WPSBC Bell Schedule: 1978-1979
Looking back from 2009-12-10.
In an effort to uncover more of the great memories that made WPSBC such a special place for me, I thought I’d document some of the more mundane aspects of our routines there, with the hope that remembering these recurring patterns, would also bring to mind some of the not-so-routine events that even today, many of us chuckle over. One such system that all us students there knew well, was the bell schedule. The school had installed bells and buzzers all over the campus in various shapes and sizes sometime before I got there in 1970. Each bell had its own unique ring sound. But they all rang at the same time, and the times listed below, to keep everyone following the daily class schedule; students and teachers alike. The bells helped keep order and the schedules as I remember them follow.
Note that sometime in the mid to late 1970s, a tardy bell was added. It rang five minutes into each class period. If anyone had still not reported to the class they were assigned by the time this bell rang, demerits or other form of punishment would be applied.
Main Building Bell Schedule
- 07:00 AM: Wake up.
- 07:50 AM: Breakfast.
- 08:20 AM: Morning assembly.
- 08:30 AM: First period begins.
- 08:35 AM: Tardy bell for first period.
- 09:20 AM: First period ends, and second period begins.
- 09:25 AM: Tardy bell for second period.
- 10:10 AM: Recess begins.
- 10:20 AM: Recess ends, and third period begins.
- 10:25 AM: Tardy bell for third period.
- 11:10 AM: Third period ends, and forth period begins.
- 11:15 AM: Tardy bell for forth period.
- 12:00 PM: Forth period ends, and lunch period begins.
- 12:30 PM: Lunch period ends, and the after-lunch break period begins.
- 01:00 PM: Break period ends, and fifth period begins.
- 01:05 PM: Tardy bell for the fifth period.
- 01:50 PM: Fifth period ends, and sixth period begins.
- 01:55 PM: Tardy bell for the sixth period.
- 02:40 PM: Sixth period ends, and the seventh period begins.
- 02:45 PM: Tardy bell for the seventh period.
- 03:30 PM: Seventh period ends, and the eighth period begins.
- 05:00 PM: Eighth period ends. All students head to their dorms until supper.
- 05:15 PM: Never knew the purpose of this bell. But it may have been to signal us to wash our hands in preps for supper.
- 05:18 PM: This one mystified me as well.
- 05:20 PM: All students begin heading for the main and high school dining rooms for supper.
- 05:30 PM: Supper officially begins.
- 06:00 PM: Supper officially ends.
- 09:30 PM: Elementary school kids get ready for bed.
- 09:45 PM: Lights out for elementary school kids.
Lower School Bell Schedule
I don’t remember what this schedule was, or if even by this time, they used the bell system in the lower school, as the clientele over there had changed over to multiply-handicapped. By this time, I spent all of my days in the main building, and so, was not privy to routines in the lower school anymore.