After a few unsuccessful digs for a 25-year-old time capsule outside Dolan Middle School, it was finally found back in June. On Saturday, Mike Rinaldi’s seventh grade class of 1997 finally got together to open it up.

The group toured their old stomping grounds inside the middle school and later were welcomed into a classroom with the items from the time capsule laid out.

"Just to relive all these moments where a lot of met for the first time and are still lifelong friends," said former student Karesia Batan.

One of the highlights for many of the former students was reading the letter they wrote back when they were 13 years old to their future selves.

"I feel like I've known her all my life," one classmate read to her other classmate.

The class also put in old magazines, pictures and mementos into the time capsule.

Now as 38-year-olds, they looked back on old memories, exchanged hugs and a lot of laughs.

"Just the connections they have with one another, they're going down memory lane," said Mike Rinaldi, the former 7th grade Social Studies teacher at Dolan Middle School.

"I didn't think it would be this emotional or this special," he added. "I'm absolutely thrilled."