said. “There was also a picture of the size of my hand and the size of my foot, plus a paper that had my interests, friends and best friends.
“My time capsule also had an ‘I Am’ poem, and a future letter to myself about what I was like in sixth grade to help me remember,” Parlin said. “I didn’t really remember putting any of it in the time capsule, but it was fun looking through it all. Some of it was kind of embarrassing … how dorky we looked in sixth grade. I think I’ve changed a lot.”
One of those changes was Parlin’s penmanship.
“My regular writing is the same, but I realized how horrible my cursive writing was in sixth grade,” he said. “I’ve also grown quite a bit. I didn’t realize how small I was. When I compared myself to the string, I’ve grown about a whole head taller. It was a fun project. I’m glad we did it.”
Eighth-grader Nicole Driscoll agreed.
“When Mrs. Hendrickson first told us about the time capsule project, I thought it would be fun because in two years we’d get to take a walk down memory lane and remember everything that happened then,” she said. “When I looked at my sixth-grade picture I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I looked like that!’
“I also had the string showing how tall I was and I’m a whole head taller, plus a picture of a famous person who I dearly love, and my dad loves, too, the one and the only, Elvis Presley,” said Driscoll. “My hand and foot have gotten bigger since then, and there was also a poster I made showing what I liked to do … things like swimming and cooking. I’m not as into swimming as I used to be, but I still love to cook. That’s my passion. I really enjoyed the time capsule project. It was cool.”
Hendrickson said the project met its objective.
“I think it did,” she said. “It’s been an exciting experience, and tonight [June 12] they graduate. It’s been three years, and I can’t believe how much they’ve grown and matured. They look so different than when I had them as students. It’s been fun to watch their faces as they look through their time capsules. I’ve enjoyed it as much as they have.”
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
EIGHTH-GRADERS, from left: Nicole Driscoll, Andy Punches and Jeremy Parlin examine the various items they put in their time capsules that were recently opened at Presque Isle Middle School. The time capsules, 10-inch by 13-inch manila envelopes, were “buried” when the students were in the sixth-grade and opened June 12, the day of their eighth-grade graduation.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
ANDREW KOFSTAD, an eighth-grader at Presque Isle Middle School, has grown well over a foot since he was in sixth-grade. The eighth-graders recently opened the time capsules they created their first year at the school. In the capsules were either pieces of string or ribbon that were cut to their height while in sixth-grade.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
HALEY SMITH, an eighth- grader at Presque Isle Middle School, opens the time capsule she created while in sixth-grade during a June 12 activity in teacher Elaine Hendrickson’s classroom. The time capsules included everything from photos of the students while in sixth-grade, poems, posters featuring the activities they liked, and more.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
SHANE BUCKLEY, an eighth-grader at Presque Isle Middle School, looks at the poster he created while in sixth-grade of the things he liked at that time during a recent time capsule opening activity at the school. Teacher Elaine Hendrickson said the project was something special they did because the students were the first class to go all three years at PIMS after Skyway and Cunningham middle schools were consolidated.
