A collection of North Central Missouri College memories will remain sealed until September 2050 following a time capsule burial ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 8, at Shakespeare’s Rock on the college’s main campus in Trenton.

Students, employees, trustees, alumni and community members gathered for the ceremony, which marked the close of NCMC’s centennial year and preserved a snapshot of campus life for future generations.

The event followed the opening of the college’s previous time capsule during its centennial celebration in September 2025. Before the new capsule was sealed and buried, guests viewed its contents and signed a centennial table runner for inclusion.

NCMC Board of Trustees President Diane Lowrey, Student Senate President Crista Perry and Interim President Jamie Hooyman spoke about the college’s history and their hopes for those who will eventually open the capsule.

“As we close out our centennial year, we celebrate 100 years of success by preserving a piece of our history for future generations to discover,” Lowrey said. “This time capsule contains memories, achievements, and traditions that tell the story of North Central Missouri College’s first century, while symbolizing our commitment to the next century of student success.”

The capsule contains centennial keepsakes, student organization items, photographs and records of college events from the 2025-26 academic year. Among the objects are a centennial desk flag, a 3D-printed Trenton Tessie, a child-size Pirate sweatshirt, an NCMC water bottle, a centennial Christmas ornament and a 2025 quarter and penny.

Other items include winning entries from the centennial coloring contest, TRiO and Upward Bound materials, Savannah Campus Resource Center zines, lapel pins, stickers and bracelets.

Printed materials document milestones and traditions through commencement programs, a scholarship reception program, Pirates Ball materials, a campus walking tour guide and information about the NCMC bell and ceremonial mace.

An external hard drive preserves photographs and documents from throughout the centennial year, including student organization and athletic team photos, commencement images, the college catalog and letters from college and student leaders. Those letters include messages from former President Lenny Klaver, Hooyman, 2025-26 Student Senate President Tailer Morrison and Perry, the 2026-27 Student Senate president.

Perry encouraged future students to recognize their place in the college’s continuing history.

“To the students who eventually open this capsule, I hope you take a moment to appreciate that you’re now part of a history that started long before you got here,” Perry said. “And I hope you add something of your own to it.”

“We have no idea what NCMC will look like 25, 50, or 100 years from now,” Perry said. “But whatever it looks like, I hope students are still coming here, finding their people, figuring out their futures, and making memories along the way.”

Hooyman said she hopes the capsule’s contents will help future generations understand the people behind the objects.

“When this time capsule is eventually opened, I hope those who gather here will not simply see a collection of objects from our time,” Hooyman said. “I hope they will see a reflection of who we were, what we valued, what we accomplished, and what we dreamed was possible.”

The capsule is scheduled to be opened in September 2050, giving future students, employees, alumni and community members a look at NCMC as it completed its first century.