For 40 years, West Po’s Spirit Rock has sat at the end of Quander Road. Painted with school pride, the rock is a symbol of camaraderie. Underneath the layers of colorful paint lies a gray boulder that has witnessed decades of student life. It holds the memories and voices of every student who has ever participated in painting the rock. The rock is painted with our classic school colors; blue, white and silver. And maroon, being the color of Mount Vernon, our greatest rival, is nowhere in sight.
Former West Po Class of 2003 graduate, Robert Dalton recalled, “One year, we pulled a trick on Mount Vernon’s rock. The Cross Country team and I pretended we were Mount Vernon students and drove to the school.”
The night that Rob and his friends drove to Mount Vernon, the Mount Vernon football team was painting the rock.
“Once the football team had finished and drove away, and before their paint dried, we dumped a tar-like substance on their rock. We cut open pillows and dumped the feathers all over their rock,” Dalton said. “I don’t know what Mount Vernon thought of our act, but they never retaliated.”
Mount Vernon called it a biohazard and the area around the rock was taped off. The following day, they hired professionals to scrape and power wash every layer of paint off of their rock.
Charlotte Correll, junior, is one of many students here at West Po who has painted the rock.
“I have painted the rock for many different sports and clubs in the past,” Correll said. “I painted it for Senior night with the soccer team, and then for Pi Day with Math Honors Society.”
Freshman Helene Hanke recently painted the rock with her Varsity Field Hockey team. By showing team spirit and appreciation for their seniors, they painted the rock with the names and jersey numbers of every senior on the team.
“We took our time deciding on the colors. Not everyone can paint the rock, so it was definitely a fun team bonding event,” Hanke said.
West Po’s spirit rock is an ever-changing symbol of our school. Underneath the top coat of paint are the layers of our school’s past. The rock represents 40 years of tradition, school spirit, and our rivalry with Mount Vernon. It was here before we went to West Po, and it will be here long after we graduate. Each time a student paints the rock, they leave behind their mark and add to its history.
