Among the hustle and bustle of the beginning of the school year, students were taken aback one morning when they were ushered to class by the sound of a dull, unfamiliar ring. The new bell tone, which replaced the Chimes of Westminster that have greeted Clover Hill students for nearly a decade, was installed in early Oct.

Administrator Nathanial Henry claims that the old Westminster Chime bell, whose melody famously marks the quarter-hour at London’s Palace of Westminster, was taken out of commission due to a lack of newer parts and overall unreliability. According to Henry, if it were to break or have an error, there would be no way to fix the issue. 

“It took about three days to install,” said Henry. “The new bell is just all around more convenient for teachers and staff and it’s also a newer, all electronic unit. We were one of the handful of schools to get this.”

Along with being difficult to manipulate, the old system also needed a lot of work.

“They had to rewire everything and put in a whole new motherboard,” Henry said. 

With the retirement of the Westminster Chime, there is now a new sound for students to talk about. Senior Ivey Critzer is unsatisfied unsatisfied with the stern tone.

“I hate the new bell; it reminds me of a prison bell,” Critzer said. “I don’t like how it’s just one pitch and bland.”

Students agreed that the old bell had a spark different from the new sound. Senior Cassidy Gunter expressed that it just is not the same as it used to be.

“I don’t like the bell because it’s boring and you can barely hear it; the old bell had more life to it compared to this one,” Gunter said.

While some prefer the old bell, others are happy to see the change. English teacher Leigh Nagosky, for one, is happy about the sonic shift.

“The sounds of people chewing their food are better than that old bell,” Nagosky said. “I’m thrilled it’s gone.” 

While the sound of the Chimes of Westminster no longer reverberates throughout the hallways of the Hill, long-time Cavaliers are sure to remember, for better or for worse, this classic eight-note melody.