It may have been hidden in a copper box in the wall behind the dedication plaque, but the Carlsbad High School time capsule that was sealed away on September 13, 1957 reveals shocking news about the past: things were cheaper then, especially teachers and school administrators.
Also in the time capsule was the 1957-1958 Employee’s Manual for the “Oceanside-Carlsbad High School and College District” – now three separate institutions. The college district is now MiraCosta College. . . The manual details a salary schedule for teachers; first-year teachers started at $4,200 annually while the most educated teacher, with 14 years experience, pulled down $7,260. Administrator salaries ranged from $5,892 to $10,524. By comparison, teacher pay in Carlsbad ranges between $38,885 to $84,558. Superintendent John Roach makes $200,000 annually.
Small engine repair teacher Mike Cates heard rumors about the time capsule existence and decided to hunt for it.
Cates recruited carpenter Randy Sheldahl, a 1970 graduate of the school, to tear into an interior wall behind the plaque Wednesday night, accompanied by alums Ginny Unanue, Charla Boodry, Marianna Seeley and Clay Wiest, who served double duty as the school’s first librarian and English teacher. . . Using hand tools and an electric saw, Sheldahl cut away the wall to reveal a wood case built between framing studs. He pried away the front of the case to reveal the copper box, encrusted with bits of concrete and bearing what appeared to fingerprints.
[Link: North County Times]
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