GIRARD — During the 1999-2000 school year, after Tod Woods School was closed and Girard Intermediate School was opened, a time capsule was buried at the school property.

At a gathering Tuesday at Girard Intermediate School, former teachers, administrators and other staff joined school staff and students in grades 4 to 6 to watch the opening of the time capsule and see its contents.

Wendy DiBernardi, a 36-year teacher at the school who teaches gifted education, coordinated the assembly for the “Silver Anniversary Reveal” in the school gymnasium and the bringing back of retired staff who were at the school during the 1999-2000 school year.

“Today we celebrate our school’s past and also our future. We thank all those who made an impact on our Girard students,” she said.

Many former educators who were at both schools were invited to celebrate the past with the current staff and students.

DiBernardi said during the first year of the new school, a time capsule was filled with various items, including a booklet made with biographies of all the staff who were teachers at Tod Woods School. She said it was former principal Robert Foley who came up with the idea of a time capsule.

Principal Bill Bogan said the memories and treasures in the time capsule will help everyone see what the GIS was like a quarter of a century ago.

“Today history unfolds as we show what our school was like 25 years ago. This is an opportunity for you to see what a wonderful part all of you are to this school system,” Bogan said of current and past staff and students.

A video was shown of the staff at the school in 1999-2000 and also of staff who were there then and have since retired.

Past GIS staff included David Leo, who served as principal at the building, and Greg May, a long-time physical education teacher who coordinated the annual Field Day each spring where children compete outside in different athletic events.

May said the field day will celebrate 80 years next spring and he has coordinated it for 56 of them.

May said when began teaching in Girard, there were six neighborhood elementary schools that competed in the field day, which was first held in 1945.

“I made sure as a teacher in Girard that field day was a tradition,” May said.

SPECIAL TRIBUTE

A special tribute took place for Gayla Nail, who, while doing her job as a crossing guard and helping students across Trumbull Avenue by Tod Woods School, was hit by a car and killed at age 47 on Sept. 19, 1995. A memorial item about Nail was inside the time capsule,

Alycia Holmes, a 41-year employee and now head custodian, said Nail was often the first person many children walking to school each morning saw and also the last person they saw on their way home.

“She was so kind and so friendly to everyone,”‘ Holmes said.

Alyssa Masternick, along with her brother, Michael Masternick, grandchildren of Nail, said Nail’s memory continues as a scholarship was established in her name that has helped many Girard graduates further their education over the past 25 years.

STUDENT BOOKLET

In the time capsule was a booklet about fourth-grade students. Teacher Ashley (Fitch) Belcik was a fourth grader in the 1999-2000 school year and wrote information about herself inside the time capsule.

In her biography, Belcik wrote she liked to read books such as the “Little House” series and “Captain Underpants” books and run in the gym.

There was also an informational book on Tod Woods that said it was built in 1919 for $66,000 and is still standing today.

DiBernadi said plans are for the current school staff and students to fill and bury a new time capsule to be opened in 25 years.

“There will be new treasures from the school to look at 25 years from now. The staff and students will spend the remainder of this school year to plan for our legacy,” she said.