KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) On June 4, the Surry Village Charter School will host a time capsule ceremony at the historic Tilden School building, marking both a celebration of the past and a tribute to the future of education in the Monadnock region.

The ceremony begins at 4 p.m. and will be followed by a talk from local historian Alan Rumrill at the Keene Public Library.

“We are really looking to preserve the school story and the history of that school into the future,” said Tom Julius, the school’s co-founder, on Thursday’s Good Morning with Dan Mitchell show on WKBK radio. “Alan Rumrill has been for many years collecting information, collecting artifacts, collecting photographs about, and preserving the history of education in our region.”

Located in the stately brick Tilden School building—standing since 1892—the Surry Village Charter School has been part of the site’s long tradition of education for the past six years. The time capsule, scheduled to be opened in 2075, will include artifacts contributed by students and staff from both the charter school and earlier Tilden School eras. A tour of the 133-year-old building and a public ceremony will highlight the event.

The school began with grades K–4 and has since expanded through eighth grade, all while maintaining its core mission of community-centered, project-based learning.

Julius emphasized the importance of connecting students to their environment.

Surry Village Charter School is all about is exactly this idea of a small community school,” he said. “So we’re all about rigorous project and place-based learning. So learning about our—of course we teach basic skills. We want kids to be able to read and write and do math skillfully, but we also want them to really know and understand their neighborhood and understand the people in the region around them.”

Immediately following the time capsule ceremony, a reception will be held at the Keene Public Library starting at 5 p.m., leading into a 5:30 p.m. talk by Alan Rumrill. Recently retired after over four decades with the Cheshire County Historical Society, Rumrill will speak on the evolution of education in the Monadnock region, dating back to the early 19th century.

Both the ceremony and the talk are free and open to the public. Visitors can park along Court Street for the Tilden School event, and the educational talk will take place in Cohen Hall within the Keene Public Library annex.

Listen to the full interview: