GLENDALE — Vivienne Tarnawa, a seventh grader at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy, thought long and hard about what she would contribute to the time capsule the school plans to bury to mark the nation’s 250th birthday.
She decided to allow her LaBubu toy to join the dozens of other items in the time capsule that will be buried on school grounds at some point within the next few months. The plan is then for students in the year 2076 to dig up for America’s 300th birthday.
“I donated LaBubu because it was a really big trend in 2025,” she said of the popular scruffy-looking monster character with big ears and sharp teeth. “And I feel it’d be cool for the new generation to see what kind of toys we had.”
Time capsules are nothing new at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy in Glendale. Fifty years ago, students buried one as part of the school’s celebration of the nation’s Bicentennial.
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That time capsule, which contained vinyl records, Tonka toy trucks, a Barbie doll, the score to “Godspell” (the students had performed the musical that year), test papers, essays, pieces of school uniforms, and the 1976 yearbook, was recently unearthed.
Many of the items had deteriorated over the past half-century, because the tie capsule was stored in a plastic container that did not withstand the test of time. But whatever could be salvaged was put on display in the gym during the 85th anniversary gala for the school, which opened in 1941.
For Annette Morreale (Class of ’76), the April 24 gala was also a trip down memory lane for her and her classmates, who celebrated a class reunion that night.
She recalled how excited she and her classmates were when the time capsule was buried in 1976.
“I think it was a Saturday,” she said. “They had the whole school out there, and three of my classmates dug a hole and put the time capsule in. It was great.”
Morreale said she enjoyed the Bicentennial as a student all those years ago.
“It was an exciting time. We loved learning about American history,” she added. “And with the time capsule, we felt like we were part of it.”
Morreale was equally excited to learn that today’s students are preparing a time capsule.
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“I think it’s great,” she said. “I hope many of them come back to Sacred Heart, like we did, in 50 years to see it when it’s dug up.”
Then, as now, the entire school was involved in the time capsule. Each grade was asked to contribute something.
Assistant Principal Victoria Smallwood, who is spearheading the current time capsule project, said the students contributed all sorts of items, including a USA pennant, class photos, a list of current trends that young people are following, Stanley water bottles, and toys.
“One class put three pennies in there because the penny isn’t going to be minted anymore,” she noted.
The students are enjoying learning about the nation’s history as they gather items for the time capsule.
“I thought I already knew about a lot of the history, but when I learn about it in my class, it sounds a lot cooler,” said Demi Flood, a fourth grader who contributed a Needoh swishy toy. Her class is placing the class picture in the time capsule.
The upcoming 250th birthday is making Vivienne Tarnawa feel more patriotic.
“It’s amazing when you think about all the things that were built up,” she said. “America is an amazing country.”