Throughout the years, many traditions at AHS have disappeared and changed with time. However, with the loss of old traditions, new ones have replaced them.

In the past, Aspen High School has had traditions associated with hazing, senior parking spaces, and school activities. For instance, the Boat, located in the Commons, is for seniors only. Another example is that the football team used to shave the freshmen’s’ heads when they joined. Other annual AHS traditions are Field Day, Ex Ed, and Ski Day, although certain things have changed throughout the years.

“Ski Day has changed. It’s still Ski Day, but it used to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy, and then [the money] went to various things. It was mandatory, then it was just students trying to show up, but now the way we do it is good, raising money for a certain cause and everybody is supposed to be there and participating,” Moore said.

Field Day has had lots of changes with teams, games that are played, and themes, but has always stayed relatively the same. Cory Parker, who also was a student at AHS, is now an English teacher at AHS. parker talks about his days at AHS, versus his time now, as a teacher.

“Field day is still a strong tradition. We did not have a powderpuff game so that’s new,”Parker said.

With school traditions, some hold value while others can be considered hazing. After every season the sports teams have banquets, and each team usually has its own cheer, which the captains of the teams create for before and after the games.

School activity traditions have always stayed consistent. We have always had homecoming games, dances, field day, ski day, pep rallies, etc.

Hazing is how seniors show their dominance to the underclassmen, usually freshmen. Hazing has always been a thing, and it seems like it always will be, but it has gotten much better throughout the years.

Lauren Fox, a senior at AHS, talks about her sister’s hazing experiences at AHS.

“I remember once my sister told me a story [of] her freshman year during capture the flag at the bonfire, a bunch of freshman boys got chained in the alleyway,” Fox said. That space has now turned into the Boat, which has turned into a tradition for seniors as well. “As an underclassman, you always are looking forward to getting the boat,” Fox said.

Seniors have always had their own space somewhere in the school, usually in the commons. Travis Moore, a former AHS student, reflected on how traditions have changed since his time at the school.

“The commons was actually our theater too, so that whole area where the Boat is used to be a stage, and that whole half of the commons was actually a sunken area with the red chairs. That’s where the seniors would hang,” Moore said.

Another spot that used to be just for the seniors is the Mezzanine above the commons, which is now the College Counseling department.