Every time right before the chapel service starts, students can hear the bell ringing from the bell tower. Mr. Austin, who is the teacher in charge of bell ringing, shared: “Bell is one of the oldest percussion instruments, and the ringing of bells is a type of music that is prehistoric. The sound of these big bells gets all the way to your spine, and some people may call the bell ringing a “joyful noise.’”

English change-ringing can be dated back to the 1600s and it was used both as a performing instrument and a communication approach. “Through the bell,” Mr. Austin said, “even though I live 5 miles away, I can learn information such as what big events are happening.”

A performance of a bell ringing is called a peal, which is 3 hours long, or a quarter peal, which lasts about forty-five minutes. Students need to memorize the patterns and there is a conductor, either a student, teacher, or visitor, who makes audible changes to the ringing.

Kent does bell ringing once or twice a week during the fall and spring term. In winter, the bell rings four or five times a week since it’s an activity in the winter term. This bell-ringing tradition started in 1934 after the chapel was built. “Older bells are everywhere, but we are the oldest continuously running group of ringers and the current high school champion in North America,” Mr. Austin said proudly.

 Kent is one of the two schools in North America that has a bell tower. The bell tower was originally designed to be an architectural feature; however, during the construction, a Kent parent donated a set of bells in order to celebrate her son’s survival under sickness, which led to the beginning of the bell ringing at Kent. 

This unique activity has been at Kent for at least 20 years. Holcombe’s dad, the former theology teacher and organist at Kent, learned how to ring in the 1970s, and he would teach students how to ring and ring with them back then. 

It turns out that students are quite interested in bell-ringing. Every year, there are trips to Boston or DC for students to ring the bells there. “Bell ringing is more interesting than you would think it is. Every year students hear from their friends about this activity and they always decide to come back the next year,” Mr. Austin said with a laugh.

During bell ringing, Mr. Austin believes that students could quiet their minds, just focus on the activity, and enjoy a relaxing moment. “I enjoyed the mix of musicianship and athleticism that bell ringing takes,” Mr. Austin said. “Any student who feels curious can feel free to come up and maybe give it a try.”