By Brittney Haldorsen ‘25

Photo of Blackout Day (spirit week).

Courtesy of Leon Liu ‘25

In a world that moves fast and forgets faster, the time capsule offers a pause to preserve something real before it slips away. As the Catlin Gabel School (CGS) Class of 2025 gets ready to scatter to new cities, new schools, and new dreams, we are sealing a small piece of the Class of 2025’s story. The question is: how do we capture an entire class in just a few objects?

I asked seniors to reflect on moments and memories that shaped their four years at CGS in the upper school. Across arts, sports, and the revival of traditions, countless members of the class of 2025 shaped our time these past 4 years—it would be impossible to name them all. But through a few stories and symbols we can glimpse into the spirit that carried us.

The Fun(d) Run Tyler George ‘25

If you could hear inside our time capsule, it would be the sound of sneakers squeaking on the track and Tyler George hyping the crowd. The CG Fun(d) Run, a student-led community event reborn from “Tuition On the Track,” was revived by George in his junior year.

“I was interested in restarting the Fun(d) Run… as a way to sustain traditions at the school,” George said. “It was on me to take the charge.” And charge he did, partnering with administrators like Nicole Rinetti-Clawson, Director of Advancement. George turned the event back into an annual fundraiser for the community.

His item of choice for the capsule? A small sticker featuring the event’s eagle mascot. If the CG Fun(d) Run ever fades again, George hopes someone will find the sticker and think, “let's run it back.”

CG Flea and the Art of Showing Up featuring Chloë Tremblay and Emma Palmer

It wouldn’t be the class of 2025 without a snapshot into art, and a nod to CG Flea, the mainly student-run pop-up. Whether you are buying crochet frogs or custom perfume, it’s the kind of place where creativity spills out of everyone's backpack.

Photo of a necklace made by Emma Palmer.

Courtesy of Emma Palmer ‘25

Speaking of CG Flea, Emma Palmer’s booth is always a magnet. Her wire–wrapped rings and pendants sell fast.

“I started when I was about nine,” said Palmer.. “My sister dropped the hobby, but I stuck with it.” She sells each summer at her family’s community market festival, and never uses tutorials. “Everything’s hand-done. I try to balance the wire so it doesn’t overpower the stone,” said Palmer.

When she sees classmates wearing her work, “It’s reassuring… that people actually like the art I make. Enough to wear it every day.”

Photo of a plate made by Chloe Tremblay ‘25.

Courtesy of Chloe Tremblay

To represent something fragile and brightly colored, you might pick one of Chloë Tremblay’s ceramic pieces. She started pottery junior year and hasn’t stopped since.

“I like working with my hands. There's something about 3D art—you start from scratch. And I like that the glaze adds a 2D layer of creativity on top,” said Tremblay.

Her most meaningful piece? The two salad bowls she made for Enrique Escalona Fuentes. “He still tells me when he eats salads in them. A year later. That’s stuck with me,” said Tremblay.

For the time capsule, Tremblay would want a sculpture–something detailed, imperfect, but honest.

While this story highlights just a few artists like Emma Palmer and Chloë Tremblay, CG Flea was a true group effort. Creators like Isaac Robinette, Jack Ericksen, and many others helped turn it into a lively showcase of talent.

Sports, Soccer, and Track featuring Henry Beckerman ‘25 and Annika Sirtori ‘25

High School wasn't all about revival and creativity, but continuation, specifically of sports

for Annika Sirtori; it was soccer. Freshman year, she joined the CGS soccer team and immediately felt welcomed by older players “It really kind of made my freshman year,” said Sirtori.

That year ended in a dramatic State Championship win, and Sirtori was hooked. Since then, she's been a part of three championship teams, served as Captain her senior year, and won All-State 1st team and AllLeague 2nd team, “Soccer gave me so many opportunities for connection,” she said. She describes her grade in a similar way,“We've matured a lot, we're more open and accepting of each other now,”said Sirtori.

Sirtori would leave behind a soccer ball, a necessity for playing the sport and the starting point for all the memories, championships, and friendships she built over her four years in the Upper School.

Photo of soccer ball

Photo courtesy of Nike

And finally, Henry Beckerman, whose time flew by like the spinning flight of a discus. Beckerman started track at the end of 8th grade after COVID and found something that stuck. “ Track and field has always felt special to me, and it’s a feeling that no other sport has given me,” Beckerman said.

Over the years, Beckerman earned top-three finishes at many meets, but he's proudest of winning first in a district and third at State and discus. He believes “supporting your peers is one of the best things you can do.” Even in an individual sport, cheering on teammates made the experience joyful.

For our final item in the capsule, Beckerman would place 2 discs that he uses for throwing. He mentions kind, impressive, and unique as three words to define our class, and maybe that's what we will be remembered for.

Photo of a two disci,

Courtesy of Henry Beckerman ‘25

What We’re Leaving

So what does it all say about us? When surveyed, students described the class with words like successful, mature, excited, chill, cohesive, hopeful, and connected. The class of 2025 is hands-on—building, reviving, and shaping with wire and clay, with traditions and ideas.

They show up and try to leave things better than they found them. What is sealed inside the idea of this capsule would be more than just objects; it is the spirit behind them—a spirit of creativity, community, and resilience that will carry forward as they move into the world.

But as they leave, symbols remain of their presence and impact at Catlin: jewelry worn daily, a discus spinning in the air, sneakers on the track, a handmade bowl passed around tables. These are only echoes; what endures is the community they built. And that’s the point of a time capsule–physical or not. It’s not about locking things away, but holding on.

What the senior class of 2025 leaves behind