Unlocking the Past: Westwood’s Time Capsule and the Legacy of Learning

Westwood Elementary Principal Andi Hull takes us on a journey through time as we explore the recent opening of a 30-year-old time capsule, originally buried by the 1994 Challenge program. Joined by former students, teachers, and the community, we uncover items from the past and reflect on how much has changed—and stayed the same—since then. Andi shares her thoughts on the significance of this unique event, the impact of seeing students past and present connect, and how Westwood is fostering a legacy that today’s students can one day look back on with pride.

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Speaker 1 We didn't mean that we actually had on party one of our coworkers and good friends. She's getting married. And so it was like a bridal bachelorette dinner. So we both. Speaker 2 But yes. Unknown It's pretty mixed as any I do really see it as we're. Speaker 4 Seeing Disney songs and dancing in the street. It was like a full on high school musical kind of. Speaker 1 That's pretty cool. Yeah, well, it's definitely like the the very much like, small town feel here. Like, I've. I don't live in Friendswood. I live in apparently in actually. But I have never heard of like a 4th of July parade. Being as involved as the one is here apparently, like it's like a huge, huge deal. And it's like the longest standing parade. Speaker 1 Okay, I'm going to say something wrong, which is won't be the first time, but I think. Speaker 2 It's the longest hitting parade. Speaker 1 Or 4th of July parade we'll see in the world. Speaker 4 I mean, I don't know. Speaker 2 Of another 4th of July parade. I knew that. Yeah. Speaker 1 Yeah. Do you live in do you live? Speaker 5 I do not. We live in Lake City. Speaker 1 You live in Lake City. Okay. So none of us are actually in Friendswood because Sophia's in Houston. Speaker 2 So we all. Speaker 1 We all have our ties here. So. Yeah, the end of the day. Speaker 5 Yeah, we'd love to. Speaker 4 We're still a little bit blue. Just a little bit. Speaker 1 Yeah. I remember when I. When I interviewed for my original position here, so I went through two rounds. First was with Dana, who was our executive director of Communication, and then our head of h.r. At the time. And then after that, it was the second round and it was just with that, well, that it was very informal. Like they apparently I was the only one who went on to that. Speaker 1 They, they knew they're going to offer me. And I remember him asking, Okay, so since you, so since you didn't grow up in Friendswood, how are you going to get plugged? And I was like, Oh, well, I mean, I grew up right down the road and Alvin, you know, he's like, it's different. Speaker 2 It's not friends, but it's not friends. Not friends. Like, Oh, oh, do X, Y, and Z. Speaker 1 I'll get plugged in, I promise you, I promise you. But it is definitely like I remember one of the first football game here and being so taken aback by the amount of just like community members who were at the game and how everyone is in like Mustang Blue and, you know, like it's definitely a sense of pride here. Speaker 5 Yes, it is. Speaker 1 That's a little different than other places. Speaker 4 For sure. I think it's so great, though, like the amount of things that are just exclusive to Friendswood, the fact that, like it has its own little museum. Speaker 1 Just there's a few little museums here, actually. Yeah, That is very cool. So sweet. I know it is. I know. Well, with all of that said, welcome to season four, episode six of Friendswood Isd's the podcast with Kelsey Goals. Speaker 4 And Sophia Armenta. Speaker 1 We're excited to have you join us today as we dive into all things feisty share updates, stories and insights from around our district. Whether you're a student, parent, teacher or community member, we are so glad you're tuning in. Today we are joined by the one and only principal of Westwood Elementary, Ms.. Andy Hall. Yeah, well, yeah, we got to ask you a little bit. Speaker 1 At the last minute we had this idea of talking about, well, we'll get into the time capsule, but thank you for being flexible and being willing to come on. Speaker 5 Absolutely. Yeah. Speaker 1 So just a little bit of background information if you don't follow us on social media or haven't seen anything. There was a time capsule that was buried at Westwood in 1994 by Cindy Young. And did I hear that she was actually a long term sub that year? Speaker 5 That is what I was told. Speaker 1 Okay. Yes. Yeah. So she had she was a teacher, I guess, at some point at Westwood. But that year in particular, she was a long term sub and she had students in the challenge program. As said they decided they were going to do this time capsule and they were going to bury it. And we actually learned on Saturday, whenever it was opened