The bell in that tower is older than the school, and has a unique history itself. When Columbus was built, one of the local fire stations donated a bell which they no longer planned to use. It was hung in the tower and called children to school each day for seventy years. In the 1960's, Columbus installed an automatic electronic bell system, and the bell was returned to the Appleton Fire Department. The Fire Dept. featured it in a memorial to firefighters who lost their lives fighting Appleton's fires over the years. This memorial stood outside the Drew Street fire station.

When Columbus celebrated its centennial in the early 1990's, the Fire Department again presented the bell to Columbus so that it could be restored to its historic tower. The Bell is now rung for ceremonial occasions throughout the year by student representatives. A neighbor, Bill Selle, donated lighting to illuminate the bell at night.

One by one the great 19th century school buildings in Appleton were demolished and replaced by new structures. Washington school (1895) was left standing and is now an apartment building, but Columbus is the only one still being used as a school.

 The building, except for a few changes, has remained fairly close to what it had been when it first opened, although for a number of years the bricks were painted pink. In 1987, a much-needed addition was added to update the building. The addition included a gym/multipurpose room, a kitchen, a library, and office space. New washrooms were added on the 2nd and 3rd floors, a teachers' lounge was expanded, the old gym was converted into a music/art room, and an elevator was installed. The exterior was sandblasted restoring the original Milwaukee Cream color to the brick, and new windows were installed. 

Columbus Elementary School is now poised to continue serving the needs of the children in its historic neighborhood as it enters the third century in which it has existed.

*Frank Rippl has taught vocal music at Columbus.