Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre & City of Wetaskiwin Archives

We are all familiar with the school bell; most of us can recall the sound of a bell played over the school intercom which was used to inform us when class started and when we could finally go home. Many different versions of the bell have been used over the years to communicate between students and teachers including the hand-held bell. Many small rural Alberta schools only have one or two classrooms, which made the small hand held bell the best option for creating and enforcing structure during the school day. With the development of the public school system in Alberta came the development of a more uniform and a fancier bell, specifically engraved bells. The bells were typically engraved with their specific school/regional division emblems. Even after being out of school for many years we still react when a school bell is rung. Since the school bell has been a staple of communication in schools for so many years it conveys a universal command that is recognized by all students past and present.