that she had suggested 25 years. Speaker 1 But the kids said 30 because they thought it would sound really cool if they open it when they were 40 years old. Speaker 5 Yes. Yes. 47, 40 years old. Sounded like the perfect here to them, which was funny. There was. Speaker 1 Somebody I know my mother. Speaker 2 Regretting that now I was exposing their age. Speaker 1 But we had it on Saturday. It was in the outdoor learning Center, which is I will say, and I've said it I feel like a million times is my favorite space in the entire district. I love the outdoor learning center. It's beautiful. It's beautiful. And it was a beautiful day. And y'all had everything kind of set up on the stage and I mean, just did a great job. Speaker 1 Everything went so smoothly. We were under the trees and had a great turnout. You had your Westwood, so cute. The Westwood Spirit. Speaker 2 Squad, which. Yes, cheerleaders. And then Sue. I know. Speaker 1 The Westwood Second Grade Choir. Speaker 5 Performed. Speaker 2 They did. Speaker 1 Amazing. Yes. And so a lot of like their parents and grandparents came to support. And then we had actually students, I think it was nine ended up being the total. Yes. That 19. Speaker 5 90. Speaker 1 494 class came and Ms.. Young. Speaker 5 Yes. Speaker 1 Came back to open the contents, see what was inside the time capsule. So just. Yeah, that's a little background on that. But it was like it brought all these generations together with the super cool. Would you what do you think about the day? Speaker 5 I thought it was really great. That was actually one of the things that we were aiming for is to have the past of Westwood highlighted at the time capsule piece and then Bridgette with the present Westwood with our with our kid, Yeah, our kiddo groups coming in and performing, which was pretty cool. Speaker 1 So it was super sweet And so. Ms.. Pat Okay, let me hope that I'm seeing her listening right to Franca. Speaker 5 Yes. Speaker 1 She is one of our amazing museum volunteers. She was the one who kind of reached out initially with, Hey, this is something that is in our museum and we're now at the point where this time capsule would be open. It says open in 2024. Right. And you all met and kind of made this all happen. Speaker 5 Yes. Yes, we did. And it's pretty. Speaker 2 Cool. It was really cool. Speaker 1 So I guess can you just first start by sharing to some of your thoughts about just the importance of this time capsule project and what made it such a unique way to kind of bridge that past and present of Westwood? Speaker 5 Well, so whenever Ms.. Pat reached out about the time capsule, we were super excited because that was a totally different time. Westwood at that point was a third, fourth and fifth grade campus before they built bells. I did not even realize. Yeah, Yes. So and I think that that was either the last year that it was third, fourth and fifth, or the following year was the last year it was third, fourth and fifth. Speaker 5 And then Bailes came along and Westwood turned into an early childhood campus going up to second grade. And so when we met with with Ms.. Patt about the time capsule piece, we were really trying to figure out the best time to do that and decided that homecoming week would be perfect because there would be lots of people in town. Speaker 5 And we just we thought that this was the coolest thing ever to be able to be part of the past, which spoke to me because that's close to my age range and and just kind of highlight that that really cool class that did that, that was actually a year round class, that challenge class they went year round. And so I think it was originally supposed to be opened in June was the goal and then nobody was there. Speaker 5 So we decided to wait a little bit and and give everybody a chance to get there. Speaker 1 Well, I think the decision I mean, outside of just like good timing with homecoming and people being in town, the decision to wait and not do it in the heat of the Texas. Speaker 2 Is probably I think. Speaker 1 We struggle with that with jokes a little bit. Speaker 4 But until wait till I came on board, too. I'm glad it was. I know. Wait until the fall. Speaker 2 So yes, it's good. Speaker 4 Yeah, cool. Well, did you. I mean, I didn't want to. I guess I'll get into what exactly was in the time capsule because I'm curious. I saw a couple of the items on online, on social media, but. Speaker 5 So it was it was really neat to see. The first thing that came out was and a space cassette single, Don't Turn Around. And I will admit that on my way home that day, I pulled it up on Spotify and sang My Little Heart out because I remember that song so vividly. Speaker 1 And again, bridging the past with the present, right? Yes, because that just Spotify. Speaker 5 Spotify, right. There were a few VHS tapes that were recordings of that class or a