Construction crews unearthed the oft-painted boulder earlier this month. It had been buried in 2023 as a senior prank. (Photo courtesy of YS Schools)
School of rock
- Published: October 26, 2024
Earlier this month, excavation crews struck something unusual as they were clearing the campus of McKinney Middle and YS High schools for the planned renovation and new construction.
They unearthed the once prominent and much painted school boulder.
The big rock — a longstanding canvas for Bulldog spirit, a mineral medium for artistry and occasional profanity — was buried underground in May 2023 as an apparent senior prank by that year’s graduating class.
It disappeared overnight and was replaced with a sign that read “Boulder Bandits.” As the News previously reported, the surrounding sod was hardly disturbed.
Staff, faculty and students have celebrated the return of the painted rock — evidently nicknamed by many “Dwayne” after the eponymous celebrity. Longtime district staffer and current Mills Lawn counselor John Gudgel described the rock as long having imbued the student body and community with a “sense of pride.”
In an email to the News, Gudgel shared a little of the stone’s story: It came to campus in 2004 during Gudgel’s tenure as principal. Then-senior and football player Jake Fulton brought the rock from his farm, wishing to generate school spirit. In the years since, incalculable layers of paint have been applied “on a regular basis” to commemorate upcoming events, tributes, shout-outs, farewells and more.
“As a side note, I kept cans of spray paint in my office, as sometimes there would be inappropriate messages that had to be quickly covered up,” Gudgel added.
While the former principal couldn’t say how much paint exactly was caked on the stone, one thing is for certain: There’s now more to come.
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