On Feb. 2, 2022, at precisely 2:22 p.m.,10 former J-D Middle School students met at the school’s flagpole to open a time capsule they put together in 2001.
“Twenty years ago was my first year teaching, and that year was also the year of 9-11,” said Melissa Quinn, who was a sixth-grade teacher then and now teaches fifth grade at J-D. “The sixth-grade students at that time heard the news while in class, and together, we decided to ‘lock in time’ things that were most important to us as individuals and as a class. We agreed that on 2/2/22, we would meet at the flagpole and open (the time capsule). I am shocked at how many of those kids reached out.”
In addition to those attending the opening in person, three of their former classmates attended virtually. Those in person sifted through letters they had written to themselves, journals they had written in weekly and shared with Quinn, old newspapers and sealed letters from their parents They exclaimed and laughed over other items that were important to them at that time, like a Nintendo video game controller and a playbill and t-shirt from a performance of “Oliver” that they had attended as a class at Syracuse Stage.
There’s also a roll of film she plans to get developed as well as two VHS tapes she has yet to watch. Quinn plans to track down her former students that she hasn’t touched base with yet and send them or their parents their letters and journals.
The former classmates continued to catch up with each other at a gathering at Brian’s Landing in Jamesville later that evening, some bringing their families.
Do not open
Blue tote with the words, “Do Not Open until 2/2/2022″The opening almost didn’t happen. Twenty years ago, Quinn took the plastic tote to the middle school basement, which like many older school buildings, is a dirt-floor repository for old furniture, books and other materials. She stashed the tote in a corner.
On the top and sides of the blue bin “do not open until 2/22/22” was written in black marker.
Every few years, Quinn would check on the tote to make sure it was still there, and it always was. Until a few years ago, when it wasn’t.
She figured she had time to look for it. But time flew by, and when she was contacted by a former student in January inquiring if the group still planned to gather and open the time capsule, she knew she needed help. She enlisted Principal Andy Eldridge, and armed with flashlights, the two scoured the basement until Quinn found the tote buried under some desks and bins filled with old books.
“I think I screamed,” Quinn said. “I almost walked right by it. If I did, how long would it have sat down there?”
A surprise
Quinn said there was something extra special about her first group of students. She said many of the students stayed close to her throughout their time at J-D and would often remind her of the time capsule and the plan to meet in 2022.
“I just feel like we were so tight,” she said. “I don’t know if it was because it was my first class, but it was an awesome class.”
Quinn wasn’t the only one to feel that bond. One student who lives in Florida made a last-minute decision to make a quick 48-hour trip to Syracuse to attend the opening. He surprised Quinn as he was the last one to arrive with his mother, who still lives in the area. Quinn said she started crying when she saw him approaching the flagpole. She knew he was busy with his career and family and didn’t anticipate that he would make the approximate 1,300-mile trip.
“I don’t think he realized how much that meant to me,” Quinn said.
See you in 2033
Her current class of fifth graders was as excited about the time capsule opening as Quinn and her former students. The tote had been sitting in their classroom since Quinn discovered it in the basement, and they couldn’t wait to see the contents. They watched as the tote was opened and saw firsthand the range of emotions the contents evoked.
The next day, they informed Quinn of their plan: They are going to meet at the school’s flagpole at 3:33 p.m. on March 3, 2033, to open a time capsule of their own.