St. Wendelin celebrates past, future with time capsule
SUMMIT TWP — St. Wendelin School celebrated its new Jubilee Year tradition of digging up a time capsule from students past and burying a new one for students down the road.
The pre-K through eighth-grade Catholic school’s students joined faculty, parents and special guest Bishop David Zubik following morning Mass Wednesday, May 7, to unveil the time capsule that was buried in 2000 and filled with messages and student belongings.
“We’re gathered as a school community to open a time capsule buried 25 years ago, a moment to reflect on the past, honor those who came before us and look ahead with hope and faith,” principal JoLynn Clouse said.
Lee Dittman, a fourth-grade teacher at St. Wendelin, said the contents inside the time capsule are more than objects, they consist of stories, hopes and dreams from students of a past generation.
“It is hard to imagine St. Wendelin has been here for 180 years,” Dittman said. “This school has lived through many world events, the Civil War, World War I, the roaring twenties, the Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, the Sept. 11 Attacks, the outbreak of COVID. Through it all, St. Wendelin has continued to provide education to the children of this rural area of Butler County.”
Objects in the capsule included pictures and art projects from students and toys the younger students were playing with at the time. Somebody added Pokemon cards, and a magazine with articles featuring NSYNC and Britney Spears, along with other music they were listening to at the time.
Somebody included a newspaper clip from March 1993, when a blizzard that hit the eastern United States affected Butler County. Another object, added from the staff of 2000, was a bottle of wine meant for the current staff.
With the bottle of wine was a note that read, “We are concerned it might go bad. If it doesn’t, please drink to your health. We will be drinking a matching bottle at the end of the school year. We join you in keeping a long tradition of dedication in passing our faith to the next generation of God’s children.”
In the new capsule, students celebrated the life of their classmate, Lyle Prescott, who died in November 2023. The students included a T-shirt from this year’s walk-a-thon that was signed by every St. Wendelin student. On the back of the shirt is Lyle’s favorite bible verse: “Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, will shine like the stars forever.”
The pre-K students included in the new capsule a memory book with student-drawn pictures of their favorite day at school. Kindergarten students included student-drawn pictures showing their hope for the future. Teacher Patricia Harmon said her classroom has talked a lot about recycling lately, so some of the pictures included Earth.
The first graders included special letters from the students about what they’ve learned at St. Wendelin. Other classes included letters about their experiences learning at St. Wendelin and receiving communion. The fourth-grade class created a 2025 newsletter as a “fun and meaningful way” to capture events both in the community and around the world.
The written letter included in the newly-buried time capsule for students to dig up in 2050 shared information on the current state of St. Wendelin School and its student body. The school days lasts from 7:40 a.m. to 2:25 p.m. with weekly mass on Wednesday.
The letter included that classrooms have transitioned into a world full of technology, with students doing work on Chromebooks, and Zoom and ChatGPT being incorporated at times. The students favorite memories included field trips to Acrisure Stadium and Iron Mills pumpkin patch. And the school was grateful for the community working together to save the tuition assistance turkey dinner after the walk-in cooler broke and destroyed the turkeys.
“We hope your world is kind, peaceful, and full of amazing opportunities. Who Knows — maybe one of us ended up being your teacher, your mayor, or even your local pharmacist. Our message to you: cherish your time here. These days go by fast, but the memories and lessons last a lifetime. Be kind. Work hard. Trust in God. And remember — you are part of something special,” the letter said.
