Ring that bell

By Carrie A. Mizell

The days of teachers ringing a bell to call children to school may not be over, as Bell Elementary School had a 28-inch, cast iron bell installed in the school’s bell tower this week.
Drummond Community Bank and Dairy Production Systems donated nearly $3,000 to cover the cost of the bell, which was purchased from Brosamer’s Bells Inc. of Brooklyn, Michigan.

“We were happy to support this worth-while cause,” said Amy Owens of Drummond Community Bank.
Bell resident Jim Floyd spearheaded the bell project, after repeatedly driving by the school and thinking it was a shame that the school’s bell tower out front did not have a bell inside.
“We have this nice bell tower here at the elementary school,” Floyd said on Monday, “And I just thought it was kind of a shame for Bell not to have a bell.”
A longtime sheriff of Gilchrist County, Floyd said he remembers the days when his son was playing football at Bell High School; and Trenton boys, pulling a football prank, stole the bell. He remembers a woman calling his office and saying that she could get the bell back if school officials promised not to prosecute; otherwise the bell would end up at the bottom of the Suwannee River.
“We decided it was just a little football prank,” Floyd said with a laugh. “And Bell got its bell back!”
According to David Spencer, director of operations for the Gilchrist County School District, Bell Elementary School was built in 1996 and first occupied in August 1997. Terry Owens was principal at this time and recalls Bell Elementary having a bell, but school district officials did not want it put into the bell tower for fear someone would climb the rope, fall and get hurt.
Spencer indicated that the new bell had been through numerous safety inspections by engineers prior to its placement in the bell tower this week.
“Someone always used to ring the bell after ballgames,” Floyd said. “I don’t know if they’ll send anyone around here to ring it, but it’ll be here if they want to!”