There’s an infamous place on the secondary campus. It’s located in the band room, up the stairs and to the right. Truly, if you follow the smell, you’ve found it. No joke.

It’s known around here as “the black hole.” It’s known to make staff shudder. Ask any former staff member and they will shake their head and refuse to talk about it.

It’s dark, black, and usually what goes in doesn’t come out. It’s a storage room…of sorts. But some say it’s like everyone’s basement or attic—what gets put there, stays there. It’s been there for decades, likely built when the band room was renovated over 30 years ago.

According to staff members who have been at ACS for years, this has been an ongoing conversation: “We should really clean out the black hole this summer…” And then there are far more exciting things to do, like clean out the fridge or empty out lockers unopened since September.

But this summer a few brave souls, under the headship of Tym Berger, our Director of Operations, took on the task that no one dared take on before—cleaning out the black hole. Literally.

From Chess Pieces to Old Mugs

Boxes, boxes, and more boxes were hauled out of two storage rooms. I don’t think Tym really knew how much our school stuffed into that space.

This black hole uncovered some unsightly treasures. From endless boxes of candles from past grad banquets and mason jars of all shapes and sizes to old financial files, records, and 60th anniversary mugs (if you missed getting one at the anniversary celebration 10 years ago, let us know! We have one for you!).

Ever wonder where those old chess pieces from the old secondary foyer went? We found them.

Beyond the Dust and Cobwebs

But we uncovered some amazing treasures too.

We dusted off the leather-bound handwritten financial records, certificates, and papers from the first year ACS opened. We found a box from the 1985 fire at the elementary school (formerly the Heritage campus) that still smelled like soot. There was a piece from the very first gym floor, from what is now our secondary multi-purpose room. We found newsletters upon newsletters (anyone remember “The Carillon?”), old policies, and handwritten board minutes in old Hilroy scribblers.

In a span of a few weeks, amid dust, mildew, and cobwebs, we uncovered 70 years of history. I love history so despite the many eyerolls Tym gave me, I was thrilled to find these special memories that encapsulated our school’s history and moved them to a place where they will be kept for the next 70 or 100 years.

I realized that mementos aren’t just mementos, they are a collection of artifacts showing God’s faithfulness to our community.

History On The Wall

We have a new place to show off our memories and our story. When you are at the secondary campus, come up the stairs by the Common Culture Café and view our history wall. Across the hall from the art room, you’ll see the faces, names, and facts that built the community we now share.

The black hole is no longer bulging with old, outdated, and unused treasures. We hear that it’s going to be a storage room for band instruments. But will we be able to keep it that way? Or in 70 years will someone else discover the storage room crammed full of files, decorations, and things that have no other place to be?