field trip. One was an interview I think, that they did with a with a parent or a community member. And then there were newspaper articles and magazines that they thought were really relevant to them. There was like a learn 90 or something like. Speaker 2 That catalog. Speaker 5 Or magazine. Anyway, it was it was really cool. There was there was one I'll call her a kid. She was a kid when she did it, who put in several dental tools because her dad was a dentist and she wanted to see the difference in dental tools then versus dental tools in the future. It was really cool. Change. Speaker 2 No, no, no. Yeah. She's like, Those are the same as the exact same dental tools. Speaker 5 Exact same dental tools. But yeah, it was, it was really, really interesting. There were lots of letters and yeah, there were some scholar dollars from a. Speaker 2 Class which was kind of fun. Yes. Oh yeah. Speaker 1 Yeah. And, you know, unfortunately there was some water damage that which happens, right? You know, things get buried under the ground and maybe it's not filled quite as well as you think or hope. And it was under there for 30 years. We've experienced. Speaker 4 Hurricane. Speaker 1 A few hurricanes since then. Yes. But it was so really neat, I think, to just watch their reactions and like maybe some of those memories come back and in particular to Miss Young, she kind of she spoke at the beginning before opening and just kind of neat to say like like time capsules were all the hype, I guess, at that time. Speaker 1 But you don't actually see that many followed through on like actually opened, right? So it was neat for them just to be able to relive and they're trying to look at. Speaker 2 Like, who put this in there and seeing all these old names and you remember it. So it was just. Speaker 1 Super, super sweet. Speaker 5 It was it was really neat. Speaker 1 Yeah. So what was what was it like from your perspective, getting to witness their reactions to some of those items? Speaker 5 You know, I, I think about just finding things from my own childhood, right? Like I have a two giant new kids on the block in fact, that they're like the size of your head that I found in a box a couple of years ago when I was digging through some things. And and it was just, you know, it brings back all of those memories of whenever you were a kid and thinking about who you were with. Speaker 5 And I think that that is that's exactly what I saw them doing. And they were just they were back being kids and thinking about all of the things that they had put in. And, you know, I heard do you remember this to remember this? And and they were they were remembering about things that they had said and done as kids whenever they were together. Speaker 5 And so it was really neat to see them as adults coming together and remembering their childhood, which which was a really special thing for them. So, yeah. Speaker 2 That's pretty cool. Speaker 4 How many how big was the group of kids? Well, I guess they're adults now, but how big was that group and was it the almost the same amount that got to come back or was it a only a few people that are still in Friendswood? Speaker 5 So it wasn't a large group of kids because it was a challenge group and it was a year round group. So it listed in the picture. It looked probably maybe 12 to 15 kids and we had about nine that came back. Speaker 1 Which I thought was actually an excellent turnout. Speaker 5 Really. Speaker 4 It was more than Half men. Speaker 1 Yeah. Speaker 4 That's, that's friends with though. Speaker 5 Yeah. Speaker 1 It's, it's so funny like thinking through like why they chose like why do you think they chose certain things that were put into that time capsule. Speaker 5 I you know, it was really they were talking about it and so some of them couldn't remember why they put things in there like the some of the magazines that they had put in. I think there was even a Boy's Life magazine or something like that. But they you know, the videotapes were important to them because they were recordings of their class. Speaker 5 The person who pulled out the the cassette tape was like, oh, my gosh, I played this over and over in my car. And, you know, so I think that they put things in there that they thought was that would represent them as friends who had kids at that time, and then to see what it was going to change and look like in Friendswood later on. Speaker 5 So I think that, you know, that's where that's where they were going. I feel like they they put things in there that they thought were going to represent the future as well as represent them as kids. So it's kind of a cool, cool idea. Speaker 1 And did you. Speaker 4 Also grow up in the nineties era? Did you relate to some of those things? I know you said the song. Speaker 5 I did, I did relate to some of those things. I'm not going to tell my