Time capsule from 1965 and 1990 surfaces at Estancia High

After lying underground for decades, items inside Estancia High’s time capsule were unearthed Saturday during the school’s 50th anniversary festivities.

Objects placed by students in 1965 and 1990 were displayed on the Senior Lawn. Nearly 250 guests were welcomed to touch and look through the contents.

The capsule, a 5-gallon bucket with a concrete lid, housed pictures of Estancia’s sports teams, yearbooks, a class T-shirt from 1990, a cassette tape and a copy of the first student newspaper. The paper was titled “First Edition: Estancia High School Newspaper” because it did not yet have an official name.

Members of Newport-Mesa Unified’s Maintenance and Operations staff dug up the time capsule from the lawn outside the front office. Assistant Principal Dave Martinez and ASB Director Jeff Perry supervised.

“This means that this school has been successful in guiding many students to their future,” Perry said. “It’s not the items that are most important. It’s how the items represent that we’re here, and we will celebrate our success.”

Attendees of the time capsule reveal included Estancia students and staff, both current and former.

While some of the capsule’s objects will return to the capsule to be buried again, others may be put in a display case within the school, Perry said.

A final decision on the display case is still under discussion.

Before the capsule returns deep into the school’s ground, Perry and current students in ASB will decide on what items to place in it from this year. So far, ASB has discussed with their student body on possibly including an iPhone, photos of prom and the homecoming court, copies of the current student newspaper and a CD with popular songs from 2015.

The capsule will have a new concrete lid made with two engravings on the front. One will say the year it was last opened while the other will say the year it will be opened again.

The plan is to retrieve the mementos in June 2040, when Estancia turns 75.