The Excellence Bell was donated to Boise State University on December 20, 1984, by the Nampa School District in Canyon County, Idaho. The bell was in a two-room school house in the Greenhurst neighborhood (near Nampa), and rung daily to signal the start of the school day.
Wanting to preserve Idaho’s pioneer heritage, Boise State reached out to the Nampa School District to move the bell to campus, so it is seen by more people and preserved. Today, the bell is located near the Student Union Building and the Steve Appleton Tennis Courts. Students are encouraged to ring the bell in recognition of their achievements or when they do “something academically excellent that day.”
In 2017, Boise State donated the Excellence Bell to the Boise School District, where it was installed at Hawthorne Elementary.