The Beach Bell
The History of the CBHS "Beach Bell"
The year was 1964, Cocoa Beach High School has opened for its first students in August. Soon after, as with most summers in Florida, we were brushed by Hurricane Cleo, and the word for that week was “flooded”. We survived—a little soggy—and went on with the business of beginning a new school year, a new school with a new Principal and adjusting to classes from 7th to 12th grades. Previous to that, students had been bussed from the beaches to Cocoa High School and Edgewood Junior High School (Merritt Island), and now we were all together in our own school in Cocoa Beach—it was great!
There was a bell. It had originally belonged to some of the students from Cocoa High (who the next year became CB Minutemen) It was mounted on a 2x4 frame painted orange and black and was dragged to all the Tiger sporting events and clanged all night long. Once these bell-toting Tigers became Minutemen, the stand was re-painted red, white and blue and so the mystery begins (or continues, whichever the case may be).
From what the various past graduates who have participated in this mystery case can remember, the bell was there at the school. There are no pictures of the bell in any of the first yearbooks, or even in the two or three issues of “Hairy Pages”, another historic part of the early days at CBHS.
Was it in the front office? In front of the school by the flagpole? Located right as you entered our football field? By the Minutemen Award Wall in front of the school? We eliminated one of the locations, simply because it hadn’t be there until 1969 when the Minuteman Wall was donated, built and dedicated by the Class of 1969. So, that left three locations—and if all memories polled are served, it was deduced that it was located in the front office. No one recalls if it was ever used for anything -or- ever “officially” rung during its short tenure at that location.
Also during that first year at CBHS, a very “spirited school caper” transpired. Our main rival back then, of course, would naturally have been Cocoa High School—since all of our new seniors were originally from there. One morning in 1964, the week prior to the Friday football game against Cocoa High School, while sleepy-eyed CBHS students were waiting at their school bus stops along A1A, they spied a convertible car whizzing by with a huge figure of a tiger in it … hmmm. It then appeared in the front office of school that same morning—with a cast of beaming students gathered around it (whose identities have been cleverly disguised). How could something that big (the Tiger) get taken off their Cocoa school campus without raising suspicion? It seems that it was quite easy, as the students that absconded with it had attended that school the previous year and no one even thought to think whether or not they had been transferred over to that new Beach school or were still attending Cocoa. Were the students in the picture the nefarious thieves or were they just the ones that wanted to be in the infamous picture? We’ll never know, because after all these years (and an end to the statute of limitations), no one has openly admitted to the deed.
In retaliation, during a midnight raid, Cocoa High greased our flagpole, and stamped black-tar Tiger paw-prints all over the school hallways. The powers-that-be at both schools (the principals) decided these type of capers had to cease and desist, so the Tiger was returned, the flagpole was cleaned and the tiger paw prints just faded away with time. Ahhh … school kids and their pranks!
There the bell sat—until the year 1966—when it somehow disappeared for good. The bell wasn’t mentioned ever again, and from what I remember, no one really missed it—it was just gone.
Gone and forgotten until 1997, when one of our past graduates (whose family has lived in Cocoa Beach since the early 1960’s) had flown back into town to help clean out the home of his father, who had passed away. While cleaning out the garage, he came across a rusted, old cast-iron bell. Was this the infamous CBHS bell his sister Priscilla in Alaska had told him about? She didn’t know the origins either, but had also come across it during her visit to Cocoa Beach in the late 80’s or early 90’s … this part of the story is quite foggy. Anyways, this garage-cleaning past CBHS graduate took the bell home with him to California.
This person was Charley Priddy, 1967 graduate and long-time ‘67 Class Contact, organizer and first President of the Cocoa Beach Alumni Association, and all-around HUGE supporter of CBHS over the past many, many years (that’s another long story for another time). Charley took the bell down to a metal shop and had it cleaned. Embedded on the curve-shaped handle of the bell was the following: Frederick Township, Ohio—rats, he was hoping it would say Cocoa, Florida. After it was cleaned, he then got it professionally painted by a local car and body shop and shipped the bell back to his “adopted” family in Merritt Island. Jimmy Birch, Class of 1966, part of Charley’s adopted family, received a 43-pound box on his doorstep one day, and stored it there at his home for a few years.
Last Fall 2006, Charley Priddy re-donated the “Beach Bell” back to Coach Piccalo, CBHS’s Football Coach, and to the 2006-2007 CBHS Football Team. The bell was back home … or was it?
Coach Piccalo then temporarily passed the bell to long-time dedicated CBHS parent; 1971 CBHS graduate; father to Class of 2007 CBHS Soccer star, Katie; husband to wife, Teressa, who, teamed with Scott, had both won the 2006 Minutemen Award; and retired CBAA Board Member … Scott Hardcastle. Scott along with two other graduates—who wish to remain anonymous at this time—began work getting the bell ready to be placed back at the school.
The new bell rack was originally designed by Scott, and along with the anonymous alumni (and their
money, time and materials), the rack was made with a small addition of the Minutemen logo, a new stainless-steel clapper for the bell and a large brace for attachment to the Commons Bridge. It was now time to place the bell back at CBHS.
One cool spring day in 2007, Dan Higgins (‘72), John Gosa “(‘71), David Shaheen (‘97), and Scott placed the bell, bell rack and bracing in the ground along with four-feet of concrete and it is attached it to the Commons Bridge.
The “Beach Bell” is back home at CBHS … but … is it the original bell? Does it matter? … NO … it’s there, it’s a bell and sure looks “sweet” -and- it’s now being rung whenever a CBHS team wins a ball game, science fair winners, academic winnings, team victories, chess club victories, and anything related to Cocoa Beach High School and success. The coach, teacher or sponsor will have the opportunity to select one student who will have the honor of ringing the bell prior to first period the following day after the victory or victories. So, whenever students hear the bell ringing, we’ll know that the Beach has had some type of success. We hope the students and future students hear the bell rung on a daily basis!
Ring that “Beach Bell” forever ...