Silencing the Chapel Bell
by Mark Walther (Attended '71 - '76)
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Silencing the Chapel Bell by Mark Walther (Attended '71 - '76) |
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Brent School P.O. Box 35 Baguio City, Philippines |
I was a boarding student for 5 years at Brent, begining in the fall of 1971. As all boarders can testify, one of the most annoying things about being a boarder was the ringing of the chapel bell early Sunday mornings. It was a simple three ring pattern: one long followed by two quick short rings. The problem with this is that the time between the first and the last two rings was just long enough for you to fall back to sleep.
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One day in 1976, I decided I was done with just cussing about it. I got Jack McMullen and one of the Petty brothers, got a ladder, climbed up into the bell tower, and untied the rope from the bell - just enough to disable the bell, but not enough for the rope to fall. The following Sunday morning was blissfully sweet, not one ring from the hated chapel bell. We were instant heros! On Monday morning, however, we were called in to Dr Rodriguez's office. He was going to suspend us for two weeks. Arsenio or Domingo had seen us carrying the ladder. The staff was very irate about the whole thing and were screaming for blood! I was able to talk him down, however, and we got off with being campused for a few weeks along with some wood pile duty. |
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This site is maintained by
Gerry Geronimo.
Last updated June 25, 1998 |
The boys' dorms have
always been located near the chapel, and anyone trying to sleep in on Sundays
had a tough time of it. I listened for four years to the complaints and
threats about this chapel bell, and about how to resolve the problem - everything
from placing a roll of toilet paper over the clapper to stealing the entire
bell!