age, but I we ever. Speaker 1 Expected that. Speaker 2 Norway we Sophia, this 26 year old student I was born in the nineties too and it born. Speaker 5 In the nineties and grew up in the nineties. Speaker 2 Are two very different things. This is true. Speaker 4 And I'm reminded of this a. Speaker 2 Lot. Yes. Speaker 5 Yes. But yes. Yeah, some of those things were were things that I remember very vividly growing up to. I had a whole VHS collection that I got rid of not too long ago after I did not have a VHS player for quite some time. Speaker 1 So yeah. Speaker 5 Just in case I got a new one. I kept them. Speaker 1 Have you got them? Speaker 5 You know, I finally gave them away. Speaker 2 Cleaning out that closet? Yep. Yep, I. Speaker 1 Did. Well, I remember. So a couple of things stood out to me. One, there was a I believe it was the Friendswood reporter newspaper, and the headline was that the voter turnout was low and it was just so funny that it was like election season. And again, here we are, we're in election season. And that was kind of a neat thing to see. Speaker 5 It was it was really funny when they pulled out and that was the headline. And no. Speaker 2 And I was reading, I was like, wait a minute, this is. Speaker 5 Right now. Speaker 1 Yes. And I think they flipped through because I was one of the ones that was like there there was very little, if any, water damage to it. So they were able to to flip through it a little bit more. And they're like, go to the go to the ads, go to the this. And there was a suburban listed on there. Speaker 1 So okay, so it was 1994, right. They put these things in there. So was a 1994 paper. There was an ad for an 89 Suburban, and I don't know how many miles. I don't know if they said that when it was a used one was, but it was still it was a suburban it was listed for like $9,000. Speaker 5 And there was there was one for a brand new Toyota truck for 12,000. Speaker 1 Isn't that crazy? Yeah, like, I know. Excuse me, Can we go back to right now? Speaker 4 I might have multiple cars if. Speaker 5 There was a star Toyota, actually. Speaker 1 Oh, my gosh. Yeah. No, the salaries back then may have been like $3 a year. So it would be you know, it would still, you know, the prices were like it was just cool to even say stuff like that. And then there was a rockets cup and that was like height, like peak rockets success, right? That time, that era. Speaker 5 Yeah. There was the joke that that's those were the years that they won. But yeah, yeah. Speaker 2 That's how we do it now you know these. Speaker 4 Days with the, with the fans, with the people that were in there thought of the Rockets. Speaker 2 Now. Yeah. Speaker 5 It was really fun. Speaker 2 It is good because they used to be the. Speaker 5 Guy who put it in I think is the one who pulled it out and he was like, oh, I remember this. This is when they were winning. Speaker 2 Like, Yeah, okay, it's here. So made its way here. Speaker 1 I love it. Yeah. No, my so my husband is like, I mean, he's such a sports guy, big fan of all things. And he is always like going to root for the hometown team. And so he also he went to University of Texas. So he is we're big longhorns and I'm sorry. Speaker 2 See, but we are back in tech and tech. We're big Longhorns. Speaker 1 And so he actually, like he's such a believer in his teams. Like, it doesn't matter. Like, how about it or not, Longhorns are doing great, right? Fortunately, we we had a loss last week we're not wanting to talk about. But he he firmly believes with all of his heart we will win the national championship this year. And then the Texans, it's the same way he is 100% like has put money on it, like Texans are winning the Super Bowl Astros. Speaker 1 So like he is just a die hard fan. I'm like, this man will never cheat on me because he is loyal to a fault. Speaker 2 It doesn't matter to him. Speaker 1 Yesterday I think he did. Yes, they won, which was a divisional game. So that was that was good. Speaker 4 But maybe he knows something. Speaker 1 Maybe he knows something. So I'm like, even with the rockets, like if the rockets were lagging last, like, it wouldn't matter. He would probably still put a bet on them to, like, win the. Speaker 2 Whole thing because, like, that's just that's just how he you a good man to. Speaker 1 Have on your team. I just like I know we keep joking so we're having a baby and she's due February. Speaker 2 10th. Speaker 1 The Super Bowl this year is February 9th. And so we keep. Speaker 2 We're going to. Speaker 5 Need to figure that. Speaker 2 Out. So he's he's right in the middle of the Super Bowl. Speaker 1 And it's like and if she does, you will not be watching. Speaker 4 You bring the championship. Speaker 2 And you go, I know it's like the the Texans are going to be in it, too. Speaker 1 They're going to win this year and she's going to go