Make way for the marquee

Serena Sotelo, Staff Writer|December 15, 2014

The+marquee+from+atop+the+gym+advertises+club++meetings%2C+school+events%2C+and+birthdays+to+the+buzz+of+students+around+the+Scorpion+Dome.

Photo by: Rhiannan Ruef

The marquee from atop the gym advertises club meetings, school events, and birthdays to the buzz of students around the Scorpion Dome.

A new marquee sign sits on top of the gym at Cam High, serving as a display for upcoming campus activities and sporting events. The electronic marquee was purchased last month.

Daktronics, the same company that installed the sign at the entrance of the school, installed the gym sign at a cost of $25,000 paid for by the ASB (Associative Student Body).

Cam High principal Mr. Glenn Lipman was in charge of having the board added to the school and said that it was meant to replace the older board that sat previously on top of  the gym. “It’s a state of the art board. Quite a lot of people can get a lot of information from it,” he said. The sign features full color and two separate boards that work in tandem to show messages.

Information provided on the marquee will be decided by Cam High’s ASB, since the purchase came directly from their funds and athletics department funds, according to Mr. Michealtore Smith, ASB adviser and activities director.

He said that ASB will try to keep the information posted strictly ASB activity related, with a few exceptions. “If there’s something that needs to go on there I couldn’t imagine us saying no, it’s just a matter of new information to come.” said Smith.

Although some students feel the new board is beneficial, some feel that the school could have better invested the money into something more useful. “There are plenty of other things that they could have spent the money on, but sports have a higher priority [at Cam High],”  said Sarah Wortman, junior. “[But] I think it’s a great way to display school happenings.”

“I would’ve liked them to put air conditioner in the classrooms,” said Stephanie Sust, junior.  “I pass by the gym every day to get to one of my classes in the M wing. Now everyone can easily know what the club of the week is and the sports games and times.”

“It’s an information center,” said Lipman. “There’s a lot of information that can be provided on it and you can’t ever have enough information. We want to keep students and our community informed about what’s going on in the school.”