How Do You See Stoneham?

Stoneham, MA (NOV 2023) – How do you see Stoneham today? What places, people or things in our community make you feel at home? What would you want future Stoneham residents to see in our community and about our way of life in 2023?

The Stoneham School Building Committee (SSBC) recently announced a photo contest for all Stoneham residents. The contest will run through December 31 2023. All residents are invited to submit pictures of the people, places and things that say Stoneham to them. The SSBC will review all the submissions and select those to be placed in the capsule. Remaining photos will be given to the Stoneham Historical Society for their library.

Printed photos (4”X6” only please) for submission must include (written on the back) the name of the photographer and age at the time the photo was taken, the date and place it was taken and other identifying information. Along with the photo, photographers are asked to write a few sentences to accompany the photo on the reason why the subject of the photo was chosen. These items should be placed in a sealed envelope addressed to the Time Capsule Committee Photo Contest and dropped in the mail slot at the Stoneham Historical Society at 36 William Street. Photos may not be submitted in digital format. Questions regarding the contest should be directed to shstimecapsule@gmail.com .

Also, as many folks learned at Back-to-School nights and Town Day in September, the SSBC is offering Stoneham residents a chance to send a written message to their successors fifty or more years from now. Many folks opted to leave their words in one of several journals in which the Committee is collecting those messages. Future residents will one day open the capsule and discover messages – along with other items - from the past that document the people, times and the culture of Stoneham from the early 2020’s.

Your message in one of the journals can simply say hello, share a name and address, what you love about the town, why you are here - anything that will give future generations a glimpse of the way things are today and your hopes for Stoneham of the future. You can find out where the journals are located on The Friends of Stoneham, Massachusetts 02180 on Facebook or by emailing shstimecapsule@gmail.com .

The Stoneham School Building Committee continues to meet monthly at the Stoneham Central Middle School Media Center. Meetings are in person and virtual and can be viewed on Stoneham Community Access Television. Meeting schedules are posted to #stonehamschoolbuildingcommittee or https://www.stoneham-ma.gov/627/School-Building-Committee.