On Monday, the campus engaged in a bell-schedule nightmare.
According to Assistant Principal Secretary LeeAnn Norkoski, a company arrived at 8:30 a.m. to install a new system that would connect the previous bell system to a computer. The new installation would allow the administration to change the bell schedule as needed.
Earlier in the day, while the new system was under construction, the bell schedule was “on and off.” During first period, the red code alarm was set off by accident.
“I had to run in and make an announcement saying that was a false alarm due to the bells being worked on and … [for students and staff] to be patient,” Norkoski said.
An emergency drill had not been scheduled, so it caught many of the staff by surprise.
“Mr. Kanda thought it was a code red,” freshman Emil Annevelink said. “He looked to see if there was anyone outside, and then he locked the door.”
Then, many students were late to their third period classes when the bell did not ring to announce the end of brunch. Norkoski came out with a hand-held bell and ushered students to class.
“I went out to the parking lot, and when I came back, I didn’t know if the bell had rung.  I didn’t know if it was the first bell or the second bell. Almost everybody was late to third.”
Although the bell did only fail to ring once, for many students, especially in the far hall, the bell was quite hard to make out.
“They’re hard to hear … [because] they’re fainter and softer,” sophomore Martin Perez said. “The bells were fine before.”
According to Norkoski, the sound of the bell may be permanent.
“It’s part of the default system,” Norkoski said, “If that’s how the bell’s going to be ringing out of the box, I don’t know if we can change it.”