SEBRING, Ohio (WKBN) – A local business is helping create a new tradition for a Valley school district.

A.C.T. Excavating donated a 7,000-pound boulder to Sebring’s McKinley High School. The boulder will be used for seniors to paint.

Class officers requested to bring back the tradition of painting parking spaces, but the rock was presented as an idea to stand as a more uniform collaboration, which is more visible, school officials said in a news release.

  • Excavating Business Owner Donates 7,000-lb boulder to Sebring McKinley Seniors to Mark New Tradition (3)
  • Excavating Business Owner Donates 7,000-lb boulder to Sebring McKinley Seniors to Mark New Tradition (2)
  • A local business is helping create a new tradition for a Valley school district.
    Courtesy: Sebring McKinley High School
  • Excavating Business Owner Donates 7,000-lb boulder to Sebring McKinley Seniors to Mark New Tradition (1)

Each graduating class will have the opportunity to paint the rock, creating layers of paint for the new landmark.

“We’re excited to be the first class kicking off this new tradition and leaving the very first mark on the rock,” said Blake Thomas, senior class officer.

The 2024 class covered the rock with their handprints, signatures and a special tribute to a classmate they continue to keep in their hearts, the release said.

“In loving memory of Emily,” is written across the top of the rock, to honor a former class member and friend, Emily Waseman, who they lost to a battle with cancer in elementary school. 

“We wanted Emily to share in the tradition with us, so we made sure she left her mark, too,” Thomas said.