On a small, isolated Norwegian island between the North Pole and Norway lies Svalbard, a global seed vault. Svalbard stores a few seeds of nearly every single genetic crop in the world, saving them for future natural disasters like floods and famines that could decrease potential crop diversity. Right now, the vault contains 860 thousand samples, coming from nearly every established country in the world. While there are other seed banks, none are as ideal as Svalbard – it’s relatively isolated, yet accessible, so it’s in less danger of being overtaken in war. It’s stable geographically and far above sea level, so the vault can’t be destroyed by floods or earthquakes. And at 18 degrees Celsius (or 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit) coupled with low humidity, the vault is the ideal place to keep perishable seeds for hundreds – even thousands – of years. So that got The Fourcast staff thinking – what would we put in a Hockaday vault? What do we want to keep for hundreds of years and for future generations? Here’s what we came up with:
A recipe for chicken parm, Hockapunch and chess pie (the perfect Hockaday lunch)
We should always be prepared for the worst. What happens if we have some kind of natural disaster and we lose the recipes?
The jade plant
It’s an iconic piece of Hockaday history, so we must protect it at all costs. Bonus: Because the jade plant is a succulent, it draws its water from the air; we could store it in the vault without fear of needing to water it!
Copies of The Fourcast, Vibrato and Cornerstones
Recordings of our history are the best way to preserve the past. And see the talent of the publications department too!
Actual cornerstones
The (literal) foundations of this school.
The Homo naledi bones
The man, the myth, the legend…Homo naledi.
Various uniform items: skirts, blazers, pants and a commencement dress and hat from years’ past
We’ve seen the evolution of the uniform throughout the years. The best way to capture the current moment? Through our clothes (although all must be within four inches of the knee)
A JRP
All the blood, sweat and tears of Upper School in one document.
Toshiba (in memoriam)
Innovation at its peak. Let us not forget the complexity of this treasured piece of technology: a portable fan, a noise machine, a heating pad and last but not least, a computer.
Luckily for Hockaday, because we aren’t storing any perishables, our vault items wouldn’t have to travel to Norway to be safe – just somewhere secure, dry and with low humidity. We’re feeling the bomb shelter – what about you?
