Reinhard students record the pandemic one artifact at a time

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While most adults would like to forget that the Covid-19 pandemic ever happened, students at the Charles A. Reinhard Early Childhood Center in Bellmore are making sure their education and experiences during this challenging journey will not be forgotten.

Second-graders in Jennifer Magliano’s class created a time capsule filled with items and artifacts detailing each student’s time in quarantine. The capsule will be stored away until 2030, and reopened when the students graduate from high school.  

“The idea of a time capsule was to help the students be recorders of history and to assist them in understanding that they have been living it,” Magliano said. “They had a unique experience that will set them apart from other generations.”

The students also included writing samples expounding on the memories of isolating at home, and how Reinhard’s class of 2020 will be remembered. Artifacts included shells from a socially-distanced walk, a seed pod to represent outdoor activities, an empty toilet paper roll, masks, hand sanitizer, Reinhard clothing, birthday cards with an explanation of a drive-by celebration and a rainbow to signify the viral nationwide project symbolizing the pandemic’s eventual end.

Magliano said the time capsule will remain in her classroom until its opening in 2030, adding that this year’s students would unveil the stored artifacts with the second grade class of that year.

Provided by the Bellmore School District; compiled by Alyssa Seidman.