Summit Middle School Class Of 1988 Opens Time Capsule From 1984
FRISCO, Colo. (CBS4)- In 1984, a bunch of eighth graders in Summit County buried a time capsule with the promise to open it 30 years after they graduated.
On Friday, the long forgotten mementos buried under an old Ore Cart at the Frisco Historic Park were revealed.
A VHS tape, postcards, coins, letters and a yearbook, some destroyed by water after the bottom of the capsule rusted out, yet still captivating for the people who placed them inside and new generations on hand to witness the unveiling.
Many members of the Class of 1988, retired teachers Jon Kreamelmeyer and Kathy Wester and former Summit Middle School Principal Don Loptien, then Summit Junior High, were on hand for the big reveal.
The Class of 1988 was unique, not only because they buried the time capsule, but also because they were the first class to attend a formal preschool in Summit County in 1974.
The preschool was organized by a group of their parents, according to the Town of Frisco, marking the occasion.
They went to preschool for half days and shared a classroom with the kindergarten class where the Summit Middle School building now stands in Frisco.
Five of these preschool students attended school together all the way through high school graduation.
The time capsule opening kicks off a weekend of 30-year reunion activities for class members.
Sheliah Reynolds, formerly Sheliah Gilliland, was part of the tight knit Class of 1988. She noted that the time capsule was intended to leave a legacy and connect the class to the future, which is now becoming a reality as they reunite to open the capsule.
Her recollections include how the English and history class called "Voyagers" engaged them around the subject matter in an exceptional way and inspired them to bury a time capsule.
"It was a very dynamic class that we all loved, and I clearly remember that day when we buried the time capsule. It was a really exciting day. It will be fun for us to see what is in there and what we thought was important in 1984. I think we'll need a VCR for one of the items," stated Reynolds with a chuckle.
Jon Kreamelmeyer recalls that the "Voyagers" class that he co-taught with Kathy Wester was inspiration from a similar class being taught in the Boulder Public Schools. This curriculum was taught for several years in Summit County in the former Summit Junior High School, now the Summit School District administrative building in Frisco. Classrooms could be combined by moving large folding air walls to allow the eight teachers in the school to potentially collaborate with adjacent classrooms.
The "Voyagers" curriculum started in the future, then moved to the present and culminated at the Revolutionary War. Each time period necessitated that students choose between two novels related to the time period that they were studying, and the final project required students to build something that they imagined would exist in the future.
Teacher Jon Kreamelmeyer recalls, "This group of 8th graders really wanted the time capsule to be opened many, many years in the future, an amazing amount of time and I had to remind them that I really wanted to be alive to attend the time capsule opening so they agreed to open it 30 years after graduation. It's been long enough so I have no idea what is in the capsule, but I do remember what an engaging and interesting class this was to teach."
The Town of Frisco will be burying a new time capsule at the same location and encourages citizens to bring items, which commemorate the spirit of the year 2018 in Frisco, to the Frisco Historic Museum by October 10, 2018 for consideration.
Items must be small enough to fit into a container slightly larger than a five-gallon bucket. The expectation is that this new time capsule will also be opened in 30 years.
Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.