right in the middle of the game. And you can watch a recording later. Speaker 2 Yeah, yeah. Speaker 5 Tell your friends not to spoil it for you. Speaker 1 Yeah. That she will not we will not change her name to see you out. Speaker 2 So just putting that out there right now anyway. Speaker 1 Yeah. I was going to find this year when we were big sports. You've also just even like to see that because that's one thing I think trying to put in with something with the Longhorns or something with the Texans. Speaker 2 And anyway, so fun it was. Speaker 5 So that was the only thing like that. I mean, it was it wasn't there wasn't anything else sports related or really even Texas. Speaker 4 Yeah, that's surprising. Yeah. Speaker 1 Yeah, it was it was interesting. Like, a lot of it. Definitely a lot of like newspaper clippings, magazines, those types of things, which. Speaker 2 Probably. Speaker 1 Were more local. Speaker 5 Yeah, it was actually a well preserved copy of a Westwood class newspaper that they had published and produced, which was which was pretty cool. We were we were able to save quite a few of the paper pieces that sort of dry out and and do that. So but that was one of the things that we that we saw the Westwood Westwood newspaper. Speaker 1 No, I will say because I saw one question, I responded to it on our friends or I see Facebook page where someone is asking, okay, like where all these items going now and for my understanding, what can be preserved is going to the Friendswood Schools Museum. Speaker 5 Yes, it is. Speaker 1 Yes. So if you are interested, if you missed so you want to see those things. I don't know how long it's going to take them to get that exhibit together. I'm sure we can promote that whenever it does. Absolutely. But they will be available for they. Speaker 5 Will. Speaker 1 Viewing. Yeah, it's yeah, super, super cool. Speaker 5 Yeah. We let a lot of stuff dry outside over the rest of the weekend in this part. I picked him up this morning and is going to start cataloging and going from there. So yeah. Speaker 1 Good. I'm glad that they were able to dry outside recently. Yeah, yeah. Speaker 2 Yeah. Speaker 5 There are say that a good a good portion of what was in. Speaker 2 There. Awesome. Speaker 4 Do you think that with the success of this time capsule that y'all would make another one for the next 30 years. Speaker 5 Or that is actually a really cool idea and it this, this celebration of the time capsule pieces. It's got my little brain thinking about some of those kinds of things, which would be pretty cool. Miss Quigley, one of our first grade teachers, does a first grade time capsule with her class every single year. And then whenever they're seniors, they come back and open up their time capsule together. Speaker 5 I love that, which is a pretty cool thing. So but to do a school y thing would be kind of a neat thing too. Speaker 4 There's a 2024 one. I think there definitely needs to be an astro. Something put in there. Speaker 2 Of course. Speaker 5 Of course. Yes. Speaker 4 Not just the Rockets. Speaker 5 Yes. No, I know for sure. Speaker 1 So really being able to see some of these things and like, of course, their insights into like the personal interests of the kids, but it's also a little insight into the state of education 30 years ago. So just reflecting on that, what is I mean, what does education look like today? How like how is it changed? Speaker 5 Well, you know, probably quite a bit. I it was interesting to see what they had put in because they did have lots of like educational magazines and things like that, which of course, we don't really use anymore. Speaker 1 But and I've had. Speaker 2 Lots of online. Speaker 5 Online resources. Yeah, but, but yeah. So I think it's, it's probably changed quite a bit if we think about what it was like whenever we were in elementary school and what that education looked like versus what it looks like now. So yeah, very, very different, I think. Speaker 1 And I think it's like it's a really unique opportunity to like reflect on that, right? Because those were things that were so relevant to the time. But just like the evolution of technology alone, right? Like, yes, like, can you imagine if we were unwilling as educators to change or evolve at all with what we do? Because like, if we were still working off cassette tapes or, you know, like, you can't do that, right? Speaker 1 Like, there's certain there's necessary change that has to occur. Absolutely. In order to best prepare our kids for a future that we don't even fully understand. But if you had to if you had to choose, let's say, three items that would represent Westwood Elementary today, what would be what are like the first three things that come to mind? Speaker 5 Oh, man, that's a hard one. Speaker 1 I know. I just came up with it. I'm brilliant. Speaker 2 You're going to give