PUBLISHED MON, MAR 14 2026
By: Soren Goldberg-Butler, features Editor
OPINION-- The year is 1975. Not a single current Denver Jewish Day School student has been born yet; in fact, most won’t arrive for another 30 years.
The world looks familiar in some ways, but wildly different in others. Turn on the radio, and the number-one song is “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain & Tennille, blasting through AM stations across the country. Gas prices feel shockingly high at 53 cents a gallon, and people worry they may never go back down.
On Saturday nights, families gather around the TV for something completely new: Saturday Night Live, which premiered in Oct. 1975 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon.
At the movies, the biggest film everyone is talking about is Jaws. For just two dollars, you could buy a ticket and still have change left over for popcorn. There’s no streaming, no TikTok, and no phones lighting up theaters. Watching a movie is an event, a rare outing.
Now fast-forward to 2025, and life at Denver Jewish Day School looks completely different. Students carry laptops instead of notebooks, use AI tools to study, and stream music instantly rather than waiting for a song to come on the radio. Gas costs several dollars a gallon, movie tickets are much more expensive, and entertainment is mostly on demand.
Phones in 1975 were rotary, attached to the wall, and often shared by the whole household. Long-distance was expensive. In 2025, students carry smartphones with them, capable of calling wherever and whenever they want. Photos in 1975 were taken on film, limited to 24- 36 shots per roll, and required days to develop. Today, every moment can be captured digitally and instantly.
Even simple things are different. School assignments in 1975 meant handwritten work or typewritten essays; today, students submit online and can even use AI to brainstorm or edit their work. Shopping, dining, and travel have all also transformed. Malls and catalogs have largely been replaced by online stores and meal delivery apps. Yet, despite these changes, some things remain timeless: that being the time capsule that is known as DJDS.