Birch School reveals time capsule on 50th anniversary

On Thursday, March 24, at 10 a.m., Birch Elementary School administrators, teachers and students uncovered a time capsule that was buried five decades ago on November 5, 1961.

The school, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, held a special ceremony as the capsule’s contents were revealed in front of the student body.

Principal Kerri Schlissel and Assistant Principal Salvatore Dossena led the ceremony in the school auditorium, removing the capsule from a school wall, which was strategically buried behind the 1960 cornerstone just outside the school’s front entrance.

Anticipation in the room escalated as Schlissel and Dossena removed the capsule from the wall and then revealed its contents.

Inside the capsule, school officials found a newspaper dated Nov. 2, 1961, a school newsletter, a notice of a Board of Education meeting on May 2, 1961, a newspaper clipping detailing the school’s dedication ceremony on Nov. 5, 1961, a program for the dedication, an invitation to the ceremony and letters written by students that discussed what they liked about Birch Elementary School.

Schlissel said the contents will be passed from classroom to classroom for the students to analyze. The children will then write their own stories of what the world and community were like in 1960, as well as create a time capsule, placing items, pictures and letters inside to tell the story of 2011. The capsule will be buried on June 21.

"Hopefully, Birch students 50 years from now will have a chance to uncover our time capsule and learn a little bit about our 2010-11 Birch School,” said Schlissel.

The principal added that 50 years ago, at 3 p.m., 35 Board of Education members, administrators and teachers held a dedication ceremony to mark the opening of Birch Elementary School, led by then principal Raphael Kosakoff.

At the time, the school had 16 classrooms, a library, auditorium, gymnasium, faculty room, nurse’s office and guidance room.