My colleague and I brought two handbell choirs from Wakefield School,
Kath had her Redeemer Classical Handbells, and there was a choir from
Harrisonburg City. Kath did the directing and the kids responded very
well to her. It’s always nice for them to ring under someone else!!!

The best part of the whole day - according to my kids - (aside from
missing school and getting to ring all day, of course) was the games
and activities the PE teacher from Redeemer had planned. They enjoyed
the dodge ball immensely. That broke the ice and got them all talking!
A rousing game of Ha! gave them the giggles for the afternoon, but they
managed to focus pretty well during rehearsal. Lunch was delicious -
taco bar! Kids love tacos. Kath’s ingenious idea of not letting more
than 4 members of one choir at a lunch table allowed the kids to get to
know each other a little better. By the end of the day, they were
exchanging email addresses and phone numbers. My group of 19 is very
excited that next year’s event has already begun to be planned.

If you have a school group, ring in a school group, or know of a school
group - middle school is preferable - keep your eyes and ears open for
information about next year’s event. It was an excellent way for the
kids to get to know other really cool kids who ring bells.