The Marist High School bell system unexpectedly broke down February 5 due to a failure with a part, leaving hallways unusually silent.

For the first time in years, the usual chime signaling class transitions was absent. Instead of the familiar ringing, students had to wait in class until Director of Counseling Mr. Patrick Ryan came on the PA and dismissed class.

“It was definitely strange at first,” said junior Sam Popow. “I’m so used to getting up and leaving when I hear the bell, so having to wait for an announcement felt weird. It almost made the school day feel longer.”

This is the first time that the bells have ever malfunctioned like this under the current bell system.

“The new bell system had been running smoothly since its installation in 2019,” says Jason Logan, head of the IT department at Marist.

In the meantime, Mr. Ryan found a creative way to keep the school day on track. He was tasked with the job of playing a sound over the PA to alert students and teachers when the period was over. Inspired by Mr. Sinacore, an English teacher, Ryan chose a different sound or saying each period.

“Mr. Sinacore thought that it would be funny if I went, ‘beeeeeeeep,’” said Ryan. “I wanted to make him laugh, so I did it.”

This quickly caught on, with many students and teachers joining by requesting various sounds. His choices became a hit among the school, with many wondering what sound he would play next.

“Many seniors came up to me, trying to make their own requests,” said Ryan. “Many teachers stopped me and said that they really enjoyed it.”

“It made my day more entertaining,” said Popow. “It was way more fun than the regular bell.”

By the time Ryan’s run as the human bell was over, Ryan’s sound selection at the end of each period had become a source of anticipation throughout the school. But as fun as it was, the system still needed a real fix.

Behind the scenes, Logan worked to get the bell back up and running. The bell system was restored on Thursday, February 6, but Marist was unable to order the broken part. As a result, Logan had to find a temporary solution.

“I basically hacked the system together,” Logan said.

While the system is operational, it isn’t fully repaired. Since ordering the necessary part would take time and potentially disrupt the school day, Marist decided to hold off on the full repair until summer. The bell system is currently running on the temporary solution that Logan implemented.

“Since we couldn’t find the necessary parts, we needed a quick solution,” Logan explained.

Thanks to the help and quick thinking of Ryan and Logan, Marist was able to run smoothly and not skip a beat.