Here's what was found in a 1996 time capsule at an Ottawa elementary school
The year was 1996. Independence Day was one of the big movies at the box office, the Macarena was on top of the music charts, and it was also the year that students at W.E. Gowling Public School in Ottawa filled a time capsule.
On Thursday, students, staff and alumni opened the capsule, unlocking memories from the past.
"I thought it was really interesting. I didn’t expect for there to be a lot of letters and notes," said Elliott, a Grade 6 student at the Ottawa school.
"I found everything so cool," said Sadie, another Grade 6 student. "I like the letters that some of the people wrote and the drawings."
The school dates back to 1946. As the school was celebrating its 50th anniversary in 1996, students filled the time capsule.
Among some of the items uncovered during Thursday’s assembly, there were many letters, pictures, a t-shirt with various languages, a cassette tape, and a weekly guide to what’s on TV.
Some of the items found in a time capsule created in 1996 by students at W.E. Gowling Public School in Ottawa. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)
"I’ve never seen that before," Sadie told CTV News Ottawa.
For former student Amy Gorshe, the memories all came back.
"Coming here today, I had no idea what I put in there. As soon as the box opened, I went, 'Oh, that’s right.' There was the letters, there was the pictures, there was the newsletters."
OCDSB Superintendent of Instruction Prince Duah attended the school 40-some years ago,
"All of the friends I still have today were from this school, or from this school community; and so, coming back to see the capsule, coming back to see the students is reminiscent of the way it was when I was a young child."
Some other students that attended the school in the past may be familiar with CTV News viewers. Now-retired CTV News Toronto news anchor Ken Shaw attended the school, as well as CTV News Ottawa’s Stefan Keyes.
"I used to come here when I was in Kindergarten — all the way up to Grade 6," Keyes told the students at the assembly.
In the capsule, Keyes found a letter he wrote when he was 8 years old.
"It was emotional; honestly, it was really telling," he said. "I wrote about my family, I wrote about my friends, and those are the things that are still important to me to this day."
The school plans to fill another time capsule this year. Principal Caretta Williams DeVeiro says it will contain items from classes, and, "The school will be putting in a mask, and a face shield, and everything COVID related."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.
U.S. FAA launches investigation into unauthorized personnel in cockpit of Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto
The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a video that appears to show unauthorized personnel in the cockpit of a charted Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto.