Students help local college preserve history with time capsule project
Dave Alley
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Three time capsules are set to be buried on the Allan Hancock College campus in Santa Maria.
As part of the project, the school celebrated the event by recording historic moment on video during a gathering held at the library Wednesday afternoon.
“Instead of doing something like a traditional ceremony, we thought let’s get our students together and film a video and have Spike, our mascot, running through the campus, acting like he’s just trying to find a place to bury the time capsule,” said Lauren Milbourne, Hancock College Public Affairs and Communications Director. “(During the recording) he finally he reaches his destination. We had the dance team, and we had our students, and everybody was cheering, and we’re going to produce a really cool video so that everybody can have something to watch and celebrate with.”
To help gather as many students as possible, the school sent out a message through its various communication platforms looking for participants.
“It was super fun,” said student Jared McFadden. “I got to be around my friends. It was really energetic and fun to be a part of.”
According to the school, the project was originally scheduled to take place during Hancock’s centennial celebration during the 2020-21 academic year.
However, as it turned out, the COVID-19 pandemic coincided at the same time, wiping out or significantly altering a number of planned centennial-related events.
“We pulled up the a capsule during our centennial,” said Milbourne. “We had COVID, so we got a little bit behind things, and so today, five years later, we’re finally putting new time capsules back in the ground.”
Inside the capsules are a number of artifacts that are specifically school-related only, which are all meant to capture what life was like on campus during current times.
“We have so many things inside the time capsules to really reflect the time,” So we have college magazines, brochures. We have fliers. We have materials to to reflect our Pride Center. We just have everything that just shows the spirit of Allan Hancock College as it is today in 2025.”
The time capsules will be buried right in front of the campus library, underneath a statue of the school’s namesake, Capt. G. Allan Hancock.
“These time capsules are going to be in the ground for a long time,” said Milborne. “The first time capsule is going to be dug up for our 125th anniversary. The next one will be for 150th, and finally, the last one is our 200th anniversary.”
When the capsules are eventually opened, students predict those times will be much different than what they are experiencing in the year 2025.
We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but they see how much time has grown.
“A time capsule that’s going to be open like years from now, that that’s going to be crazy to see how much time has changed,” said McFadden. “I hope when they look back on, they look on it fondly. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but to see how much time has grow and see how time has passed and how much things have changed, and it’s different now, and to be mind blown to see how the world used to be towards what it is then, I hope people get that feeling.”
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