When leaving Mt. Lebanon High School onto Cedar Boulevard, it’s hard to miss the steep hillside along Greenhurst Drive. What many people don’t realize is that the hill is home to one of the school’s most cherished traditions.

Each year, on the night of commencement, the rising senior girls gather at 2 a.m. to paint their graduating class number across the hillside, officially marking the beginning of their senior year.

Class of 2026 graduate Madelaine Whalen described painting the hill as “easily one of my favorite memories of high school.”

“While staying up late with your best friends and taking part in such a meaningful tradition is fun, I especially loved the sense of connection it created,” Whalen said. “Even though friend groups naturally exist in high school, being together that night reminded me of the friendships I shared with all the girls in my grade, from kindergarten until graduation. It was an especially meaningful reminder at the start of senior year, knowing that soon we’d all be heading in different directions.”

Whalen said she and her friends spent the evening at a nearby friend’s house before walking to the hill when it was time to paint. The Class of 2026’s designated class color was yellow, so the students used yellow paint to display their class number on the hillside.

“Painting the hill made senior year finally feel real,” Whalen said. “It was the first major senior tradition, and after that night, I couldn’t wait for everything else our class would experience together. It made me excited to make the most of every event, celebrate all the milestones and enjoy every moment because I knew the year would go by quickly, which it did.”

Rising senior Lauren Tinnemeyer recently participated in the tradition. The Class of 2027 painted the hill blue, its designated class color.

“It was so fun getting to paint the hill with my class and celebrate becoming seniors,” Tinnemeyer said. “It’s a tradition we’ve looked forward to for years, and it made everything feel more real.”

Tinnemeyer described painting the hill as a bittersweet experience that allowed her to reflect on her high school journey while recognizing that senior year was about to begin. She said the tradition marked the transition into her final year at Mt. Lebanon High School, making the milestone both exciting and emotional as she looked ahead to the memories still to come.

“Painting the hill made me realize senior year is finally here, and I’m looking forward to making memories with my class before we graduate,” Tinnemeyer said. “I really liked how everyone came together for this tradition. It gave me the chance to spend time with people I’m not usually around, and it made our class feel more connected.”

Whalen said the history behind the tradition made the experience even more meaningful. Some of her friends’ parents had participated in the tradition when they were students at Mt. Lebanon High School, creating a connection across generations.

“Painting the hill is such an important tradition because it connects generations of students while creating memories each senior class will always remember,” Whalen said. “It’s a tradition that gives every class a chance to leave its mark on the school and celebrate reaching such an exciting milestone.”

One of Whalen’s favorite parts of the evening was seeing the entire class come together.

“Whether we were painting, laughing, taking pictures or just spending time together, it felt like the entire class was united,” Whalen said. “There was so much excitement and positive energy, and it was special to see everyone celebrating such an important milestone together. It also reminded me to appreciate the people I’ve grown up with before we start the next chapter of our lives.”

Both Whalen and Tinnemeyer said painting the hill symbolizes everything their class has accomplished together while marking the beginning of senior year. For them, the tradition serves as both a celebration of the memories already made and a reminder to make the most of the year ahead.

For students who may be hesitant to participate in the future, Tinnemeyer offered simple advice.

“Everyone is going to work together and have fun,” Tinnemeyer said. “We made so many memories and became even closer before our senior year even started.”

Whalen agreed, saying the tradition helps unite the entire class.

“Painting the hill brings the class together because, for one night, everyone is celebrating the same thing,” Whalen said. “It doesn’t matter what clubs you’re in, what sports you play or who your closest friends are. Everyone comes together with the shared excitement of beginning senior year. It’s one of the first moments when the entire class feels united, and that sense of community carries throughout the rest of the year.” 

Painting the Hill: A Tradition That Spans Generations By Brion Palmer 

When did Mount Lebanon’s beloved “Painting the Hill” tradition begin?

The answer depends on who you ask.

That question was recently posted on the Mount Lebanon High School Friends Facebook page, prompting a wave of responses from alumni spanning more than seven decades. While no one could pinpoint exactly when the tradition started, the comments made one thing clear: generations of Blue Devils have been making the annual trek to Greenhurst Drive to paint their class number on the hillside and mark the unofficial beginning of their senior year.

“We did it in 1994,” wrote Christa A.

“Were doing it when I got there in 1982,” added John B.

“We painted it in 1979,” Robin S. recalled.

“My mom did in 1970 — so before that,” Nina R. wrote.

Others pushed the timeline back even further.

“Mid-late ’60s,” Patrick S. commented.

“Was painted in the ’60s,” Jack M. added.

Betsy A., a member of the Class of 1960, remembered seeing the tradition firsthand.

“Late 1950s. I grew up on Summer Place.”

Eric N. reached back even further.

“I moved there in 1954, Summer Place. They were painting it then.”

Although its exact origins remain a mystery, the tradition has clearly been woven into the fabric of Mount Lebanon for generations.

For many alumni, however, the memories extend well beyond the paint itself.

“We had an elaborate plan with brooms and buckets of paint starting at 2 a.m. on June 12, 1974,” recalled Dale C. “It was our rite of passage from the Class of 1974, who had graduated only hours earlier on June 11. The Class of 1975 senior year officially started as we ran like hell from the Lebo Blue Bloods, with our rendezvous point at Bill Warnock’s house on Greenhurst Drive — forever anointed in the annals of Lebo history.”

The tradition became even more meaningful for Dale as the years passed.

“I am proud to say my three daughters — Kassie (2005), Jourdan (2007) and Madison (2011) — carried on the same tradition as well.”

Others recalled the excitement, and occasional consequences, that came with the late-night adventure.

“My brother-in-law got caught by the cops doing it in 1997,” Rachel F. wrote.

“Pretty sure our class started at 3 a.m.,” Chris G. remembered.

For many alumni, the comments served as a reminder that Painting the Hill is about far more than leaving a class number on a hillside. It’s about friendships forged during late-night planning sessions, the excitement of crossing into senior year and the shared experiences that connect one graduating class to the next.

Every class leaves its mark, but no class owns the tradition. Instead, each group adds another chapter to a story that has united Mount Lebanon students for more than half a century.

Long after the paint has faded and another class number has taken its place, what endures are the memories—of classmates working side by side in the darkness, laughing as they hurried to finish before dawn and realizing, perhaps for the first time, that they had become part of something much bigger than themselves.

Maybe that’s why no one seems overly concerned that the tradition’s true beginning has been lost to history. In Mount Lebanon, the hill isn’t simply painted with numbers.

It’s painted with generations of memories.