Whether you stayed home or traveled for spring break, curiosity filled most of us when we returned, looking for signs of change. For many, the process started when they arrived at school. As clusters of friends assembled around the rotunda, there was one thing missing: the pendulum.

The brass ball that has been hanging for over a decade was taken down over break to be revitalized.

“[The pendulum] is going to be sandblasted so the oceans are going to be brass colored now,” retired science teacher, Lane Smith said. “When it pushes against the railing, paint gets stuck on it so we’re going to get that polished off.”

The thought of restoring the pendulum occurred to Smith a few years ago, but the idea lost its momentum until recently.

“I talked to Mrs. Wilson earlier in the spring and she wanted [the pendulum] to be redone,” Smith said. “We have a committee of guys that were originally involved with it and we took it down over spring break.”

The pendulum is a fully functioning scientific instrument, swinging in one plane as the earth rotates beneath it.

According to Smith, the 388 pound piece of art will return as soon as it’s repaired and repolished, which could be in a few weeks.