Twenty-five years ago, a group of Captain Strong Primary School students taught by Carla Nalley in the Extended Studies Program set out to preserve history underground.
After a quarter of a century went by, Nalley reached out to those former students and parents as the time to dig up the time capsule was upon them.
On Friday, May 9, Nalley was accompanied by a few of those fourth grade students from the year 2000, current Captain Strong Primary School students, Battle Ground Public Schools staff and others as the time capsule saw the light of the sun yet again.
In The Reflector’s Feb. 16, 2000, edition, “a bigger and better Battle Ground,” and “Bill Gates filing for bankruptcy,” were just a sample of what third, fourth and fifth graders predicted would occur in 25 years.
Well, Bill Gates has yet to, and likely won’t, file bankruptcy, but Battle Ground is bigger, by a lot, and likely better — depending on who is asked.
In addition to the prediction essays, the time capsule included students’ favorite objects, newspaper clippings and cultural items.
When it was uncovered on May 9, 2025, it was revealed that the time capsule took on a little bit of water and dirt but, for the most part, the essays were intact, a Beastie Boys CD was in good condition, a Ken Griffey Jr. baseball rookie card was air-tight sealed and other items were recognizable.
“It was fun seeing the students,” Nalley said. “I was afraid that the time capsule was going to be the way it is, but there were a few things that were retrievable. It’s always fun to look back, but you know, like I said, 25 years ago I wasn’t even thinking, ‘Was I even going to be around or what?’ And then all of a sudden it kind of sneaked up on us here it is.”
Nalley said uncovering the time capsule was a big item to check off of her bucket list.
Lisa Hokanson, one of the students who buried the time capsule 2000, was in attendance and was also able to salvage her letter she wrote with predictions and more.
“I’m so happy these letters turned out,” she said. “It’s so fun. I haven’t seen these people since maybe senior year, but mostly since elementary school.”
Hokanson added she was having a flashback digging through the 25-year-old remnants from the time capsule. Once the calendar went from 2024 to 2025, the remembrance of the time capsule built a lot of anticipation for her.
“I remember thinking it’s 25 years out, so it’s lightly been in the back of my brain for 25 years,” Hokanson said. “And at the beginning of this year, I was like, ‘What do I do? Do they remember? I know that we have a capsule.’ And so I’m just really excited that we could do this.”
Hokanson’s favorite part of her letter was reading about her siblings, “and how wrong I was with their futures,” she said, noting she also wrote about an uncle who has since passed away.
Now being her parents' age in 2000, Hokanson also found enjoyment reading about what she said of where they were at that time.
