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County Historian Corey Malcolm opening the time capsule. |
Today, history came bursting back to life as a time capsule buried by a gifted class of 4th‑ and 5th‑grade students in 1976 was unearthed at the former May Sands School. At the time, May Sands was a public school that housed exceptional student education programs, including gifted classes that brought students from across Key West together one day each week for enrichment and exploration.
The ceremony opened with remarks from Superintendent Ed Tierney, City Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez, Historian Dr. Corey Malcolm, and May Sands Montessori Principal Sandy McCoy. Following the instructions left by the 1976 students, the original letter was opened by Mayor Henriquez and read aloud by MSM student Ardan Tabb and HOB student Brielle Dudley, connecting the voices of the past with the students of today.
Using the hand‑drawn map from 1976, HOB students Taraji Roundtree and Messih Carey measured out the precise 4 feet 7 inches marking the exact spot where the capsule had been buried. After the dignitaries took the first ceremonial shovels of dirt, MCSD Maintenance dug deeper and uncovered a massive concrete block — the protective vault that had safeguarded the capsule for half a century.
Inside the container was a remarkable snapshot of 1976: a Miami Herald newspaper, a cassette tape of student stories, projector slides, cards, bicentennial memorabilia, and the students’ original letter. One of the students who helped bury the capsule, Charlotte Austin, returned for the moment and carefully lifted each item from the mayonnaise jar where it had been stored, sharing each artifact with the crowd.
The celebration didn’t end with the past. To honor the moment, the community began building a new time capsule for the students of 2051. As MSM students Alisa Dana and Tyler Occhiuto held the container, contributions included:
A letter to the future and a City coin from Mayor Henriquez
A police patch and challenge coin from Police Chief Sean Brandenburg
A letter to future students from Board Member Yvette Talbott
A bicentennial coin and two Flagler Railroad coins from Paul Menta
A flash drive of district photos and school logos from Principal Sandy McCoy
A baseball and Conchs game ticket from Monroe Horan, daughter of Board Member Darren Horan
Students from HOB and May Sands Montessori will now take on the next chapter: preparing letters and items for the new capsule, to be sealed and delivered by the last day of school.
What began as a project by gifted students in 1976 became a powerful celebration of memory, community, and the enduring spirit of the Keys — a bridge between generations, built by children then and now.