Westmoreland County schools working on time capsule to preserve items until 2072

If you filled a shoebox with things that exemplified education spanning over 100 years, what would you put into it?

School districts around Westmoreland County will be answering that question as they contribute to a large time capsule that will be opened in 2072.

Westmoreland Intermediate Unit director Jason Conway said a large trophy case at the agency’s Hempfield office will house 83 small boxes that will remain sealed for the next 50 years.

“We’re super excited about it — a small idea kind of expanded,” he said. “During these tough times, we wanted to give people something to celebrate.”

The project is part of a celebration surrounding the 50th anniversary of intermediate units’ service statewide. Westmoreland Intermediate Unit officials had intended to collect time capsule contributions from their peer agencies statewide at an annual conference, but the event was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, and Conway said they switched gears.

John George, director of the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units, said the anniversary is an important milestone as the agencies have expanded from focusing on special education needs to working with member districts on a variety of matters that can help with staffing and purchasing. The Westmoreland Intermediate Unit last year organized covid vaccine clinics for the county’s education workers.

“We’ve evolved significantly over the past 50 years,” George said.

He expects that trend to continue and said the time capsules will be a great opportunity for reflection.

In addition to small boxes from each of the 29 intermediate units, the trophy case will include time capsules from each of the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit’s programs and the county’s public school districts, career and technical centers, charter school and two nonpublic schools. Each rectangular capsule is about the size of a shoebox.

Each box will be labeled with the name of the entity it represents. The project will give education officials across the state a chance to think introspectively about the past five decades and what they want others to know 50 years from now, Conway said.

“It’s so important to celebrate our past and at the same time feel energized about our future,” he said.

The time capsule will be dedicated this month during a virtual and in-person event. At that time, the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units will present the Fred Rogers Center with its Friend of Education Award.

Conway is hoping to make it to age 99 to attend the opening of the time capsules in 2072.