me. Speaker 5 Any warning. Speaker 1 On it. I'm sorry. Yeah. Speaker 2 Okay. Speaker 5 Things that represent Westwood, you know, I would say and I would think, you know, recording devices are always going to be obsolete, like the VHS recordings that were in there. But for some way to preserve our kiddos singing their school song, which we do every single Friday in a Friday morning meeting, I think would be a really cool thing to do because it, it, it, it is the the spirit of Westwood and everybody knows it and sings it things that out loud now proud. Speaker 5 I think that that's one thing that that would need to go in there Oh gosh. Speaker 2 So. Speaker 1 I don't I don't know what I want Intel's but y'all have a new practice of the walk to learn. Speaker 5 We do. Speaker 1 As there be a way to capture that. Well first of all, tell everyone what that is and like is there a way to capture that? That's a. Speaker 5 Good question. I don't know how we would capture that. So Walk to Learn is an idea, an instructional practice that we're doing because we believe that every single kid deserves to get exactly what they need. And whenever we have balanced classes, we have kids who, you know, in all different levels of of development in their academic careers. Right. Speaker 5 Or in their in their learning. And so that's sometimes a little bit difficult on one teacher to meet the needs of every single student in her classroom of of 22 or 23 kids every single day. And we believe that they should get that every single day. And so every morning, Monday through Thursday, our kiddos walk to learn. So the grade level teachers look at data and think about their kiddos as people, and then they divide them up based on what they need. Speaker 5 So if a kiddo has some some significant gaps, they're in a group that is is of kids that also have that same gap. If they're in a group that is right on grade level and just needs a little bit of reteaching and a repeat of things or an extension group of kiddos who are above grade level and really need to be challenged and pushed. Speaker 5 And so they look at these kiddos and they, they group them and then they decide which which group that they feel that they are going to make the most impact with. And they choose, they, they take that group of kiddos for 45 minutes Monday through Thursday and target their specific needs. So we have some kiddos who are getting some very intense intervention to close some gaps and we're seeing great growth in those kiddos. Speaker 5 Some kids are doing some challenge activities. I know that second grade challenged group is about to start book clubs and they're not necessarily all reading the same book. They're reading books that have a similar theme or something like that. And then their challenge is going to be to figure out who they belong with and why they belong with them based on their book selection and things like that. Speaker 5 So it's it's a really cool thing we're doing at kindergarten first and second grade, and they really do just walk to learn it. It's awesome at 15, so kids start scattering. I think. Speaker 1 It's actually more individualized. Speaker 5 For sure. Very much so, yeah. Speaker 1 Which I think is so important. I think that's definitely the direction we've been moving in. And yes, I have seen positive impacts with so commend on that. And you know, like maybe, maybe if, if you do a time capsule, you got two people here who could help capture that. Speaker 5 Yes. Yes, you could. Speaker 1 You could catch your whole on us. Speaker 5 I could call on you guys to do that. Speaker 1 We can come in and help. Speaker 2 But just throwing. Speaker 1 Out the sugar, the service there. Yes. Speaker 4 Oh, especially because, like, who knows how they're going to learn 30 years from now. You know, there can be ten different like eras of different kinds of learning in between then, yeah, maybe they're learning with VR or who knows. Speaker 1 Things that we can't even imagine. Honestly, it's probably things we can't even imagine holograms. Speaker 4 And who. Speaker 1 Knows? I don't. Speaker 2 Know. Oh, gosh. Well. Speaker 1 So what did you like? What was the response you got overall from the community? Like, have it seemed very supportive overall and excitement? Yeah, for sure. More buzz probably than I even expected on like social media, which was cool. Speaker 5 Yeah, that, you know, I, I wasn't quite sure what to expect whenever we were planning that the, that opening ceremony and an opening ceremony like it's the Olympics the time capsule opening celebration. And I wasn't quite sure what to expect like we were, we were thinking that maybe just a few people would be coming, but then whenever the the gates opened and we had just people streaming in, I was like, All righty then. Speaker 5 And some of them were there specifically for their kiddos, you