There has long been a legend whispered amongst the children at St Joseph’s primary in Broadstairs that there was a time capsule buried within the grounds.
This week, when several ex-pupils of the school returned, the school found out that the legend was true.
Ex-pupil Natalie Reid began the mission by recalling a plaque on the wall she had noticed, hidden behind ivy, which commemorated the burial of the capsule at the turn of the millennium. She told her family, who contacted the school to find out if they were aware.
The school then managed to assemble a group of former pupils who all remembered the legend of the time capsule, and the possibility of Pokemon cards being in it. So, along with some members of staff who were at the school during the burial, they set to finding the hidden treasure.
Unfortunately, the plaque had been lost during some building work, but after a lot of detective work and a few false starts, the team, consisting of Natalie Reid, Lewis Champion, Toby Bateman, John Reid, Matthew Whelan and ex-staff members Chris Frost and Julie Older, managed to uncover not one but seven time capsules, one for each year group.
The school council joined the team to view the discovery and then the capsules were opened during a special assembly.
Letters and photos along with artefacts such as toys, videos and learning resources, were all uncovered, giving the current pupils a view into the past.
Cries of “They look just like us,” rang out through the hall as they discovered what life was like at St Joseph’s 25 years ago. And yes, there were Pokemon cards in there too!
