PUPILS have buried a time capsule in the grounds of the new £42 million Lossiemouth High School.
Officially opened in April last year, Balfour Beatty is currently leading phase three works on the school site which involve the demolition of the old high school building and construction of a new external all-weather sports pitch.
The stainless steel capsule was buried at the centre of the school’s new football pitch, and contains a school tie, a newspaper, an Apple iPhone, earphones, Irn Bru 1901, a picture of an RAF Lossiemouth aircraft, a letter to the finder, and a USB stick containing a Christmas song, pictures, popular 2021 songs and the latest primary 7 welcome video.
As well as the stories and artefacts, a bottle of hand sanitiser, a face covering and a lateral flow test strip were placed in the capsule – items which will hopefully be a distant memory for those digging up the capsule in 2072! The location of the capsule has been registered with The International Time Capsule Society and can be opened in 50 years.
The items were chosen following a pupil survey, with it hoped that it gives people in the future an idea of what life was like for school pupils in Moray in 2021. The initiative forms part of Balfour Beatty’s project community benefits plan to involve pupils in the journey of the construction of their new school.
Lossiemouth High School head teacher, Janice Simpson, 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.
“Our aim is to ensure that every child leaves the school with the skills, knowledge and confidence to succeed in their next steps, and it’s reassuring to see that they’re still over the moon with the new building and facilities.”
Jim McCluskie, senior project manager at Balfour Beatty, added, “We were delighted to donate the time capsule to the students of Lossiemouth High School, following the successful completion of their new building and teaching facilities last year. 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.”