know, showing off their their skills. Yes. But most of them stayed around and watched the time capsule opening. And we had some some families who were there specifically because they remember coming to us at around that time, whether they were part of the group that that buried the time capsule or not. Speaker 5 They hung around to see what was in there because they remembered it happening and so it was it was a really yeah, I've I've gotten lots of good feedback on the on the opening and how that worked. Speaker 1 And so we all did a beautiful job and I even thought it was super sweet. So there were several former Westwood teachers who attended as well. Yes. And your partner in Crime is Angie Record, actually, who played a big part in helping organize all of this. She did. She had actually offered a tour to those teachers of her school. Speaker 1 And so they went to go see just again how things have maybe changed since they were there. I thought that was so, so sweet. Speaker 5 Yeah, it was really great. Theresa Walton Ball, who was one of the teachers who was there at that time, and she is amazing in subs in our building, often was in contact with several of them. We had asked her if she would be willing to contact Sam, and so she said, Yeah, yeah, yeah, let me, let me see if I can get together and so yeah, it was, it was great. Speaker 5 And they did. They took a long tour of the building and checked out all the things and. Speaker 2 Yeah. Speaker 5 They were like, Oh, I remember this. And this was it here. And yeah, it was really, it was a really sweet to her. Speaker 1 I think the. Speaker 4 LLC alone would be. I'm sure that wasn't there, you know, 30 years ago. Speaker 1 So that was a few years ago. I think that was opened. Speaker 5 It was, from my understanding, more of more of kind of like a preserve area. So there were a lot more trees. It wasn't necessarily a play space, right, or a learning space, but it was more of an outdoor atrium is not the right word. But, you know, big, just treed nature. Yeah, nature, space. So they did remember that space out there. Speaker 5 It just had changed a whole lot since they had been there. Speaker 1 Yes. Well, and just again, context, if you don't know anything about the Outdoor learning center, like I said, it is my favorite is my favorite place in this entire district. But it kind of gets kids into a little bit more of the rugged again, like. So they're obviously they're outdoors. They have like they can build things. They have little. Speaker 1 Yes. Wheelbarrows. They have a stage for them. There's it's very hands on and they're learning and their minds are being expanded and they don't even realize it. And we actually just had last week on Friday are specialized classes. K through five of all campuses came to the LC for a specialized classes day. Yeah, that was so, so sweet to be a part of and to see. Speaker 5 They call it a field trip to the oh LC, which is super fun. And they yeah, it's great. Speaker 1 I love it. I love it. Well you all do fantastic things for sure at Westwood, and we're so blessed you for your leadership and taking this on because again, we know it's like kind of a lot of pressure. I had no idea what you were going to get when you open that up. You didn't know if you could even potentially get into it at first. Speaker 1 So you had to make sure that it was going to be like a key. It was a combination. Speaker 5 So they had they had buried just that big PVC pipe in the ground. And then it had been it had actually been removed from the ground a few years later and then encased in a wooden holder, if you will, like a stand, which had been in the museum for quite some time. Yes. And so before the ceremony, we actually had our maintenance department cut the wood off so that we could actually get to the time capsule. Speaker 5 And then they loosened one of the caps, too, so that we could we weren't trying to open it and not be able to get into it. Speaker 1 So and done some of the water damage quite. Speaker 2 Into the water out. Yes. Yeah. Speaker 1 So but it was great, you know, and and and we just like again had such a wonderful time. And I think it was such a look back on the past. A reflection, too, on where we are today. Just that things were amazing then. Things are amazing now and like kids are at the heart of things. Like kids are always just going to be kids. Speaker 1 And so it's so fascinating to have insight into their their minds at the time. So but we we enjoyed it. And thank you so much, I think, for coming on and talking about of course I was there and a little bit about our history. We are celebrating 85 years this year, so what a fitting time to to open a piece of history. Speaker 5 It was very. Speaker 1 Cool, is super cool. But thank you so much for being on the podcast today for having me and have a great day. Speaker 2 Thanks.