Hillsborough middle school unveils its 25-year-old time capsule

The unveiling was an opportunity to learn from the past and honor tradition, Principal Keith Rocha said.

When Larry Raffo was principal in 2000, a major upgrade to the school’s courtyard was undertaken, and alongside the project was an intentional preservation of a VHS tape of video recordings, a CD mixtape, a binder full of photos and a yearbook. 

“It’s been a constant at Crocker for the last 25 years and now finally seeing it is crazy because that’s one of the only things that has been here throughout the entire time,” current eighth grader Lainey Gunther said. 

The CD mixtape was crafted by Rob Parrish, the eighth grade class president in 2000, who introduced 15 tracks that reflected the juvenile, yet bold, nature of middle schoolers that remains unchanged. Songs included Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” Sisqó’s “Thong Song” and DMX’s “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem.” 

The time passed since the peak of the track list was made evident when current eighth grade historian Nicole Shew, announced track No. 2 was by “blink a-hundred-and-eighty-two,” causing the adults in the audience to erupt in laughter. 

Items were chosen that were thought to represent the lives of middle schoolers then, Parrish said. While technology advancements are the easiest difference to note, there remain similarities between the two classes despite the 25 years between them. 

“You still walk these hallways, maybe you still worry about the same things we did, and you proudly wear the blue and gold as Vikings, just as we did,” Parrish said. “Today isn’t just looking at old stuff from the past, though that’s fun too, it’s about connecting two generations and seeing how far we’ve come and seeing how much has stayed the same.”

Middle schoolers today are sporting just as baggy jeans as they did in 2000, and dyed hair is just as common, but instead of Apple watches and cellphones, students used to have a payphone on campus they had to use to contact their parents. 

When the school broke into the cement block protecting a glass box inside that held the items, administrators found much of the contents inside worn by the elements. The reel from the VHS tape had to be converted to a new cassette after the original corroded, but the film featured slightly static interviews with students walking the same halls. 

“It was really fun to finally get to open it because we walk by it every day going to the MPR, and everyone always wonders what’s in it,” eighth grader Emily Lorber said. “It’s nice to finally get to know and start planning ours.” 

Current middle schoolers are now compiling a list of items they will include in their own time capsule to be preserved for another 25 years. Contents may include a Stanley water bottle and a Lululemon bag, Shew said, who said these have been key items to current middle schoolers. 

“It’s a big gift from the past, to be able to have this and be the caretaker of this and now they get to pass it on,” social studies teacher Ryan Carroll said. 

Some things are harder to put in a box for preservation, but there are facets of the middle school experience that are distinctive to the campus that students hope will be remembered in years to come. 

“I think community is something that defines Crocker, and hopefully that will still be here,” Gunther said. 

“Definitely tradition, that has been a very important part,” Jack Benton, an eighth grader and student council secretary, said.

In attendance at the unveiling included members of the Hillsborough Town Council, current and former district trustees, former superintendents and all of the 2000 staff.