Fifth-grade students of Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools (GTACS) gathered at the new Immaculate Conception Elementary School on Tuesday morning to place a time capsule in the wall.
 
The old Immaculate Conception school building was demolished starting last September, in order make way for a new school building, parking lot, and playground. During the demolition, construction crews came across a time capsule that dated back to the 1960s.
 
The new time capsule is a tribute to this discovery. It contains letters written by current GTACS fifth-graders and addressed to future fifth-grade students. Also featured in the time capsule are several items from the unearthed 1960s time capsule, as well as select materials about the campaign to plan, finance, and build the new Immaculate Conception school.
 
Throughout the 2018/19 school year, Immaculate Conception students have attended other schools in the GTACS system. Fifth-graders have been studying at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Middle School, while third and fourth-graders have been at Holy Angels Elementary. Next year, Holy Angels will be incorporated into the newer and larger Immaculate Conception building. The old Holy Angels property, meanwhile, will be used to house certain classes for St. Francis High School. According GTACS, the high school has seen “burgeoning enrollment” in recent years and was in need of additional space.
 
Today marks the final day of the current school year for GTACS, and the last day of elementary classes at Holy Angels. GTACS has planned an assembly and a final walk through of the school building with students to honor the occasion.