There will be no doubt “This is Rocket Territory” as drivers pass by Slippery Rock High School on Centreville Pike for years to come now that the district has agreed to preserve the iconic white barn that bears the slogan.

In 1978, the Slippery Rock Area High School cheerleaders painted the words, “This is Rocket Territory” along the west side of a barn on the McNees family farm. Today, it’s the only piece of the farm that remains.

This week, Slippery Rock Area School Board voted to allow the historic barn committee to secure bids to get a new roof, a mural and a fresh coat of paint. The committee formed a year ago in hopes of keeping the barn from being torn down.

“It is a very important structure, it’s been there longer than the high school itself,” David Smith, the head of the committee and a 1978 graduate of Slippery Rock Area High School, said, adding that as graduation nears this year’s grads will pose by the barn for photos that have been a decades-long tradition.

The message is nearly 50 years old but the barn itself is about 100 years old. Smith believes next year is its centennial year and wants to have the repairs complete in time for a celebration.

Now the committee has to secure the funding, estimated to be around $20,000 to fix the roof, gutters and downspouts, to move forward and hopes the community will support the effort.

One company has reached out to sponsor painting the barn — the plan is to paint the barn white, maintain the original sign and, on the east-end potentially install a mural depicting Rocket pride.

Whenever it’s possible to preserve historical structures and locations that mean something to us, we should do that. When a school district has a committee that is willing to do the legwork and accomplish such a goal without using tax dollars — that’s a huge win.

Future Slippery Rock students will benefit from the dedication of the committee and the district to preserve this long-standing traditional welcome sign and alumni will benefit from the effort to protect this connection to their high school memories.

It’s something that will continue to connect all future and past students to each other and that’s priceless.

— KL