S.A. time capsule unearths Mega Man, Kobe and other third grade memories

A time capsule filled and buried by students at Palo Alto Elementary School in 2006 sits at Palo Alto College, where it was to be opened by the same students, who are now high school seniors, on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015. less A time capsule filled and buried by students at Palo Alto Elementary School in 2006 sits at Palo Alto College, where it was to be opened by the same students, who are now high school seniors, on Tuesday, Feb. ... more Photo: Billy Calzada, San Antonio Express-News Photo: Billy Calzada, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close S.A. time capsule unearths Mega Man, Kobe and other third grade memories 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

Almost 40 South San Antonio High School seniors braved Tuesday morning’s biting cold to open a time capsule they had buried at Palo Alto College when they were third-graders.

On that day — Feb. 24, 2006 — they were students at Palo Alto Elementary School and received a promise of full two-year scholarships to the community college if they graduated from high school.

“At the time, it didn’t really mean much,” said one of them, Richie Perez. “We were in the third grade. I didn’t really see myself graduating high school. …We’ve kept that promise and now we’re going to be able to get our two years.”

The students crowded around the capsule to retrieve letters they had written to themselves.

Hector Martinez Jr., 18, found the Mega Man action figure he said he had missed for nine years. Another student got back his Monster Jam video game.

The teens pored over a copy of that day’s San Antonio Express-News, dominated by the war in Iraq and the Winter Olympics in Italy. The sports section listed Kobe Bryant as the lead scorer in the NBA.

“That’s when the Pistons were good,” a student marveled.

A stuffed tiger holding a heart embroidered with “Hug Me” went unclaimed. Of the 97 third-graders who saw the capsule buried, only 40 stayed in the area and are graduating this year, said Natalie Barajas, PAC spokeswoman.

The total value of the scholarships is $225,000, or more than $5,600 per student, she said.

amalik@express-news.net

Twitter: @AliaAtSAEN