Seniors who have been accepted into at least one college received a small celebration during lunch on April 26 to celebrate their success. The staff awarded 400 graduates of the class of 2017 with cookies, pennants detailing their name and college, a chance to ring the bell and sign an honorary wall.

“I was impressed with the overall college turnout this year,” college and career counselor Linda Brown said. “And I think the seniors were glad to have their achievements recognized.”

This is the bell tradition’s second year. When the CCA opened last year, Brown searched for a way to celebrate not only the applicants, but the college readiness that the CCA represents.

Coincidentally, a would-be football victory bell that ended up too small for its job sat collecting dust in a storage room. Their fates intertwined, Brown dusted it off and head custodian Joy Kiskadian had it installed in a small tower.

And there it will stand each year in the foreseeable future, another tradition added to the list.