LBUSD Students Reunited With Their Childhood Dreams as 50-Year Time Capsule Opens

On Wednesday, July 22, Long Beach Unified Superintendent David Zaid joined Board of Education Vice President Erik Miller, city officials, former Long Beach Unified students, and community members at Long Beach City Hall as a 50-year time capsule was opened, reuniting former students with letters they wrote as fifth graders in 1976 and reminding everyone that the impact of public education can last a lifetime.

For Superintendent Zaid, the day’s most meaningful artifacts weren’t photographs or historical records; they were the students themselves who returned to share their hopes and dreams for Long Beach.

As children, they were asked to imagine the future. Fifty years later, they stood together to read those same words aloud.

“The time capsule concept reminds us that the greatest acts of leadership are often not the most visible; they are the ones that create hope for generations to come,” Superintendent Zaid said. 

The ceremony celebrated Long Beach’s past while looking ahead to a future built by students, educators, families, and the community. As Superintendent Zaid often says, “To get there, we must go together.”