H-Rock Tradition Could be Crumbling

When Scott Jackson was a junior at Highland in 1970, he decided to run for SBO President in the spring. For his campaign video he recruited some of the seniors at East, one of them being Oscar W. McConkie III to get red paint brushes and pretend to mess up the H Rock with their East swag on.
In the video, Jackson came running up to them in his Highland gear and acted like a hero to protect the H Rock.
“He tried to make it look like he was defending and saving the rock from ‘terrible’ East guys,” McConkie said, “It was quite clever and funny.”
The H Rock is a tradition that has lasted since before the 1960s. And ever since it was born, the students of Highland began to defend the rock as rivalry schools came to try and conquer the H Rock. It is a staple of Highland’s branding and a treasured landmark that connects the community to the school.
Students have used the H Rock as a way to celebrate the school and even as a way to send important messages that can be seen from almost anywhere in the valley. A few examples in this includes the painted messages, “Black Lives Matter” following George Floyd’s death, and Dean Collette’s initials after he passed.
Defending the H Rock has been a long-standing tradition led by the student spirit of Highland, defending the H Rock from other schools, specifically East, and making the rock look nice.
But now this tradition stands in jeopardy because of both the land and the students. Salt Lake City officials are discouraging, if not yet restricting, student activity at the H Rock. Increased police presence has been utilized to try and scare off unwanted visitors from the area.
With more and more people treading up towards this fun destination over the years, the land erosion has dramatically increased. The plant vegetation has been harmed and its ecosystem weakened.
According to Jeremy Chatterton, Highland’s principal, the city does not want students continuing to paint the H Rock.
“This is not the district discouraging students, it is the city,” Chatterton said.
Chatterton clarifies two facts about the situation. First, this is a student-led tradition, and it is the students voluntarily offering their time and money into painting and protecting the H Rock. To simplify, this is not a Highland affiliated tradition, Chatterton said, rather one that has been upheld by the student body of Highland in their free time.
The school cannot ever sanction an event where students are told to protect or repaint the H Rock, which allows the district to maintain legal protections.
Second, vandalism and erosion of the land cannot be allowed to continue. As the city is trying to make the designated land a Nature Reserve, city officials want students to help them achieve these goals rather than make it harder by trashing the mountain.
But the tradition is not completely dead yet. There are compromises that can lead to the tradition being maintained, but in a safe and ecofriendly manner.
The city – who owns the private property of where the H Rock is located – has encouraged all visitors to the mountain to stay on the designated paths as a means to protect the erosion of the land as well as the wildlife.
Highland students have tried to make agreements with the city that allows them to “adopt a rock.” This will have the students of Highland once or twice a year go and pick up trash around the mountain to keep the land clean, but that has not yet become official.
But safety is another concern. Last year, there was a conflict on Oct.10 between Highland and East students. A food fight turned into a clash of rivalries, fought with pellet and paintball guns. This usually more fun spirited event of defending the H Rock even led to a student finding a pellet lodged in his back.
What Highland students expected to be a funny food fight with water balloons and condiments swiftly turned into a more aggressive scene as East students surrounded them and even set off a firework that created a small fire. The cops were called to settle this situation. This event caused a higher concern for the safety of our students and brought more scrutiny from the city.
But there have been positive memories made as well, according to last year’s SBO president John Pearce.
“Highland’s H Rock is an unrivaled tradition, filled with history. It allies Highland’s students, alumni, and community members under one big mountainous ‘H,’” Pearce said. “In an age of trending more digital platforms, the H Rock is a physical reminder of our ingenuity, hard work, and unity as a Ram Fam.”
With multiple generations upholding this generation it would be heart breaking for many alumni and citizens in Salt Lake City to see that unique part of Highland’s history leave the mountain.
With increasing concerns of safety and devastating facts from the erosion of the land, it is a difficult situation. The students of Highland have treasured this opportunity, and it would be sad to see this tradition leave, but the city is committed to students’ safety and the preservation of the mountain’s beauty.
“We love this tradition for the students at Highland. But our main goals are to preserve the land area and keep the students safe,” Highland’s SBO coordinator Julie Davidson said.