In 2001, a story about a time capsule inspired a group of Vigo Elementary fifth graders to create one of their own.
They collected photographs, letters and small items, buried them at school and chose a date 25 years in the future to open it.
Fast forward to September 2026, when former classmates returned to Vigo to discover what they had saved—and share a few laughs over choices they couldn’t quite explain.
For former student Kenzie Alton, the contents were a surprise.
“I had no idea what I put in there. No clue at all,” Alton said.
One discovery brought back a memory of a friendship that continues today.
Alton found that she and her friend Brooke had packed their belongings together in the same bag.
The two are still close, and Alton had seen Brooke just the weekend before.
“I thought it was cool that our stuff was together in a bag,” she said.
Other discoveries prompted more questions than answers.
Among the items were a bouncy ball, batteries, candy, rocks, newspapers and popcorn.
“The popcorn was probably the most surprising,” Alton said. “Why did we put popcorn in there?”
For Kayla Wilkinson, opening the capsule connected her years as a Vigo student with her work at the school today.
Wilkinson now teaches fourth grade at Vigo—a future she had hoped for when she was a child.
“That was always my plan, but I didn’t know if it would actually, you know, happen, but I’m so glad it did,” Wilkinson said.
She remembered gathering with her classmates to bury the capsule in a field where the school’s loop is now located.
She also remembered including a family photograph.
Inside, Wilkinson found the picture of herself with her parents, a letter she had written to herself and a small deer statue.
“I have no idea why I put that in there,” she said of the statue.
The scented highlighters and gel pens brought back memories, too.
Some of the most meaningful discoveries were the words the students had left for their future selves.
“We all had letters to ourselves, which I think was the best part,” Wilkinson said.
Returning to Vigo also gave former classmates an opportunity to reconnect.
Alton said they had discussed the upcoming opening when they got together last year and looked forward to returning.
For Wilkinson, who has also had the opportunity to work alongside some of her former elementary teachers, the opening offered another special connection to her years as a student.
“The scented highlighters, the gel pens, just us being back together,” she said. “It was a really cool experience.”
You can view photos of that were stored in the time capsule here.