The mystery surrounding Bates Elementary School’s nearly 70-year-old time capsule is building, and third- and fourth-grade students got a special history lesson last week to help bring the past to life.

Mike Sollars of the Brownstown Historical Society visited Bates Elementary to talk with students about what life was like at the school in 1957, when the time capsule was placed. With the big reveal just around the corner, Sollars gave students a glimpse into the past while encouraging them to think about what might be waiting inside the capsule.

To help students understand how historians uncover the past, Sollars introduced the idea of a primary source — firsthand information about a time or event. He explained that an oral interview is one example of a primary source and shared interviews he recently conducted with three former Bates students: Barbara, Chris and Claude, who attended the school in 1957.

Sollars tracked down the former students with the help of community members, making phone calls, knocking on doors and following leads until he found people who were willing to share their memories. The research took approximately three to four weeks.

The interviews gave students a fascinating look at what a typical school day was like nearly seven decades ago.

Sollars asked students to guess what might have been served for lunch in 1957. Their guesses included nachos, beans and fried chicken. But the former students remembered something a little different: white milk and sandwiches filled with ham, bologna or peanut butter and jelly.

Recess was another topic that sparked conversation. Students imagined playing tag, using the swings and slides, and enjoying games like Duck, Duck, Goose. In the interviews, Barbara recalled playing kickball and baseball, as well as spending time on the slides and swings or in the gym. Chris and Claude remembered the boys playing football and basketball while the girls enjoyed hopscotch and running around.

Technology brought some of the biggest surprises. When Sollars asked students about their favorite video games, answers included Mario, Sonic and The Simpsons. But in 1957, video games didn't exist as part of everyday life. Instead, families had just four television stations to watch — and students were surprised to learn that all four stations went off the air at 10 p.m. There was nothing to watch again until the following morning!

Of course, the conversation eventually returned to the big question: What is inside the Bates time capsule?

Sollars encouraged students to think about what someone attending Bates in 1957 might have wanted future generations to discover. Claude remembered an art teacher coloring a picture and placing it inside, while Barbara offered a few possibilities of her own, although she didn't remember exactly what had been included.

When Bates teacher Maryna Hedeen asked how he managed to find people who attended the school so long ago, Sollars explained that it took a little detective work and plenty of help from the community. Once he connected with one former student, that person often led him to someone else who could share another piece of the story.

Interestingly, Sollars admitted that he has never actually seen a time capsule in person and is just as excited as the students to finally discover what is inside.

He also shared his thoughts on why the capsule may have been created in the first place. Time capsules are a way to send a message into the future — an opportunity for people to show future generations what life was like in their time. The people who placed the capsule at Bates in 1957 likely wanted students decades later to see what their school looked like and learn about the things that were important to them.

And while many things have changed since 1957, Sollars pointed out that some things have remained the same. Students today are still learning, playing, making memories and building friendships at Bates, just as generations of students did before them.

Now, with a little more history behind them and plenty of new guesses about what could be inside, Bates students are counting down the days until the time capsule is finally opened next week.

After 69 years, the wait is almost over!