Everyone knows that the members of the Canby High School Class of 2020 have had a rocky end to their academic careers, so what better tribute to them than a huge rock weighing over 27,000 pounds?
Just one part of an immersive “graduation experience” that kicks off this week, with small groups of seniors and family visiting the school to be filmed for a graduation video and take part in other activities, the rock was installed at the Canby High School campus Monday morning.
Photos courtesy Joan Monen:
The idea began with Canby High Associate Principal Kimie Carroll — whose daughter, Mia, is among the senior class. She approached Darren Monen, a local general contractor and building instructor at the high school (and also the father of a graduating senior this year), who helped facilitate finding the 13.5-ton monolith and hiring the contractors to deliver and install it.
“I build houses, so I know a lot of people who are in the local industry,” Monen said. “I started asking some of them if they would help with this, and they all said, ‘Of course.’ You know, why wouldn’t you? Everybody’s trying to do what they can for this senior class, because they got so short-changed on the end of their school year.”
The gray basalt boulder was located and donated by Canby resident Rick Jonas, of Rick Jonas Excavation, who also owns a rock quarry near Newberg. The 27,000-pound rock is the equivalent of a full load of gravel.
David Garber, of Garber Concrete, is donating concrete work for the final memorial and Spencer Waite Jr., of Waite Concrete, loaned the crane that laid the stone to rest on the Canby High campus. Both are Canby High alums themselves, as is Darren Monen.
“We’re all Canby people,” he said. “We just wanted to help.”
A plaque is also being made, which is expected to be completed by the end of the week.
