What Do Stuyvesant Students Think About the New Bells?

In welcoming the 2024-2025 school year, Stuyvesant also welcomed new bell sounds. Rather than the single tone of the past, we now have a three-note progression as the warning bell and an end bell which resembles the iconic sound of the Westminster bells in London. What does the Stuyvesant student body think of the new bells?

“Honestly, it reminds me of elevator music, like it’s meant to be soothing to prepare you for class, but it does not have that effect. It doesn’t sound condescending necessarily, but it sounds like it’s for kindergarteners.” —Archie Eng, sophomore

“Sometimes I feel like I'm in a mental hospital and then other times I feel like I'm at an airport [...]  It makes me more calm before a math test. Like, I started doing yoga before a math test and the bells really calmed me down.” —Chrisiana Cen, sophomore

“I dislike them. Their positiveness makes me feel a bit annoyed and hate it more. Go back to the old bells!” —Diya Mallu, sophomore

“I prefer the new bells because they’re calming and they make getting to class on time less stressful. I think it’s important to have bells that are less harsh because it makes class more enjoyable, even if some think it’s a small detail.” —Noa Salas, sophomore

“I don’t really care. The new bells are better than before. It’s not like you’re going to get startled. The bells before used to be startling when they rang.” —Jiale Zhu, freshman

“The new bells are really good! Especially during tests, the warning bell was kinda jarring to hear. I feel a lot more relaxed now. I'm really glad that [Government teacher and Student Union advisor Matthew] Polazzo reprogrammed the new bells because the first week of school had some rough bells.” —Viktoriia Sergeeva, senior

“I don’t find the new bells pleasant or annoying. They were funny for the first week, but I've become so used to their sound that I barely notice it anymore.” —Joshua Shvartsman, senior

“I’m not really opposed to the new system, but I don’t know what problem it’s trying to solve. Some classrooms on the sixth floor (and I’m sure there are more elsewhere) still can’t hear the bells. There are many more impactful problems the school could direct their attention to rather than bell audio.” —Victoria Reguyal, senior

“The new bells sound like an alarm clock. I feel like they’re trying to wake us up in class. I feel like they put thought into it and did the research. It feels like you’re in the Good Place.” —Suhana Kumar, senior