NEWARK – Students representing all 14 schools in Worcester County gathered on Tuesday to place artifacts into a 150th anniversary time capsule.
Prior to this week’s school board meeting, one student from each of the public schools in Worcester County presented their items for a time capsule commemorating the school system’s 150th anniversary.
“As all of you know, we are celebrating 150 years of our school system and we’ve been doing a number of things this year, some small and some large …,” Superintendent Lou Taylor said. “But today we are going to celebrate our 150th anniversary by having a time capsule that will be placed in the lobby of our school system [building].”
Contributing to the time capsule were principals and students representing each of the county’s public schools.
While some of the items, including yearbooks and photographs, represented the school body and administration, others paid homage to a school’s history or programs.
Stephen Decatur High School student Kevin Beck, for example, presented the school board with an engraved piece of the school’s original bleachers, while Snow Hill High School Principal Kim Purvis contributed a band hat.
“We have a Snow Hill High School band hat that they used for the last 30 years,” she said, “and thankfully, with our school board and county commissioners, we were able to get new uniforms, so we won’t need this.”
Other items placed into the time capsule included a history on Buckingham Elementary School, a book representing Berlin Intermediate School’s “One School, One Book” program and a letter from the superintendent, to name a few.
“At the time this is opened, I will be 109,” Taylor joked. “If I’m still here, it would be great if someone could read it to me.”
Officials said the capsule, topped with a school system’s 150th anniversary logo, will remain in the lobby of the school system’s administrative building until the 200th anniversary celebration.
“It is my hope that some of the students that have placed items in here will be here in 50 years to celebrate,” Taylor said.
