Time capsule: Messages to the future from Upokongaro School

Upokongaro School principal Warren Brown with Skye Simon, Kereana Allen and Zahrik Gribble burying the 2020 time capsule. Photo / Bevan Conley

Upokongaro School pupils of the future will have a good understanding of the impacts of Covid-19 and how their school managed remote learning thanks to letters from the past.

When a time capsule is excavated in 2045 children at the riverside school north of Whanganui will discover how pupils of 2020 and their families live and learn.

The school which opened in 1870 celebrated 150 years of primary education on March 14 just a week before New Zealand entered level 4 lockdown and principal Warren Brown said it was a brilliant weekend of celebrations.

"We didn't get to bury a new time capsule straight after as we planned to," he said.

"The one we lifted at the 150th celebrations was buried after the school's 125th anniversary in 1995 and some of the things in there made us feel a bit sad."

Pupil Kereana Allen said there were letters inside the capsule marked "private" that were intended for children who attended the school in 1995.

"We weren't allowed to read those because they were for certain people," said Kereana.

"There were interesting things in there that showed us what the school was like 25 years ago and what the kids were learning."

Brown said there were letters from school parents written to their children 25 years ago.

"It was quite emotional because a couple of them have passed since then," he said.

"We've had some fantastic contributions for the 2020 capsule and families got behind it.

"There are photos, letters, and all kinds of donated contemporary items for the school community of 2045 to wonder at."

Upokongaro is a full primary school with a current roll of around 130 pupils.