Guggenheim Elementary School welcomed alumni, former staff, families and community members for the long-awaited opening of its Year 2000 time capsule, sealed inside the school library for 25 years.
The special event on Tues., Nov. 18, offered a nostalgic look at student life at the turn of the millennium. Attendees explored preserved items including a fourth-grade chess club championship trophy from 2000, VHS tapes, letters, class photos and newspapers. The collection prompted reflections on what has changed and what has remained constant since the capsule was created.
Former Principal Linda Creash read aloud the letter she wrote in 2000. “It was important to celebrate the end of one millennium and the beginning of another in a way that the children (you!) would remember,” she told the crowd.
Current Principal Kim Licato said the milestone served as a celebration of Guggenheim’s history and school culture.
“The room was full of excitement, wonderful memories and love,” Licato said.
Local resident Erica Langendorff, who attended with her 4-year-old son, said the event helped introduce her family to the school community ahead of her child entering kindergarten next year.
“It was great to see retired teachers and staff, along with alumni, come together and laugh over some of the items they pulled out of the time capsule,” she said. “Some items sparked the room to come together in song. There was a lot of camaraderie, and I’m sure some of the same traditions are still alive 25 years later.”
As one of Port Washington’s elementary schools, Guggenheim plans to use the occasion as inspiration for future student-led projects designed to preserve today’s stories for the next generation.
