Climbing the Herndon Monument at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis is a tradition dating back to 1940, where plebes (first-year students) work together to replace a plebe hat, known as a “dixie cup,” on top of the monument with an upperclassman’s hat.

On Wednesday, May 15, 2024, members of the 2027 midshipmen’s class took two hours and 19 minutes to scale the 21-foot greased monument in a human pyramid and replace the hats, signifying the end of their first year at the academy.