What happens in the dark of night at the rock, stays at the rock. The rock is painted after-hours and is so popular, that the design may not last even twenty-four hours. It’s the center of a turf war among students vying to claim it as a monument for their team, extracurricular activity, or club.

The rock is a well-known landmark at Orono High School. As the winter sports season approaches, teams and clubs begin bonding with the fondest traditions of painting the rock and promoting school spirit.

According to social studies teacher Doug Erickson, students from Mound-Westonka High School dumped the rock in its current location on the front lawn of Orono High School many years ago as a practical joke.

OHS students then began using the rock to their advantage. It has become “a wonderful icon for sports teams and extracurriculars to announce their upcoming seasons,” Erickson said.

Mound was frustrated that our school was thrilled with the placement of the rock and tried to steal it back, but the staff at OHS were able to cement the rock in place so it would be permanent.

Principal David Benson said that “the rock brings the school together.”

Aside from being used for sports teams, extracurriculars, and clubs, the rock is currently also used as a way to ask someone to a dance and as a memorial to announce a message to the school. With a prime location in the front lawn of the senior parking lot, most students pass the rock at least once a day and look forward to its chameleon metamorphosis, as its message changes so frequently.

“The rock is a great way to show Orono pride and team unity. It is fun to leave your mark as a team on the school even if that means literally leaving it on the rock,” senior girls soccer captain Emily Knight said.
The message that typically appears on the rock is the logo of the team or club who last painted it. For example, the boys soccer team wrote “Native Pride” on the rock because soccer has been passed down from year to year, the team is part of a tradition, and they value the sense of family that offers.

Sports teams use the rock to announce upcoming events and seasons. “The painting of the rock was awesome and a team bonding experience,” senior boys soccer captain Carson Miller said.

The rock is also used to memorialize the loss of loved ones in the local community. “It’s always hard for sports teams to paint over the memorial, but there gets to be a point where it is time to move on,” Benson said.

Science teacher Tim Haislet said, “the rock is a nice thing. Traditions are good to have.”

Not only are traditions a large part of the Orono culture, but Spain Park High School in Hoover, Ala. has many traditions as well. According to American Cheerleader, “typical Friday night football games begin with a ‘Jag Walk’ where the cheerleaders and fans form a large tunnel from the school to the stadium.”

Willowbrook High School in Illinois also acquired a rock in which the students paint to announce messages and events to the school.

The tradition of a high school rock is not uncommon. Minnetonka High School possesses one and takes part in similar traditions. According to LakeShore Weekly News, “Minnetonka’s senior rock outside of the high school has many layers of paint, and not all layers are Tonka blue. Over the years it wasn’t uncommon for rivalry schools to paint the rock their school colors.”

Other high schools in the area and even out-of-state value “traditions as a way to connect the student body,” Erickson said.

If one could peel off the layers of paint one at a time, the rock would tell a story of generations of memories.