Lindsey Conley, Karen Knutsen, Kate Butler, Lynne Cowan, Scott Starkey, Margie Bleecker Bay, Peter Weis, Debbie Dorsee, Jay Wadala
(Jon Clark)
6th grader Penelope Arrieta sings “The National Anthem”
Former teacher Donna Spalding Miano and Superintendent Kim Pinkerton remove and discuss each item that was in the time capsule
(Jon Clark)
Monica Moreland, Kate Butler, Anatam Sahota
(Jon Clark)
Kathy Stumm, Steven Siegel, Deana Ingalls
(Jon Clark)
Paul Seitz prepares to open the time capsule
(Jon Clark)
Holly Fletcher, Dave Wilkey, Holly Wilkey
(Jon Clark)
Jeff Pitt (district director of Maintenance and Operations), Jee Manghani (RSF School Board president), Donna Spaulding Miano (former teacher), Kim Pinkerton (district superintendent)
(Jon Clark)
Paul Seitz, Jose Arrieta, Fatima Arrieta
(Jon Clark)
RSF School Board President Jee Manghani
(Jon Clark)
Karin Alexander, Rory Kendall
(Jon Clark)
Christina Capozzi, former teacher Kathy Stumm
(Jon Clark)
Scott Williams, Andrew Dewey, Cathy Dewey
(Jon Clark)
Annie Bradshaw-Hines, Cutter Clotfelter, Kim Pinkerton, Jay Wadala, Sinclair Holcomb
(Jon Clark)
Former teacher Barbara Brown and Stephen Brown
(Jon Clark)
Gloria and Paulette Bohrer
(Jon Clark)
Principal Joe Erpelding, District Executive Manager Beth Engstrom
(Jon Clark)
Annette Ross, Cathy Dewey, Lindsey Conley
(Jon Clark)
Liz Grumet, Carla Gustafson, Susan Wiseman
(Jon Clark)
Siblings Karin Alexander and Matthew Alexander
(Jon Clark)
Rebecca Johnston Arnold and Greg Arnold
(Jon Clark)
A special cake commemorated the opening of the 1976 time capsule at R. Roger Rowe School
(Jon Clark)
Liz Grumet, Bridget McDonald, Donna Spaulding Miano, Monica Moreland
(Jon Clark)
Monica Moreland, Liz Grumet
(Jon Clark)
Bridget McDonald, Randy Wilson, Donna Spaulding Miano
(Jon Clark)
Former teacher Donna Spalding Miano and Superintendent Kim Pinkerton remove and discuss each item that was in the time capsule
(Jon Clark)
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Lindsey Conley, Karen Knutsen, Kate Butler, Lynne Cowan, Scott Starkey, Margie Bleecker Bay, Peter Weis, Debbie Dorsee, Jay Wadala
(Jon Clark)
The Rancho Santa Fe School District community came together on Oct. 5 for the reveal of the Bicentennial Time Capsule, buried 50 years ago and filled with treasured memories from 1976-77. Cracking open the capsule was just the start of centennial celebrations that will continue throughout the school year to mark the district’s 100th anniversary in 2027.
Rancho Santa Fe School sixth graders put together the time capsule under the supervision of teacher Donna Miano (formerly Spaulding) to celebrate a school year that was both America’s historic bicentennial and the 50th anniversary of the school district.
The rusted box had been welded shut over the last 50 years—the school’s beloved science teacher, the late Bob Meyer, came up with the concept of an argon-filled capsule to help preserve its contents.
In 2009, when construction was set to begin on the new campus, former student and Rancho Santa Fe resident Bibbi Herrmann called Miano and said, “Donna, the school is being rebuilt over the time capsule!” Herrmann helped orchestrate a dig to remove it and since 2010 it has been sitting in a safe place in the administrative offices, waiting to be opened.
“This is the American Dream: opportunity, vision, teamwork through curiosity, innovation, and innovative minds and hearts,” Miano said. “We all had a mission: to show the world what life was like in 1976.”
The opening of the capsule bore a magnetic film reel, purple-tinted dittos and an old lesson plan, a commemorative Bicentennial stamp and button, issues of The San Diego Union Tribune from 1977 and magazines such as Sports Illustrated and Time, with ads for cigarettes and station wagons.
The centerpiece was a booklet of memories created by the students called “This was our American Bicentennial”. The cover was slightly dirtied, and some of the construction paper pieces dangled as the glue had lost its stickiness over the years, but it was mostly intact, the fragile pages bound together with blue ribbon.
