New Colorado School of Mines students bring a piece of home for annual M Climb

New students at the Colorado School of Mines celebrated the start of the school year on Friday by leaving their mark on Mount Zion.

In this yearly tradition, first-year students don hard hats and carry 10-pound rocks from their hometowns up to the M on the mountainside, which overlooks the campus.

The students then add their rocks to the symbol and cover the whole thing in a fresh coat of whitewash.

The school says the tradition is a great way to make new friends and get into the school spirit. As they climb, the students sing the Mines fight song, the Mining Engineer.

"Once their rocks are part of the M, new students are officially part of the Mines community. They are retracing the steps up Mount Zion that Orediggers have taken since 1908!" school officials said.