City Council Felicitates 5th-Grader Whose Memories of Growing up in South Pas are Preserved in Time Capsule

The South Pasadena City Council congratulated a fifth-grade student Wednesday night after he read out an award-winning essay that was included among an array of artifacts buried in a time capsule by the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation over the weekend.

Micah Gee, a student of Monterey Hills Elementary School, appeared before the City Council at the start of its bimonthly board meeting and read a three-page essay about his memories of growing up in South Pasadena. The essay was selected by the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation and included in a time capsule that was buried in the ground next to the Iron Works Museum near the Metro Gold Line station this past Saturday. The capsule is expected to be dug up and opened in 75 years, offering a glimpse of what life was like in 2013.

Gee's essay is excerpted in the attached video. Below is the full text of his essay, which happens to have just one factual error. (Can you tell what it is?) The good news is that it isn't related to South Pas!

Micah Gee's essay:

"Are you wondering what South Pasadena was like in 2013? South Pasadena is a peaceful and nice community that was established 125 years ago. I live in a unique town with many interesting styles and trends. Growing up in South Pasadena, kids and teens get to attend three out of five different schools in the district. They first go to one of our three elementary schools (grades K-5), then middle school (grades 6th-8th) and finally high school (grades 9th-12th.)  I am in the 5th grade and attend Monterey Hills Elementary School and have two very nice teachers, Mr. Millar and Ms. Freitas. I learned that the current Mayor of South Pasadena is Dr. Richard Schneider and the Mayor of Los Angeles County is Eric Garcetti. Mr. Barack Obama is our current leader and President of the United States.

"I think that South Pasadena is a very nice place to live. South Pasadena is a part of the “Tree City USA” program because we have planted and preserved many trees. Many people love to sit under the huge fig tree near the library that was planted in 1930. We can go to the library to read, do research and check out books and DVD’s.

"South Pasadena is a small city with friendly and kind people. Every Thursday, we can go to our local farmer’s market to buy fresh produce, bread, plants and many other things. We can even eat freshly cooked food and socialize with others in our community. In the city, we also have good restaurants that I like to eat at, such as Baja Fresh, Mamma’s Brick Oven Pizza and Pasta, and Pakatan. It also seems that we have many banks in our city. I wonder if there will be banks 75 years from now? The other thing I wonder about is whether the peacocks and coyotes will still live in our city.

"South Pasadena has people of many religions and cultures, but we come together as one community that loves our city and it’s people. I know people that are Christians, Catholic, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu and many other religions. I have met friends that have come here from China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Mexico, Africa, Europe and probably other places. There are also some interesting trends and styles that exist in South Pasadena in the year 2013. Many people like to wear neon-colored clothing and shoes. I even carry a neon zippered backpack to school with my binder and books.

"When you read this many years from now, maybe kids will not have to carry backpacks to school and  just have iPads or some other hi-tech device for school. Everyone seems to like iPads and iPhones and use them for playing games and other things. As for hi-tech cars, many people are buying hybrid and electric cars such as the Toyota Prius. These cars help to save gas and money so we don’t run out of oil or spend so much money buying gas in a bad economy.

"Some people that I know take the Metro Gold Line to work and other places.  They hop onto the train on Mission Street or El Centro. We have taken many field trips on the Metro trains so we can save money on school buses. Some people want to extend the 710 freeway through South Pasadena, but many people in our city are battling it. Extending the freeway will cause pollution, noise and traffic through our city and will destroy the small community that we all love.

"Every year, the community comes together and has a special celebration and parade on the 4th of July. Almost everyone comes to the parade and I have been able to walk in it with my Cub Scout troop. It is fun to experience all these different things and meet different people in this city.

"During this time period, we are fighting many diseases that seem to not have many or good cures. Many people around us are battling cancer and it seems that more and more people are getting cancer everyday. It also seems like there are many kids at my school and everywhere that have autism. A good friend of mine is autistic and he is a really smart kid. We like to play LEGOs together when we don’t have too much homework.  I have heard a lot about the terrible disease called AIDS that can make people very sick and die. I hope that doctors in South Pasadena and all over the world will find cures to these diseases very soon.

"I enjoy being a 10-year-old-kid growing up in South Pasadena. There  are a lot of interesting things about the city that I get to be a part of. It is a community with many nice people that have come from all over the world. I hope that by the time you read this, the doctors would have found cures to all diseases.  I hoped you enjoyed reading about life as a kid in South Pasadena in the year 2013."