Rancho Santa Fe School student life in 1976. (RSF Historical Society)
Rancho Santa Fe School students with a voting booth for the 1976 presidential election. (RSF Historical Society)
Rancho Santa Fe School student life in 1976. (RSF Historical Society)
The Halloween parade remains a tradition at R. Roger Rowe School. (RSF Historical Society)
Roger Rowe, the school’s namesake, with students. (Courtesy RSF Histocial Society)
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Rancho Santa Fe School student life in 1976. (RSF Historical Society)
The booklet included sepia-toned photos of The Inn and the Village, which included shops like Ashley’s Market and Toy Village. “Many people on the Ranch have horses,” one caption read. “For this reason you will see many corrals and bridal (sic) paths.”
It featured news topics such as space exploration, Olympic gymnast Nadia Comăneci and the 1976 presidential election between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. Pop culture references included The Fonz, The Sweathogs from “Welcome Back Kotter”, “Charlie’s Angels”, the “Six Million Dollar Man”, vocalists Helen Reddy, Neil Diamond and Elton John, movie stars like Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman from “All the President’s Men” and Sylvester Stallone from “Rocky”.
One student even contributed McDonald’s cheeseburger and fries wrappers.
The sixth graders wrote to local elected officials to request photos and letters to put into the capsule—there’s a letter from San Diego Mayor Pete Wilson and one from Governor Edmond G. Brown Jr. (Jerry), addressed to “the citizens of the 21st century.”
“As we reflect on the history of our nation, it is fitting to recall the words of the Spanish philosopher who said that patriotism is not so much protecting the land of our fathers but preserving the land of our children,” Brown wrote. “ I could wish no greater legacy for the inhabitants of this country and this planet.”
Thanks to the school’s partnership with the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society, archivist Matt Kitchens provided some additional photos and student writings from 1976 for the capsule celebration.
In the writings, students reflected on growing up in Rancho Santa Fe in the 1970s, in neat and beautiful cursive, an art mostly lost to time. Many of the students referenced the “country life”—eucalyptus trees and orange groves, trails and wildlife like quails, jackrabbits, coyotes and owls.
Eleven-year-old Sam Huffaker mused about what a dream it was to move to “heavenly” Rancho Santa Fe from Los Angeles when he was 5.
“I worry a lot though. Will it always be this pretty?” young Sam wrote. “It has grown up a lot since I’ve been here and probably will keep growing. If there is nothing we can do to stop it, we can at least try to slow it down and preserve this beautiful happy place that I’ve grown to love.”
The capsule also included a magnetic film reel—the black-and-white video recording captures student life and Americana in 1976, with glimpses of the old campus and traditions that continue today like the Halloween Carnival. A spelling lesson showed an eighth grade Bridget McDonald correctly spelling out the word “jealous”—at the Oct. 5 ceremony, a grown-up McDonald shared some of her school memories along with Cutter Clotfelter, who was a first grader in 1976.
Among the most precious scenes on the recording was one of Dr. Roger Rowe visiting Miano’s sixth grade classroom. He circulated among the desks, complimenting the students’ work and thanking them for their time capsule project.
Rowe would spend a total of 43 years as a teacher, principal and superintendent of the school that would be named in his honor after his retirement in 1991. He kept a close relationship with the school until he passed away in 2012.
“Over the years, our school community has held tight to the traditions that bring us together… Dr. Rowe was an integral part of these traditions, and his memory continues to live on in many of our school-based events,” Pinkerton said. “After he retired, Dr. Rowe would continue to attend some of our assemblies and visit us on campus. We are proud of our school community and what it represents, and today is a beautiful reminder of how we empower leaders, nurture community and shape a better future together.”
At the time capsule reveal, Rancho Santa Fe School District board member Paul Seitz helped to crack the capsule. In his remarks, board President Jee Manghani said it was a privilege to be able to discover what students in 1976 thought was worth preserving.
“Even more importantly, we’ll remember the people who believed that 50 years from then, students and families would still gather here, still care about this community, and still be curious enough to look back while continuing to move forward. That’s a remarkable act of faith,” Manghani said. “Because while the items inside may tell us about 1976, the people who buried this capsule gave us something far more valuable: a reminder that education is always about believing in tomorrow.”
Continuing the patriotic theme in 2026, the nation’s 250th, music teacher Jonathan Valverde closed the ceremony by singing “America the Beautiful.”
While the time capsule reveal was an adults-only event, current Rowe students would get the chance to see it at a school-wide assembly. The 50-year-old capsule is now on display in the front office, with its commemorative plaque.
As Miano said: “May we continue keeping history alive with light and love.”