Former Baldwin class reunited with time capsule treasures after more than 25 years

QUINCY — A class of fourth graders at Baldwin Intermediate School gathered their most prized possessions on Dec. 13, 1999, and placed them in a time capsule to be opened in 2025. 

The capsule remained in the basement of the Quincy Museum as the students who filled it moved on with their lives on the outside, progressing from middle school to high school, college and beyond. 

Several of them reunited on Saturday morning with their beloved teacher Karen Dennis, known then as Mrs. De Voss, in the Great Hall of the museum to unearth the relics of their childhood. 

“The year 2000 was so iffy. Everybody thought the computers were going to crash, the world was going to end, something bad was going to happen,” Dennis said. “But you know what? We just sailed right through it. No big deal.”

For the last two and a half months, Dennis worked to track down her former students. She found many on Facebook. Others she found by knocking on the doors of their childhood homes to find that their parents were still living there. Six students came together in person, while others joined virtually, tuning in from as close as St. Louis and as far as London, England. 

“I am just really proud of all of you. I used to tell you, ‘I love you.’ I still love you,” Dennis said to her former class, now all in their mid-thirties. “Once you’re my kid, you’re always my kid.”

The parents of many students who couldn’t be there in person joined the group at the museum in their place, like Angela Ketteman, whose son Trevor was unable to attend due to a work obligation in St. Louis.

In Trevor’s bag, she found a alligator t-shirt and a snake molt — unsurprising artifacts from a child who wanted to be a herpetologist when he grew up.

Ashley Venice had no idea what she’d find inside the time capsule. She’d completely forgotten about the neon-colored, swirl-patterned eraser and matching mechanical pencil she’d included, as well as what she presumed to have been lip gloss at the time — now reduced to a tiny jar of iridescent, glittery crumbs.

“Did I put a rock in here?” Venice asked as she unraveled an object that had been lovingly wrapped in a tissue. “I put a rock in here! I loved rocks! I still love rocks. This is hilarious.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be a time capsule from 1999 without Beanie Babies, of which there were several. Included in Tiffany Cole’s bag of goodies was a list of retired Beanie Babies, along with her favorite and first ones, among other items. She and her family returned to the area from Ohio for the event. She is now considering doing a time capsule with her own children.

Venice and Cole described their year with Dennis as one of adventure, with lots of field trips and exposure to other cultures, like trying Indian food and learning about the longest word in the Welsh language.

“It was an unforgettable year. We did so many fun things,” Venice said.

Though the Quincy Museum has always had, as Dennis said, “wonderful displays and learning opportunities,” their partnership with local schools didn’t begin until she designed a collaborative curriculum that provided interactive learning opportunities through the museum.

“We had worksheets, we had experiments, we had crafts, we had studies,” she said. “Everybody had a hands-on experience in the area that was being emphasized in the fourth grade curriculum for science.”

Anne Forbes, development director for the Quincy Museum, said Dennis was “legendary” for her kindness and talent as an educator. She thanked her for her contributions to the museum and the community. 

“This time capsule is a testament to the creativity of local educators and museum staff, then and now. It shows the lasting power of collaboration, education and preservation,” Forbes said. “It’s also a testament to the longevity of the museum, which is celebrating our 60th year. We welcome collaboration opportunities now and in the future.”

Roughly 3,000 students toured the museum on field trips in 2024.

“That was 3,000 opportunities for students to learn and interact with history and science. Our custom-designed curriculum is grade appropriate and taught by educators,” Forbes said. “Although we can’t open a time capsule everyday, we do offer the community educational opportunities everyday.”

Many of the items found in the time capsule will be on display at the museum through the end of the year.

After 33 years of teaching at Baldwin and various elementary schools in the area, Dennis retired in 2010.

“There is absolutely nothing in the world that is better than working with children,” Dennis said. “It was one of the biggest blessings of my life to be a teacher.”