Do not open til 2042
MINDEMOYA––A time capsule provides a snapshot of what life was like at a particular time, a window to the past. At Central Manitoulin Public School (CMPS) in Mindemoya, preparing and gathering items for their Ontario 150 time capsule also provided an excellent opportunity for learning about current events and history. CMPS held a time capsule sealing assembly on Thursday, May 17 in celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017.
A selection of items gathered last year and from a previous time capsule were on display before being sealed into a stone block to be opened in 25 years, on Canada’s 175th birthday. The plaque reads, “Central Manitoulin Public School. Ontario 150. Time capsule to be opened on Canada’s 175th birthday in 2042.”
“The stone and plaque were purchased prior to the end of 2017,” explained Principal David Wiwchar. The time capsule was included as part of an Ontario 150 grant received last year for schoolyard improvements that included ball pits, a gazebo, yard games such as tetherball and Frisbee golf, new soccer nets and “other good stuff.”
Mr. Wiwchar told the assembly, “We’re making a capsule that’s going to last until you’re 30- or 40-years-old. One of the things going into the capsule is a Canada flag. This was taken from the 1992 time capsule that was opened last year on July 1. Mr. Olacke’s Grade 6 class signed their names on this flag which was then sealed in a plastic container with other items, for example this play bill from the class production of Arsenic and Old Lace. There’s a Manitoulin Expositor.”
Mr. Wiwchar held up the 1992 edition and the 2017 Christmas edition and asked the assembled students if they could tell the difference between the two (the 1992 edition used only black and red ink while the 2017 edition had full colour photographs). “So things change over 25 years,” he said. “We know that things are going to change a lot over the next 25 years. That’s the fun of time capsules.”
Excited students, teachers and parents looked on as the time capsule contents were reviewed and placed in the capsule. All grades participated in the project.
Preschoolers included their daycare t-shirt and some Lego blocks. Kindergarteners prepared a photo essay of the school playground for 2017/18. The Senior Kindergarten/Grade 1 class added a collection of magazines that showed the prices of things at Christmas last year and included a Sears Christmas catalogue. “Do you think there’ll be another one of these?” Mr. Wiwchar asked students. “This is the last one. There’s no more Sears.”
Another Grade 1 class contributed a collection of pennies representing the birth year of the class (2011) and of the teaching staff (ranging from 1953 to 1982). A Grade 2 class added additional coins and created their own money, or what they think money will look like in 25 years. Mr. Wiwchar noted that “some pennies came from Red Butler, who has helped with Remembrance Day activities over the years.”
Another Grade 2 class included a hand-drawn map of Mindemoya. They went on three walks, in the fall, winter and spring and drew pictures of various locations within the town. They also drew pictures of themselves on the map.
There were pins from Mrs. Land’s class, representing Ontario, Canada, the Rainbow District School Board and CMPS school council.
Grade 3 students contributed current pictures of the front and back of the school, two class pictures listing names of the students and pictures of the class working on computers. They also included photos of a row of cars outside the school and of Mr. Leblanc’s truck because, “in 25 years vehicles are going to look very different.”
The Grade 4 class added some popular items from 2017 including a fidget spinner and slime. The class wrote down their favourite pop songs and movie titles from 2018 and also included pictures of dances and steps.
Grade 5 put together a sampling of news clippings from The Manitoulin Expositor, including photos of the recent Aladdin dance production at MSS, a tribute to Humboldt Broncos and this year’s elementary school basketball champions to name a few. They also included a USB drive containing drawings of what the class thinks things are going to look like in 25 years.
Other items placed inside the time capsule include an Ontario Parks calendar and a Canadian Tire flyer.
Following the review of items, students were taken outside to the front of the school where the hollowed out stone awaited the capsule. Because the Canada flag had been signed by the Grade 6 class in 1992, Principal Wiwchar asked the current Grade 6 class to sign the flag also. While this was underway, he asked the students for their ideas about what would change between 2017 and 2042. Predictions included flying cars, hoverboards and even a new school, “because this one is old.”
All the items were sealed into the capsule which was then placed within the stone block. To many cheers, the plaque was placed over the opening.
Former Grade 6 teacher Mark Olacke was present for the event. Mr. Olacke was the teacher whose class made the first time capsule for Canada’s 125th birthday in 1992. Back then the capsule was a blue Rubbermaid bin, taped shut and stored inside the school. A number of former students reached out to Mr. Olacke on Facebook to see if the time capsule would be opened on July 1 of last year. With the help of a caretaker and permission from the Rainbow District School Board, Mr. Olacke and the majority of his Grade 6 class met for the opening. Several others watched via a live video feed. Four had passed away and a tree was planted in their memory.
“It was very cool to see this happening again,” said Mr. Olacke. He noted that back in 1992, computers were much larger and there was no such thing as thumb (USB) drives. Other than that, the items encapsulated were similar: The Manitoulin Expositor, pictures, pins and of course, a hockey puck.
“I’ll be 90 when this one is opened,” he joked. “But I’ll be here.”
