New bell system proves unnecessary and stress-inducing
By Sophie Smith ’26
As I was walking to my first class of junior year, I was actually excited to be back.. Of course, I missed summer, but the new freedoms that come with being an upper-classman made going back to school more exciting.
That was until the bell rang.
Instead of our normal bells, a sound of the military bugle wake-up call trumpeted over the loudspeaker, scaring a few students around me. My first thought was it had to be a mistake, maybe even a very early senior prank.
When I realized the new bells were in fact not a prank, but instead a new system that was going to be used this whole school year, frustration struck. These bells are very impractical and inconsistent, we need the old bells back.
It’s not just the morning bell that bothers me (many other students, I might add), it’s the bell in between classes. The soothing three-toned bell is too subtle and easily missed if you are absorbed in studying or taking a test.. In addition, some classrooms have quiet loudspeakers, so the room has to be almost silent for the bells to be heard.
But the quietness of the bell during the day is contrasted at 2:45 when a stress-inducing train whistle blast alerts students to the end of the day. These bells, or in better words, sirens, end my day on edge for a possible tornado threat or alien invasion.
So please stop playing around with the sound system; it’s not worth it. Students shouldn’t have to start and end their day with strange noises and jump scares. The old bells were just fine.
Fun bell sounds make school more entertaining
By Andi Jacobs ’26
On my way to my first class of junior year, I was half asleep. Dragging my feet and yawning every minute, I did not want to go to class. But then something changed. A bugle started blaring in my ears, and I was instantly awake. Where was this strange sound coming from? It was the new bell.
I know most Staples students aren’t fans of these bells, but that’s only because you don’t like change. I’m sorry to tell you this, but change is imminent in this new year. I love the way the new bells, especially the morning trumpet and afternoon train whistle, make my day more interesting.
If you close your eyes and really gaslight yourself, you can convince yourself you’re not at school. My mornings usually go something like this: I’m half asleep and dreading class (especially pre-calc), when I hear the morning bugle sound. But it doesn’t make any sense for that to be in school; I’ve only ever heard that at summer camp. So therefore I must be at camp right now, not school. Yay! I like camp. Now I’m happy. This is my version of girl math.
With some practice, maybe you can be just as good at gaslighting as I am. Therefore, to keep up the morale of Staples students, we need the new bells.
Stop resisting change and start accepting the new bells. You might learn to love them.
