By Reece M. Krantz ’16
THE ROUNDUP

For many classrooms on campus, the first weeks of school lacked the sound of a bell and in some cases a PA system all together.

The same school bell has been apart of Brophy for 13 years now and malfunctions are not uncommon.

Ms. Sherri Stephens, Director of Facilities and Food Service, said she has been dealing with fixing the bells and managing the situation.

“The bells and the PA system have not been operating since the start of the school year, and we have been dealing with the company we have worked with to fix it,” Ms. Stephens said. “They think they have had it fixed and then it’s not.”

Ms. Stephens said the new aquatic center and an IP address issue on the campus network caused problems with the system. The school recently had to rewire and reconfigure to accommodate the new areas and influences.

A major issue with the bells and PA, according to Ms. Stephens, is that it is quite old and difficult to fix.

“Our system is over 13 years old and so it is difficult to get new parts and hardware for the Bells and PA,” Ms. Stephens said.

Loyola Academy also wants to be separated for the Brophy bells, but it is not possible until there is a new system.

“We are looking at 2015 for a new phone system that will take care of the PA system and bell. We are just trying to wait it out until the new system,” Ms. Stephens said.

The school bell has since then be reinstated across the majority if the campus, and at the time of this article, Info Commons is the only building that lacks the PA and bell system.

“The chips need to be upgraded, its just and old system and it is hard to get parts. The only building that does not have the bells is the Info Commons, and we don’t know why,” Ms. Stephens said.

For about four weeks, announcements were made over the PA by individual teachers that managed the start and end of periods.