Kindergartner Raelynn Spencer pulls Iola Elementary School’s bell with all her might Monday morning as Principal Andy Gottlob stands ready to help.
Kindergarten students ring the bell to symbolize the start of their school journey; they’ll ring it again as fifth-graders departing for middle school.
The tradition dates back to 2022 with the opening of the school.
The 1868 bell was restored by the Iola Rotary Club. Its previous location was Jefferson Elementary, where it had sat since 1941.
