Bringing Back the Tradition of the Victory Bell
By Josie Painter
As years pass, towns grow, technology advances, and history is forgotten. We forget that old brick streets add character, that old buildings have memories, and traditions are important. While we cannot re-brick our streets or reconstruct old buildings, bringing back traditions is possible. One such tradition is the ringing of the Victory Bell.
Every town has a school song, a mascot, and a certain color they wear, but few towns have a bell that rings when victory greets them; however, once upon a time, Pierce did. In 1940, a bell was brought up from the basement of the old school and renamed the Victory Bell. For years, the bell rang proudly when teams won their games, until one day, according to Jim Maas, class of ‘65, in the 1960s, the ringing stopped. The bell still sat in the southeast corner of the old high school, but it was silenced. Then when the new school was built, the bell moved to the front of the current high school. The bricks upon which it sat began to crumble, and though repairs were planned, they never occurred. Today, that same bell sits in the bus barn, waiting for the day the people of Pierce remember an old tradition.
If we were to bring back the Victory Bell, it would not be an arrogant show meant to rub defeat in the faces of our rivals, but rather a means to foster pride in a small community and bring the town closer together. In 1940, the bell was dedicated by Delbert Raasch.
In his dedication, he said, “May it stand not only for sheer victory, this would mean nothing, but instead Scholasticism, Sportsmanship, and a high standard of Athletics. With these ideals in mind, may this Victory Bell become a revered tradition in the minds and hearts of all Pierce High Students from this time hence.”
The Victory Bell symbolized more than success; it symbolized the core of what athletics mean at Pierce. The bell may not have stayed a tradition, but it is still possible to bring it back.
Resurrecting the Victory Bell comes with a few challenges and options. The bell requires a few repairs, including a cracked yoke, the piece that the bell hangs from, and a missing clapper, the part that actually rings the bell. Thankfully, after discussing these issues with Matt Neal, the welding instructor, he believes that his welding class would be able to restore the bell.
If the bell is brought back and fixed, there are a few options for putting it up. A foundation of some sort could be constructed with the bell placed on top.
Though Kendall Steffensen, superintendent, did say one of the reasons the repairs never occurred was that, “it is extremely hard to find a masonry person, a brick layer, that wants to do a smaller job.”
Another option would be making the bell mobile. Then it could be brought down to the football or softball fields, and maybe even inside for volleyball or basketball games.
As the years continue to go by, traditions help anchor us to the past and to significance. The Victory Bell is a meaningful tradition that encompasses the true meaning of athletics. It may be time to bring back the bell and ring it once again.
