An iPhone, a bottle of Irn Bru and even a lateral flow test are among some of the items buried in the grounds of a new high school.
Pupils from Lossiemouth High School selected a range of items to put in a time capsule, which has now been buried at the centre of the new football pitch.
A school tie, a newspaper, and a USB stick containing a Christmas tune, pictures and songs from 2021 were also included, along with a letter.
And in a true sign of the times, the pupils also opted to pop in a bottle of hand sanitiser, lateral flow test and a mask – which hopefully, in 50 years, will be a distant memory.
These items were carefully considered by pupils and staff to reflect the history of the recently-replaced school building whilst capturing what life looked like for school pupils in Moray in 2021. The initiative, run by Balfour Beatty, formed as part of a plan to involve students in the building of their new school.
Students still excited about new school
The £42million replacement Lossiemouth High School opened last April after being delayed by the pandemic.
As well as a modern learning space for up to 800 pupils, the campus includes community facilities, a swimming pool, library, games hall and 3G sports pitch.
The exact location of the time capsule under the pitch has been registered with The International Time Capsule Society, and can be opened in 2072.
Headteacher Janice Simpson said the project – led by contractors Balfour Beatty – had been exciting to be involved in, and a welcome distraction during a challenging 18 months for pupils.
She said: “We were delighted to be asked by Balfour Beatty to be part of its time capsule project and the pupils were eager to have the opportunity to select items to bury for children and young people to uncover in the future. It’s important that what they view as current life at Lossiemouth High School is captured and I found it very interesting to see what they had chosen.”
Leaving behind ‘their own legacy’
Sonya Warren, chairwoman of Moray council’s children and young people’s services committee, said the project had allowed pupils to celebrate their new school.
“There are some really interesting documents and artefacts stored inside that I’m sure will be fascinating to unearth in 2072,” she said. “The school grounds already hold many happy memories for local children and it’s been a pleasure to help them leave their own legacy and history in the same place they have enjoyed growing up.”
Jim McCluskie, senior project manager at Balfour Beatty, which donated the stainless steel time capsule, added: “It was a pleasure to watch pupils come together to share these important memories, capturing the history of the school and leaving behind treasures for future generations.”
Work to demolish the old school is currently underway, along with the construction of the all-weather pitch.
