Switching the System: New Bells at WGHS

At Walnut Grove High School, the new bell system, put in during January, has definitely turned some heads. 
by Jordan Wolff and Dani Young

Many of the students and staff are still adjusting to the new sounds, but believe it or not, some people have taken an interest in the new bell system.

In the front office, the receptionist, Mrs. Patty Baker, is very excited about the new bell system. The new system gives staff the ability to adjust the volume and make announcements right from their desk instead of walking all the way to the reception table. As one could see, the old bell system was quite a hassle. Mrs. Baker explained “I would have to get up and walk all the way over to this antiquated thing.” Now, with the new bell system, Mrs. Baker, and the rest of the front office staff, along with counselors and assistant principals, are able to make overhead announcements and classroom calls right from their desks. Mrs. Baker added “It’s quick and it’s efficient.”

Up in the clinic, Nurse Bingham is straddling the line between for and against the new system. She explained that she liked the idea of it all, but she is not at all a fan of the whole interim thing. She pointed out “It’s too loud. My volume control buttons don’t work right now, and the tone is unpleasant. But, in the long run, I think it will be efficient.” She pointed out a few things she is able to do now that she wasn’t able to do before, such as adjusting her volume and making actual clear, audible announcements.

In contrast, Kayden Miller, a student at Walnut Grove, has enjoyed the recent change in the bell system and likes the “new tone of it.” Miller mentioned that the new bell system made him feel more engaged and made him want to go to class more. When asked how efficient he thought the new bell system would be, Kayden stated, "some people will probably think it's the same, for me though, I think it’s nice. It gets me more energetic… it's like a beat.” Miller remembers the old system as “kinda lame.”

While this may be true, Ean Mulkey, a student at Walnut Grove, dislikes the new bell system saying, “I’d rather have the old bell system back…It sounded better and sounded louder.” However, even though Mulkey dislikes the new bell system, he believes that it will “wake people up and get them to class.”

Students, teachers, and staff at WGHS had a wide variety of thoughts and opinions about the newly introduced bell.

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