On Monday, Nov. 13, the school introduced the victory bell at the Fall Recognition Assembly. Every student that has made a big achievement in sports rang the bell at the assembly. In the future, the bell will be used for academic achievements and to send off sports teams to important games.

There have been people who reject the idea of the victory bell, thinking it was a waste of a large sum of money on something useless. However, the bell was not paid for by the school, it was a gift from the graduating class of 1967, for their 50th reunion. The alumni gave the money for the benefit of the school. They wanted it to go towards something fun, so the school would not use the class’s money for something they did not donate it for.

In the past, there were some destructive traditions that in which sports teams took part, such as teepeeing the school. It was the goal of Activities Director Mrs. Phillip and Athletic Director Mr. Jones to change that.

“Mrs. Phillip and I were trying to come up with a way to have tradition and celebration for achievements at the school,” Mr. Jones said.

The bell marks a new tradition for students and in years from now, it will, hopefully, continue to be used. This gift from alumni will be remembered, and it will become a part of our school.

“I thought it was a really cool, new tradition for our school,” said Ally Biegel, junior. “But did every athlete need to ring the bell? It made it less special.”

While it was a very fun addition to the assembly, the bell did take up a lot of time and was redundant. The school has gotten a “Bell Committee”  comprised of students that decide what the bell should be used for.

Mrs. Phillip and Mr. Jones found the bell from a man in Michigan. It was originally made in the early to mid 1900s, and it was restored for the school. It currently resides in the Main Gym lobby before the school can find a proper place to put it.

“The next team that goes off to state will walk by and ring the bell… as they get on the bus,” Mrs. Phillip said.

The bell is now a part of our school, and though it has been met with some confusion, the student body will soon grow to accept the bell as a tradition. Soon, the bell will be painted to match the school spirit.