Sitting up high wearing her East Three Notch School T-shirt, former school janitor Irene McClain couldn’t help but smile as she looked out over the crowd of former students and teachers.

McClain and more than 70 former students, teachers and family members gathered Saturday morning for the unearthing of a 30-year-old time capsule that was buried at the school — now city hall — in 1985.

“I came in contact with most, if not all of the children here,” McClain said. “I remember the school had all wood floors. The kindergarten and first grade classrooms had carpet.”

McClain said she worked at the school for 25 years and worked under several principals, adding that Kim Dyess hired her.

It took a few men to remove the marker that was dedicated to the school’s 70th anniversary. The capsule was buried right under the monument, standing straight up and down.

City of Andalusia Building Inspector Richard Moore and Director of Public Works Andy Wiggins dug around the capsule, which, was lying in a horizontal position. The pipe was moved after the city hall’s front and side yards were renovated.

Moore started banging the end of the PVC-encased capsule a few times before it gave way.

Once the capsule was opened, water rushed out of one end and a collective groan could be heard from the crowd.

Little by little, the wet contents were shown to the expectant crowd by event organizer Chase Cotton, who was in kindergarten when the capsule was buried.

Items such as books, clothes, magazines, a blue Smurf, a present, a Mason jar, a list of students who completed the Presidential Physical Fitness Test, cassette tapes, shoes, a worn down pencil and others were found inside the capsule.

Before the unearthing, Brenda Ziglar of Andalusia couldn’t wait to see what her daughter, Misty, put in the capsule.

Ziglar said Misty was in the third grade when the capsule was buried.

“We were trying to figure that out (Friday night),” Ziglar said about what her daughter put in the capsule. “She said she had no idea what she put in there.”

As the unveiling was nearing its end, former East Three Notch School Physical Education Teacher Alphonso Simpson stood nearby, and like McClain, had a smile on his face.

When asked for any memories from his time working at the school, Simpson said there were too many.

“It’d take me half a day to stand out here and sort out one,” Simpson said. “I have so many fond memories out here.”

Simpson worked at the school for 25 years, teaching students from kindergarten to fifth grade. Lisa Locklier also taught PE with Simpson at the time.

“We had some of the greatest students that have ever been through the elementary school during that period of time,” he said. “A lot of them went on to be captains (for high school sports teams), first starters on the basketball team and cheerleaders. They were always the leaders. If you asked them where they came from, they’d say East Three Notch.”

Simpson said a memory that stood out to him was giving out the Presidential Physical Fitness Award to select students.

Students had to complete a 600-yard run, a 50-yard dash, sit ups, a shuttle run, a standing long jump and pullups in order to complete the test.

On a sheet of paper inside the capsule, there was a list of fifth graders who were given the fitness award the day it was buried, May 14, 1985. The list includes Qwanta Williams, Wendy Young, Tyawanda Barnes, Connie Bradley, Chris Tillman and Jay Taylor.

Simpson said what made giving out the award so special was how much the students went through for the accomplishment.

Locklier said they had to teach class either in the basement of the school or outside in the field.

“At that time, we didn’t even have a gym,” Locklier said. “The gym came later. There was no gym. We were in that hole in the basement or we were outside in the playground.”