Ringing the bell in Millgrove
Grade 5 Millgrove Elementary School student Frank Morey holds the rope to ring the bell at the school, alongside Principal Danny Fede. Morey was the first student to ring the bell this year. Photo: Flamborough Review
Flamborough Review
By Mac Christie
Is there a ringing in your ears?
If you’re in Millgrove, at least, it’s the sound of the long-dormant Millgrove Public School bell.
Throughout the month of June, the graduating Grade 5 students will be ringing the bell twice a day to mark nutrition breaks, which take place at 10:45 a.m. and 1:05 p.m.
Principal Danny Fede, who has been at the school since January, said the idea came about at his first school council meeting.
“It stems from the fact that the parents take pride in their school and community and they wanted a purpose for this bell.”
The bell, which was refurbished in 2014 to mark the school’s centennial, had not been rung since the anniversary celebrations.
“The parents said it’s a nice sound and they would love to hear that bell again,” he said. “So we threw around a whole bunch of different ideas – how could we use this bell?”
While it was suggested it be used as a birthday bell – when a student has a birthday they get to ring it – Fede said he thought that was too much. “We can have four birthdays in a day,” he said. “Then you just hear the bell every day, it’s not special anymore.”
To keep it special, he proposed a graduation bell. “Each day, we will have one Grade 5 student – one for each bell ringing,” he said. “It’s like their rite of passage, leaving Millgrove school and entering their new middle school.
“That becomes exciting for them, but then it builds anticipation for the rest of the grades, because they’re all excited too, ‘I can’t wait to graduate because it get to ring the big tower bell.’”
Grade 5 student Frank Morey was the first student to ring the bell this year.
“It was really exciting,” the 11-year-old student said of the honour. “The school bell has been here for a long time.”
Fede noted the bell initiative has garnered good feedback from parents.
“They love it, they’re happy,” he said. “I have some parents that call to ask what time it’s going to be rung at, so if they know it’s their child at the time they’ll come down and watch.”
The students who get to ring the bell each day are chosen at random, he explained.
Fede added most Millgrove residents knew of the plan and the information spread quickly.
“They understand it’s a graduation bell, it only happens in June,” he said. “It’s not something they’ll hear all the time.”
Updated on Friday, June 17, 2016.