POLAND – They were born before television. The pill and pantyhose had yet to be invented. Gas was 11 cents a gallon. A new Chevy could be bought for $600.

On the 10th anniversary of Poland Regional High School, seniors got a lesson Friday about what life was like for high-schoolers 52 years ago. The lesson was delivered by Roy Barry, the 1956 class president for Mechanic Falls High School. That school is now closed and Mechanic Falls students attend the Poland school.

The Class of 1956 made a time capsule for its 50th reunion that is scheduled to be opened in 2056. The Class of 2009 will make a time capsule before they graduate, scheduled to be opened in 2109. Both capsules will be stored in the school library.

Gene Keene, an alumni committee member for the Class of 1956, said items in his class’s time capsule included a yearbook, photos, newspaper clippings, a class ring and a shirt with the old school emblem: the Mechanic Falls Wild Cats.

As the Class of 2009 considered what to put in its capsule, which could include CDs and DVDs, Keene offered perspective. “In another 100 years the things you think are so magic now are going to be things they’re going to laugh at,” he said.

He then introduced his class president who brought that point home with humor. Before he retired, Barry, 70, was president of Madison Paper in Madison. He talked about life in his era by borrowing the style of comic Jeff Foxworthy, whose shtick is, “You might be a redneck if … “

Barry began, “You might be a member of the Class of 1956 if you were born before television, before penicillin, polio shots, frozen food, plastic, contact lenses and the pill.” They also were born before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and cellphones.

“In our time, closets were for clothes, not for coming out of,” he said to laughter. “We thought fast food was what you ate during Lent.”

They were born before day care centers, group therapy and nursing homes. “And we’re not going to go there right away.”

In their day, cigarette smoking was fashionable. “It was allowed anywhere, except school. I know because I got kicked out for smoking in school,” Barry said. “Grass was mowed, coke was a cold drink and pot was something you cooked in.”

They didn’t have word processing, smoothies or guys wearing earrings. Hardware meant hardware, and software wasn’t even a word, Barry said.

“‘Made in Japan’ meant junk, and making out referred to how you did on an exam, at least that’s what I wrote down,” he said with a smile that hinted that statement may not be correct. “For a nickel you could ride the bus, make a phone call or buy a Pepsi.”

And you might be a member of the Class of 1956, he mused, if you needed your grandchildren to fix a computer problem for you.

In a more serious moment, Barry said today’s high school seniors would see tremendous advances. “Change is one of those things that’s always going to be with you. Embrace it. Use it. Enjoy it.”