The Class of 2025 is just about to take their final bows and as difficult – even frightening -as it seems, another school year is coming to a close. Graduation has always been a pretty important part of life in Los Alamos though many of the early traditions associated with graduation have been a bit lost through the years and many of the “LAHS Senior” traditions which took place all year long no longer happen in the same way as some of us remember.

For example… Do any of you recall the old tradition of hiking up LA Mountain to paint the big “LA”? If you ask Hilltopper alumni, many of us can speculate about when this tradition began and when and why it stopped, but the details are always somewhat steeped in urban myth and local legend. One of the best parts of painting the LA was throwing paint on your friends and saving the clothes to wear during the final spirit week of Senior Year.

Senior Appreciation Night is always a huge deal. The event was created in 1984 through a community effort to decrease the wild partying which often ended in bad decision making and even worse accidents from underage drinking. Prior to SAN, high school seniors used to head up to Graduation Flats. The beautiful meadow is a popular picnic spot is on the Dome Road just south of the Santa Fe National Forest boundary. It also had the dubious benefit of being over the Sandoval County line (for students looking for opportunities to engage in underage drinking!) This meant kids were outside the jurisdiction of LAPD, a difficulty when trying to keep kids safe.

Senior Appreciation Night keeps kids within city limits and under the watchful eye of grownups without asking them not to have fun. Now the event is 100% community funded and has grown to include some incredible opportunities for all night fun, celebration, and making merry (safely) with your friends.

Graduation Canyon

Going further back, the Los Alamos Ranch School had several incredible traditions that made Senior Year at the Ranch School a very. Big. Deal! Graduation Canyon was an important location which was often called “Commencement Canyon” because the Ranch School held their graduation ceremonies on a flat bench at the mouth of the canyon.

Graduation Canyon is an otherwise small branch of Pueblo Canyon northwest of the Los Alamos Airport, just below Manhattan Loop. The scenery is beautiful, but the graduation ceremony itself was an incredible processional. The boys rode to the spot on horseback while singing Native war songs. Parents and visitors were seated on rocks draped in colorful wool blankets and the experience was something the boys looked forward to with pride.

So as the Class of 2025 struts across the stage on Saturday May 24, I hope they enjoy every single second of their experience from beginning to end! I’d like to wish our graduates success in their future endeavors. Also, GO HILLTOPPERS! And when you’re ready to join our community (and become a Hilltopper), give me a call! I’d love to talk life in Los Alamos with you. There are some beautiful homes on the market here in Los Alamos and I’d love to help you find your dream home on the Pajarito Plateau!