Admin uses new bells to enhance student performance

BY ALEX KELLY Sound Designer

After the success and student-wide adoration of the new six chime bell, the administration made the decision to add an additional 10 buzzes to the bell. The administration found that with the change of this year’s bell from the more normal one ring to the six loud annoying buzzes, students were found to be more motivated to complete their work and get to class on time.

“We found that there was above average attendance and decreased tardiness throughout the year, and we directly attributed this to our new bell sounds ringing through the halls,” Joshua Knudson, assistant principal and expert in correlation and causation, said.

The new sound system installed in every Burlingame classroom allowed the administration to get creative with how they reminded students to get to class on time. So in their process, they looked at ways to cause the highest amount of annoyance and stress to students, and settled on the six-buzz bell. And after succeeding with this bell, what better way to motivate students than adding an extra 10 buzzes, the administration thought.

“Our goal throughout the day is that students should be angered by the bell, and they should then harness this anger to improve their work,” Knudson said.

For students and teachers alike, this approach has been highly successful and appreciated. Teachers overwhelmingly reported that after hearing the bell, their lessons became more heated and impassioned, with some even playing it through their headphones to drive their lesson forward.

“I feel like they really hit the mark with the six buzzes. The sixth one always gets me ready for class after hearing the first five,” English teacher Timothy Larkin said. Students also reported that they tend to increase their pace to class after hearing the six buzzes.

“The bell this year has totally changed and improved my level of work,” consistently-on-time senior Luke Amdursky said. “I can’t think of a better change the administration has made.”

Despite the positive feedback and all around happiness with the bell, the ad- ministration had to ask: Is this annoying enough? So they went back to the drawing board, and decided the additional 10 buzzes would piss off students the necessary amount. They will also be trialing a number of more bells throughout the school year, including the shrieks of a crying baby, nails on a chalkboard and even some of Taylor Swift’s music.

“I can’t wait to hear the screams of dying animals and Jack Harlow reverberating through the halls; I think it will build a great sense of community at Burlingame,” Knudson said.