Anyone who drives past Washington Irving Middle School in West Springfield (VA) can't help but notice the large painted boulder at the entrance to the school.  The history of the "rock" and the tradition that surrounds it go back September 1960 when Washington Irving opened its doors.

At that time Old Keene Mill Road that runs in front of the school was a winding two lane road.  When road crews were finishing the entrance to the school they uncovered the large boulder and stood it on its end by the driveway.  The rock instantly gained the attention of the middle school students and became a opportunity for them to express themselves about current events under the watchful eye of the administration.

In the early days of the school (my brother and I both attended in the 60's) you would find peace symbols, famous quotes and the names of our favorite ROCK groups.  Over the years the rock has commemerated the assassination of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, the Vietnam and Iraq wars and been a memorial to the slain VA Tech students.  The graduating class always gets the final word at the end of the school year with their class year and signatures. 

The rock has endured 100's of coats of spray paint and thousands of students climbing on it to get their pictures taken.  With the fifty year anniversary of the school looming in September 2010 I'm going to suggest that the "alumni" who live in the area get one more chance to give the rock another coat of paint with memories of our time at Washington Irving.  

If this rock could talk I know there would be some stories it could tell!