A Message to the Future

Glen Cove, N.Y. - Loaded with letters, toilet paper and face masks, a time capsule with various items representing the past school year was buried on June 21 by students at Robert M. Finley Middle School in the Glen Cove City School District, to help future students understand what life was like during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The entire school, including in-person and remote students, participated in this year-end event. Students spent a day completing activities and preparing items for the capsule that would help paint a picture of what living in 2020-2021 was like for students.

Items buried included an iPad, to represent the remote learning that occurred this year and to highlight the tremendous efforts made by the District to ensure students had access to quality online learning; a Glen Cove face mask; photos; music; videos; a timeline of the school year; Lysol spray; a toilet paper roll; a can of food; and letters from current students to future students providing insight as to just how much the pandemic changed everyday life.

The time capsule idea started in the fall of 2020 when the school decided it would be a great opportunity to capture the experience of living during the pandemic so that people and students in the future could understand this unparalleled year. The students voted that the time capsule should be dug up 30 years from the start of the pandemic, in 2050.

For more information about the Glen Cove City School District, please visit the District’s website at www.glencoveschools.org. Happenings in the District can also be followed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/glencovecityschooldistrict.