2008 Time Capsule lost, tradition still continues

By Bruce Walton

bwalton@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

Ginny Yazbek’s 2008 fourth-grade class reunited at Stadium Drive Elementary School, now 18- and 19-years-olds, on May 24 to unearth the capsule and relive the memories they left underground eight years ago.

But, sadly, after two hours of digging, the class had to retire until Tuesday, where they returned with a backup plan: Jerry Blasco, owner of the landscaping service Blasco Commercial Services, Inc.

Blasco came with his backhoe and started digging in the general area where the class believed the capsule rested.

From 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Blasco dug up the area, finding three golf balls, a can and tree roots, but no time capsule. Though disappointed, the class’s spirit wasn’t broken.

“It would have been pretty exciting to come back and find it, but it’s not really the end of the world,” said Matthew Perham, a Boardman senior.

Perham said it was nice to look back on things before entering the next chapter in their lives.

It had been a tradition of teachers for 24 years at the school to bury a time capsule and dig it up eight years later with their students.

When Yazbek buried the capsule, she and the students made a map with directions where to find it: “Adjacent area to rooms 111 & 112, 3rd tree closest to the woods, 16 paces from the tree toward Market Street [east].” But due to the confusion of the markers set years ago, they couldn’t find it.

At this point, the classmates and Yazbek started questioning if the capsule was even buried there in the first place. But they all believe there’s still a possibility it’s underneath the ground – somewhere.

Wherever the capsule lies, it doesn’t hold the last tradition of the time capsule at the school, especially for Blasco, whose daughter attends the school. Blasco agreed with Principal James Goske to donate his backhoe and time for the promise his daughter and her class can participate in the 2016 time-capsule tradition.

“This is what we were taught, and this was some of the things our educators instilled in us in our generation is to help out and do what we can for our community, for our schools,” Blasco said.

The class called it a day about 4 p.m. and called off the search. Yazbek said they most likely won’t come back and might let the mystery of the capsule’s location stay lost to history.

But the legacy will continue for another class from 2016 to 2024. Blasco hopes they put more metal in it next time for a metal detector to help find the capsule.