A new project on campus has the Marist community excited to see its impactful, rippling effects.
Involving President J.D. Childs, Architect J Ryan Duffy, and Blacksmith Billy Riordan, the new bell tower will provide a new tradition in which graduates will ring the bell to signify the end of their high school career.
The bell is originally from the center of the Emmaus Retreat, a weekend special for seniors, and now takes its place in the center of our Alumni Plaza. The building of the bell tower complex will become an immense integration of the senior experience, and will become a custom students will look forward to.
The bell tower will be placed within the center of Alumni Plaza, similar to the location of the Peace Pole. Greeting all students and staff upon entering through the parking places, the bell tower will stand as a center piece for the plaza and symbolize the changes and new opportunities yet to come.
The construction of the bell tower is currently in the works, and the school community has already given $134 736 out of $250,000 in donations aimed to cover the cost of the project. As the funds of this project continue to meet its goal, the architects and contractors are aiming for the graduating class of 2026 to be able to ring the bell once they have received their diplomas.
The primary goal of constructing the bell tower is to establish a new tradition that unites students and staff, which will repurpose an old symbol of a significant event. Upon the archways of the bell tower, the building will feature the inscription “Sub Mariae Nomine,” which can be seen throughout our campus and adds value to a new and exciting endeavor.
I had the upper hand upon gathering the information surrounding the new bell tower due to my father, a blacksmith, working with the architect, J Ryan Duffy, to make the Bell Tower a reality. Asked about the opportunity to help work on the project, Billy Riordan expressed his enthusiasm for the project. “I’m extremely excited to be at the beginning of what will hopefully be a long tradition at Marist,” Riordan said.
It seems the bell tower will quickly become an integral part of the Marist tradition and a way to close a chapter of life in order to open new ones.
