KPS dedicates time capsule in honor of 150th year, to be opened in 50 years
KEARNEY, Neb. — As the 150th academic year at Kearney Public Schools comes to a close, school officials are thinking ahead to 50 years from now.
The district dedicated a time capsule in honor of the milestone anniversary on Monday. Superintendent Jason Mundorf says it’s supposed be opened in 2072.
“I think the idea was just to keep it as a fun way to say here’s what we’re doing today, we’ve gone through 150 years as a public school system in Kearney," Mundorf said. "50 years from now, hopefully they’ll look and say, ‘wow that was kind of neat.’ Maybe they’ll do it for the 250-year anniversary.”
The time capsule is filled with school t-shirts, photos, flyers, popular books, and yearbooks. In addition, students and teachers were asked to make drawings or write letters describing what life in Kearney is like now.
“It’s kind of neat to see the students’ artwork," Mundorf said. "They were painting pictures of the prominent pieces in Kearney. It might be The Archway for example, or the World Theatre, or different things like that.”
Half-a-century from now, people will see that a Bryant Elementary Student loved the Harmon Park garden, a Central Elementary student wanted to become a teacher they’ll get the high school news from The Echo magazine.
Mundorf hopes future students and administrators are proud of the foundation laid in the past.
“When they look back, whatever education looks like at that time, that they feel like when comparing us to other school districts in 2023, we were offering a great deal for our students and families,” Mundorf said.
The time capsule will be stored in a sealed room of the Whittier Building until it’s time to be opened.