2022 is proving to be an exciting year for the Riverview Collegiate Institute in Moose Jaw. It’s experiencing a blast from the past after finding two time capsules within its walls, one from 1994-1995 and one from 2000.  

RVCI Principal Deana Kemple has been working at the school for the last two years and has been cleaning out old clutter with other teachers. While cleaning they came across the time capsules in the back of an unused room. 

“One was closed in 1995 and was to be opened in 2004. The other one was closed and that one specifically said ‘Grad of 2000’ and to be opened in 2010,” says Kemple. She also said that none of the staff from those time periods were still working in the school to remind anyone of the time capsules.  

The 1995 time capsule appeared to have been opened already and screwed shut again but the 2000 capsule looked unopened.  

Kemple reached out to the RVCI Alumni Association to see if anyone wanted the capsules but the people in the Associations mostly represent students from previous decades between the 1960s and 1980s. So, Kemple decided to post about the time capsules on a local Facebook page for Moose Jaw residents called 'MJ Talks'.  

“I threw it on there and within an hour I had 7 or 8 people contacting me from the grad of 2000,” says Kemple. She didn’t get as big of a response from 1995 graduates but she did end up giving both capsules away to graduates from each class.  

Moose Jaw resident Angie Sjoberg is a graduate from the 1995 class and picked up that year’s time capsule. She and her daughter decided to open the time capsule and found a variety of memorabilia.

The capsule not only had things from the graduating class of 1995 but there were things from the class of 1994 and things from the younger grades going back to the 1995 kindergarten class. The box has cassette tapes from each grade, a VHS tape of the kindergarten class, along with the student's permission slips for them.

Sjoberg hasn’t listened to the tapes in fear of ruining them by playing them in an old player, so she said that she’s looking into the process and cost of having them transferred onto a CD or SD card. There’s also a stack of papers and on each one is a 10-year prediction from every student, as well as a stack of photos of the students and their clubs and sports teams. The capsule also had 1995 newspapers from the Moose Jaw Times-Herald.

Sjoberg said that she shared some photos of the items with some high school friends she’s still in contact with as well as her brother who graduated in 1994 but she doesn’t have the contacts to share the capsule with the entire 1995 class. So, she’s considering taking photos of everything and putting it all into an album to post online but she hasn’t decided yet on whether she’ll do it or not. 

Another local, Cathy Bradford, took the 2000 time capsule. She graduated from RVCI in 2000 and told Discover Moose Jaw she was so excited when she saw Kemple’s post on the ‘MJ Talks’ Facebook page.  

“I just want to do right by it,” says Bradford. She hasn’t opened the capsule yet.  

Bradford and her friend Christin made a grad video of the 2000 class which is in the capsule.

“Cristin and I spent a lot of hours making that video, we are excited to look back on it and be able to stream it for everyone to see,” she says.  

The 2000 graduating class planned to have a 20-year reunion in 2020 but it was canceled due to the pandemic. Bradford said she’s unsure if a reunion will happen this year but she doesn’t want to open the capsule alone. The graduating class of 2000 has a Facebook group so everyone can keep in contact. Bradford plans to open the capsule on a Facebook Livestream in the group so that everyone from the graduating class can see it. However, Bradford hasn’t decided yet when this will happen.  

Time capsules weren’t the only thing found while Kemple was cleaning out the school, she also found old yearbooks dating back as far as 1990. She gave the books to the RVCI Alumni Association to add to their collection of yearbooks.

“We’ve got a total of about 80 or 90 books,” says Terry Wallace, RVCI graduate of 1961 and Secretary of the RVCI Alumni Association. Its yearbook collection goes all the way back to about 1960. 

The association is looking to digitize their collection to have online on the association’s website for anyone to see. It’s currently looking into the cost and execution of digitizing the books and doesn’t have a set timeline on when they’ll come out.  

“We’re still exploring it and we’re hoping that if we can put the money forward for it that we’ll do it sometime within the next year,” says Wallace.  

The Alumni Association is also helping prepare two upcoming class reunions. In August, RVCI graduates from the classes of 1971 and 1972 will be getting together for separate 50-year reunions. The reunion for the class of 1971 was supposed to happen last year in 2021 but it was canceled due to the pandemic. Due to that, it was moved to this summer of 2022.  

The 1971 50-year reunion will be meeting on August 5th, 6th, and 7th at the Moose Jaw Wildlife Federation.  

“We have a few things planned, we have golfing, hiking, bowling, some city tours because some of our classmates left Moose Jaw in 1971 and have never been back,” says Jim Mowrey, one of the reunion coordinators. He also said that out of roughly 120 graduates from 1971, over 50 people have confirmed that they will be attending.  

The following weekend of August 12th, 13th, and 14th will be the 1972 50-year reunion.  

“A number of things are on our agenda now. We’re thinking obviously of a typical reunion where we get together Friday, do some kind of partying on Saturday night. We’re working on a scavenger hunt... There's been some talk about getting together and doing events such as pickleball or golf,” says Darrel Hack one of the reunion coordinators. They plan to get together for some breakfast meals and a school tour as well. Out of roughly 150 graduates from 1972, roughly 75 people have agreed to go.  
Hack also added that they are in need of some more volunteers to help host the event by working at the bar or helping with running around and organizing. Anyone can sign up to volunteer through their Facebook page by messaging the admin.  

People can visit the Alumni Association's website to keep up to date on the reunions and the process of digitizing the yearbook collection.