Schoolchildren ring the bell for Christmas with a choir of bells and hand chimes

BISMARCK, ND (KFYR) – Bells ring and the songs float through the hall of Martin Luther School to celebrate Christmas.

“This will probably be the greatest performance we’ve had,” said third-grader Jace Beckers.

As the big night arrives, the students reflect on their preparation:

“Lots of practice,” said third-grader Emmalena Voeller.

“We practiced our songs and made our hand chimes,” said third-grader Erin Kleven.

“I make bells every Wednesday afternoon and music on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays,” said Isaiah Rau, a fourth-grader.

“I said my part to my sister, my mom and my dad,” said fifth grader Kurt Icenogle.

Students turn to their conductor by playing new instruments.

“I was pretty excited about our hand chimes because I had never seen them before and never knew how to play them,” said third-year student Julia Chayka.

They performed songs they learned for the show.

And they each have their favorite moment:

“Glory to God in the highest for it contains one of my favorite parts,” Beckers said.

“I can play the third lowest bell in the church,” Icenogle said.

“Everything. All of it,” Madison and Mackenzie Gildea said.

As they sing, they remember what Christmas means to them.

“Give away,” said Beckers, a third-grader.

“The joy of the birth of Jesus and seeing your whole family and it’s just a super fun season,” Kleven said.

By the end of the show, it’s clear the students and staff are full of Christmas cheer.

Handbells arrived in the United States in the early 1800s, but it was another 100 years before the ringing of handbells became popular as it spread to churches and schools.

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