Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! Five rings sound throughout the high school, letting everyone know the seniors are ending their high school journey. Pembroke Pines Charter High School 2024 seniors wear and represent their college merchandise and are joined by their families to carry on the tradition of the bell ringing. Four rings for the years spent at PPCHS and a fifth one for their future. The bell ringing holds a very memorable history, which has now turned into a symbol of accomplishment and a bright future ahead.
The PPCHS bell was the first rung in August of 2000. In celebration of the school’s opening, the bell was rung for the first time ever, and then never again for a long time. That was until 2011 when Principal Bayer and teacher Mr. Quigley wanted to find a way to educate students on the 9/11 tragedy. “We held a week-long cross-curricular, educational event that culminated in all the students being dismissed to the fountain,” he explains, “two students rang the bell one time for every year that had passed and one more for the promise of the future.” As Mr. Bayer points out the large photo taken of this exact moment hanging on his office wall, he describes it as “such a moving event, you could hear the bell ring clear across campus all the way to the River of Grass.” Because of the bell ringing’s impact on the school, he wanted to find a way to keep this tradition alive but in a different way.
Mr. Bayer, along with the rest of the Pines Charter staff, values the success of their students and their hard work throughout their high school years. They found that the bell could be used as a way to celebrate students getting into the college of their dreams. He also compares the bell to the “sorting hat in Harry Potter.” Bayer further explains that the bell is very specific and unique for everybody. “You’ll notice that when people ring the bell, it always sounds different for every person,” he states.
“After hearing the back story about the bell and knowing that I would have my family and friends with me, I decided I wanted to do it,” senior Coralie Richardson says with a smile on her face, “it was really bittersweet, doing a tradition I’ve been thinking about for a long time now.” Similarly to Richardson, several other seniors participated in this tradition and left their mark on the Pines Charter campus.
As the class of 2024 leaves campus, they will take all that they have learned and bring their knowledge and memories to the college awaiting them. This tradition will continue to live on throughout the school and among teachers and students. Along with the tradition itself, the bell’s meaning and history will continue to grow awareness and respect across all grade levels, especially incoming seniors.
