| “ | At the end of each day, Mr. Kidswatter would bang a giant gong with a large iron mallet. It was his favorite thing about being principal. | ” |
| — Narration in "The Bells of Wayside" | ||
The gong is part of Wayside School's bell system, and is rung at the end of each day by Mr. Kidswatter. It is his favorite thing about being the school's principal.[1] When rung, the gong is so loud, it can be heard from anywhere in the building, including Mrs. Jewls's class. The only person other than Mr. Kidswatter who is known to have rung the gong is Stephen, in "The Moment."
Appearance[]
The gong is described as being giant, almost twice the size of Stephen, and has a red dot in the center.[2] The gong was once bright and shiny, but that was before Louis joined the school, as now it was much more dull and dented. It hangs from a large, wooden frame, which itself runs on wheels, and a large iron mallet that is used to ring the gong is hooked to the frame. The mallet is heavy, being difficult for even Louis to lift, but Mr. Kidswatter can easily carry it over his shoulder.[3]
Role in series[]
The gong first appears in "The Bells of Wayside," where it is introduced as part of Wayside School's bell system. The actual process of ringing the gong is seen in "The Gonnnnng," where it is revealed that it is Louis's priority to roll the gong out of the principal's office for Mr. Kidswatter to ring. Louis keeps cotton balls in his ears, so as to dull the sound, but it still rattles in his bones whenever he hears it. Louis does a countdown, and on the count of one, Mr. Kidswatter hits the gong right in the center. Later on in the chapter, Mr. Kidswatter asks Louis why the kids don't seem to like him, and Louis suggests he could try doing something nice for them, like letting one of them bang the gong at the end of the day instead. Mr. Kidswatter is initially reluctant, but considers it after Louis remarks that it might get him a chapter that looks good later on in the book.
And in "The Best Principal Ever!!!," Mr. Kidswatter does just that, going to Mrs. Jewls's class to pick someone to ring the gong. He picks Stephen, though as is revealed in "Push-Downs," he meant to pick Joy, but got distracted, preparing to point accusingly at Dana, who got distracted trying to scratch a mosquito bite. Stephen is shown to be incredibly nervous about ringing the gong, as he is not very strong, but he trains for it by doing push-downs, and in "Breathe," the class helps him calm his nerves. In "The Moment," Stephen finally rings the gong, using the same method as before, though Mr. Kidswatter does the countdown this time. Stephen misses with his first swing, but the mallet ends up spinning him in a circle, and he hits it on the second round. In the future, it is revealed that Stephen thinks of that moment whenever he's feeling scared and upset, and it makes him smile.
Appearances[]
The gong appears in a total of six book chapters.
- "The Bells of Wayside"
- "The Gonnnnng"
- "The Best Principal Ever!!!" (mentioned)
- "Push-Downs" (mentioned)
- "Breathe" (mentioned)
- "The Moment"
Trivia[]
- While the gong first technically appears in "The Bells of Wayside," it likely still exists in the previous books; it just isn't mentioned up until that moment.