PHOTOS: Decades of history unearthed at Kelowna Secondary School

There was a wave of nostalgia at Kelowna Secondary School (KSS) earlier this week as students, teachers and members of the community gathered to open a time capsule.

The time capsule was buried under a large school sign along Raymer Avenue by the KSS Interact Club and Rotary Club of Kelowna in July 2005.

With some faint memories among those in attendance of when the capsule was first buried, the contents inside of it remained a mystery until a crew from the school district hoisted the large concrete cover.

Once opened, a handful of students pulled out a tote covered in plastic with a damp bottom.

After a bit of persuasion and the help of a knife, the plastic surrounding the tote was ripped off and the contents inside began to see the light for the first time in two decades.

Among the items to be pulled out were film negatives, printed photos, shirts, a chocolate bar celebrating the opening of the new school, yearbooks and the ID of a former teacher.

One yearbook was from 1937 and had a special connection to one of the Rotary members in attendance.

“I've been a member of the Rotary Club of Kelowna for 41 years, and I was invited to join by my dad, who joined the Rotary Club of Kelowna in 1950 and all of a sudden, they (the students) unearthed...his yearbook from 1937 because he graduated from KSS as well,” said Bruce Henderson.

Alongside there being a yearbook from Henderson’s father’s grad year, there was also a letter from his dad, who has since passed away.

"His handwriting was very distinctive, I knew right away when I was trying to read it, and I know why they (the students) had trouble reading it," added Henderson.

The items were then gathered and taken inside to dry out, while the concrete lid that protected the capsule was placed back in its resting spot.

It has not yet been decided if another time capsule will be created.