During the Summer Term of 2020, History Teacher, Helen Robinson, proposed a club to her Year 7 historians to record the momentous nature of the COVID Lockdown.  Initially thinking that the club would last a term, it has continued, resulting in a time capsule and booklet (see below for link), which were recently presented to be displayed in the Development Office.

Since then, the students have held weekly meetings, where they have worked on producing a time capsule containing items, documents, and photos that related to significant memories for them of this unique time period.  Toilet roll was, of course, included after shortages made the headlines in the initial weeks of the pandemic, along with a hand sanitiser, a face mask and COVID test kit.

They also worked together to create a booklet of their memories of the lockdown, which included school events, such as a No Zoom Day and the return of school assemblies after two years, and national events, like the death of The Duke of Edinburgh and the roll-out of the vaccines.

The students also interviewed several Old Hymerians as part of the project, to find out what school life was like for them and also how they were finding the Lockdown.  They have since attended some of the Old Hymerian lunches at the school and met some of the former students who corresponded with them.

The booklet affords a clear record of the chronological framework of the pandemic events, which have quickly become muddied and confused in the minds of many, but most valuably, it chronicles reactions, both those of the students themselves and society as a whole.

Dr Jon Denton, Head of History and Politics

I am grateful to the pupils of the Hymers Time Capsule Club for preserving for posterity such momentous times.

Justin Stanley, Head, Hymers College

The students, along with Miss Robinson, have worked incredibly hard on this project and the Development Office is very grateful to them.

A huge word of thanks to my students, whose zest for the project definitely helped me through the gloom of the lockdowns.  They are funny, perceptive and smart historians and it has been an absolute privilege to help them with the Time Capsule.

Helen Robinson, Teacher of History

Time Capsule Members:

• Lydia
• Lucy
• Maud
• Emily
• Keira
• Florence
• Oscar

Time Capsule Club: Recording our Lockdown memories booklet