Items from several classes at Aspen Elementary School retrieved from a time capsule will be on display at Mesa Public Library throughout the month of May. Photo Courtesy LAPS

A Barranca Mesa Elementary School time capsule from 1970 will be on display during May at Mesa Public Library. Photo Courtesy LAPS

LAPS NEWS

Time capsules from Aspen Elementary and Barranca Elementary schools will be on display at the Mesa  Public Library during the month of May. 

The time capsule from Barranca is from 1970 and includes 20 student folders holding various papers written by students, magazine and newspaper clippings and even a cassette tape recorded by a student. It was recently found quite by accident by PE teacher Lanse Carter as he was cleaning out the gym. 

Students and staff opened the time capsule at Aspen earlier this spring. When Aspen was getting a new school building, students wanted to gather some thoughts about that school year. It was in the spring of 2014 that the capsule was created, but it was placed into the wall of the new building in the fall 2014. At that time, current 6th grade students were in kindergarten. Each class at the time was invited to put things in the 5-gallon time capsule, not larger than a spiral notebook size, and the capsule was placed in the south wall of the dining hall. The capsule is comprised, not so much of physical artifacts, but of the thoughts of students that year.

“It’s fun to peruse through all the grade levels’ booklets and see the handwriting, what kids wanted to be when they grew up, and their favorite things,” said Aspen teacher Chelly Young. “There’s even a ‘Talking Book’ created by one of Aspen’s Braille students.” 

Staff at Aspen created a video as items were removed from the time capsule. View it here: https://youtu.be/4XLkGLyYwe0 

Items from both time capsules will be on display upstairs at the library.