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HUACHUCA CITY — Ten years may seem like a drop in the bucket as time capsules go, but the time capsule bucket opened Friday at Huachuca City Elementary School resonated with the crowd — especially the dozen visiting Tombstone High School students who were present when the capsule went underground in 1997.
“Hey, I think we’ve still got the same school bus,” joked one teen, examining an old photo of youngsters arriving at Huachuca City.
It was difficult to connect the hip ’n happnin’ high-schoolers — now well above the shaving threshold — with the smooth, cherubic faces of themselves at ages 6 and 7, as pictured in the Huachuca City School yearbook of 1996.
 Huachuca City Elementary School principal Tom Yarborough on Friday displays an old Christmas catalog after it was removed from a time capsule at the school. The opening of the time capsule allowed students to experience what was popular 10 years ago. (Ed Honda-Herald/Review) |
Since many of the current crop of smooth, cherubic faces were not yet born, they were intensely curious about the relics from ancient history.
“I had honestly forgotten about it,” said Jonathan Lewis, a former teacher at the school who helped bury the capsule 10 years ago. “It was great to get the call and be invited. These are a wonderful group of kids.”
The event was the capstone to the K-8 school’s weekly Friday flag ceremony where principal Tom Yarborough recognizes a variety of student achievements, hands out congratulatory ribbons, pats kids on the back, teases a teacher or two, and generally makes the school community feel good about itself.
A natural master of ceremonies, Yarborough introduced the “special guests” from the high school, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis — wife Haley is a also a former Huachuca City teacher — and with no further ado, began extracting items for mass perusal, entertainment and jogging-of-memory.
“I don’t remember what’s in there,” said Lisa Graves, a former teacher’s aide at Huachuca City who now works at Tombstone High School. “Everybody’s pretty excited.”
Mr. Y, as Yarborough is known to students, produced an old map of the school.
“Would you believe this building wasn’t always pre-K and kindergarten?” he said pointing behind him. “It’s the old junior high.”
The information amazed the young ones. “And here’s an ‘X-Man’ comic from 1994,” he said, waving it aloft.
A list of popular musical performers included Dr. Dre, Brandi, John B, Selena, Whitney Houston, Tupac, Madonna, Janet Jackson and Coolio.
A list of movies — “We had VCR’s back then,” Mr. Y. reminded the crowd — mentioned “The Little Mermaid,” “Dangerous Minds” and “Toy Story.”
A pack of sports cards revealed Thurman Thomas, “my favorite running back,” he announced, “and here’s Barry Bonds, back when he only had 200 home runs.”
A J.C. Penney Christmas catalog of the era really did look like an antique, and a fact sheet on every teacher stimulated adult conversations on who moved away, who’s teaching where, who retired, whatever-happened-to and who’s still here.
Reading from an old TV Guide, Mr. Y. informed everyone that “on television, you’d have been able to watch ‘Doogie Howser,’ ‘One Day at a Time,’ ‘The Love Boat,’ and at eight o’clock they were running the movie, ‘My Stepmother is an Alien.’ ”
Much laughter ensued.
The bucket held more, including a Disney Channel Magazine, a photo of the capsule being buried, a student report by James Driver on “Birds of Prey” dated Nov. 29, 1995, and predictions on the population of Huachuca City in 2007 — off by quite a bit.
The fun wrapped up, as it does every Friday, with the pledge of allegiance and the singing of the national anthem as the American and Arizona flags were raised.
Klinton Smuda, a Tombstone High senior and once a member of Patty Fuller’s second-grade class, performed the honors.
Boys young and older removed their baseball caps.
“We’ll send this around to each class so you can all get a closer look,” said Mr. Y., hoisting the capsule, “and in a few days we’ll bury another one. We want to keep this tradition alive.”
The sea of peering, fresh faces shouted their approval at the news. “Have a good weekend,” he concluded. “I’ll miss ya.”
CINDY SKALSKY can be reached at 515-4611 or by e-mail at cindy.skalsky@svherald.com.
Ezai I. Martinez wrote on Jun 24, 2009 7:58 PM: