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WCPS honors anniversary, seals time capsule

PHOTO COURTESY CARRIE STERRS/WCPS
Snow Hill Elementary School Principal Mary Anne Cooper and Superintendent Lou Taylor smile as Snow Hill Elementary School kindergartener Emmett Richardson places an item into the time capsule. It was made in honor of Worcester County Public School’s 150th anniversary and will be displayed in the lobby of the board of education building and opened in 50 years.

By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer

(April 26, 2019) Future students and staff of Worcester County Public Schools will get a blast from the past when they open a time capsule, which was filled and sealed during last Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, in 50 years.
Carrie Sterrs, coordinator of public relations and special programs for Worcester County Public Schools, said the time capsule was created for the district’s 150th anniversary to honor the past, present and future.

“The installation of a time capsule was one of those forward-thinking ideas, and we couldn’t be happier with how it has turned out,” she said.

Student representatives, board of education members and Superintendent Lou Taylor participated in filling the time capsule. Sterrs said each student brought two items, ranging from yearbooks to car chargers.

William L. Gordy, president of the board of education, put a photo of the board in the time capsule, and Taylor contributed a letter, Sterrs said.

“While many of us won’t be around when the capsule is opened 50 years from now, those present will be able to look back and reflect on the school system’s past with very clear memories of this anniversary year,” Taylor said.

Worcester Technical High School Principal Tom Zimmer said his school included a Maryland Skills USA gold medal and a list of this year’s medal winners from the school.

“It was a great idea on the 150th anniversary of the school system,” he said. “It’s neat that it will be opened up in 50 years.”

Several school officials praised H. Clay Reister’s craftsmanship in making the time capsule, including Zimmer.

“Thank you Mr. Reister for your hard work in creating a lasting memory for the Worcester County School System,” Zimmer said in a Facebook post.

Reister, an interactive media instructor at Worcester Technical High School, said he appreciated the opportunity to contribute to the school district in this way.

The time capsule is made of birch veneered plywood and poplar boards, he said, and is about 28 inches tall by 18 inches wide.

The now-sealed time capsule will be featured in the lobby of Board of Education’s office in Newark.

“That space also has a significant number of exhibits concerning the original 1953 function of that building which was the county’s segregated high school,” Reister said. “It’s a good space to rekindle any visitors’ awareness of the importance of education and the importance of wholeness in our community.”