U.S. Naval Academy plebe class completes long standing tradition of Herndon Monument Climb

The Naval Academy’s freshman class participated in the Herndon Monument Climb on Wednesday.

According to the academy’s website, the climb is long long-standing tradition culminating the students’ plebe year.

The students must demonstrate teamwork and perseverance by building a human pyramid to remove the “dixie cup” hat at the top of the vegetable shortening-covered monument and replace it with an upperclassman’s hat.

After successfully completing the Herndon climb, the freshmen are no longer called plebes but “fourth class midshipmen”.

The Herndon Monument stands 21 feet tall and gets covered with approximately 200 pounds of vegetable shortening applied to the monument before the students began their attempt.