DID YOU KNOW? As a continuing feature, The Accolade delves into the origins of Sunny Hills culture or landmarks. This time, we take a look at the Associated Student Body [ASB] Gold Card, how it got its name, its purpose and benefits for students. We send news editor Irene Park to do the research on the card’s history.

The American Express Centurion Card, also known as the Amex Black Card. The Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa Card. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Card.

According to wallethub.com, these are among the most coveted plastic spending options because they’re known for such perks as “VIP access to events, airport lounge access and elite status with multiple travel providers and hotels.” 

Amex and Capital One don’t even have a spending limit, which is why they have become known as luxury items. Nevertheless, these banks charge users anywhere from $395-$5,000 per year to possess these options for making purchases.

Fortunately for Sunny Hills students, the price to possess an ASB Gold Card is not that high (it costs $50 and can be purchased on the online webstore).

“[We look at it as] your investment in the school; the rewards are the opportunities to get other things like cheaper yearbooks and reduced dance costs,” said ASB adviser David Fenstermaker, elaborating on the card’s give-and-take principle. “The more active your student body is, the more student body income comes in.”

The revenue that the ASB receives from Gold Card sales is then allocated to the different programs on campus, ASB treasurer junior Aaron Green said. 

This allows the ASB to distribute the money collected to different programs on campus; in return, that funding allows students to attend certain events like dances and sports games for free or at a discounted price.

But how long has this funding source been around for? And how did it become part of the school culture? According to past Accolade newspaper articles, the Gold Card, also known in the past as just an ASB Card, has existed since at least October 1965, six years after the campus opened in 1959.

DEALS, DISCOUNTS GALORE

Senior Charles Kearney said he finds the Gold Card a worthwhile purchase and an essential part of his high school experience.

“I chose to get the Gold Card because it made sense for me,” said Kearney, who’s been purchasing the card since his freshman year. “I enjoy going to dances and games with my friends, and the money I would have to spend to do that without a Gold Card would be a worse deal than the discounted/free tickets to games and events with the Gold Card.”

The Gold Card was also well-received in the past, and some basketball games would garner such a large crowd that the game location would be switched to Fullerton Community College, now-retired teacher and Class of 1973 alumni Gene Bordy said.

“Yeah, I used it a lot, and back then at least 80-90% of the student body always went to the games,” Bordy said. “Again, if you had your card, I believe you got in for free because that was one of the benefits of the card.”

Its features have remained mostly the same with only its price fluctuating from $35 in the early 2010s to $40 in the mid-2010s and its current price of $50 since 2023.

The price change happened in July 2023 when every school in the district received a chance to raise its prices for its student body card to help fund the new athletic leagues, Fenstermaker said.

Each school has its own version of an “ASB Card,” albeit under a different name such as Fullerton High School’s IFL Card, the ASB adviser said.

THE CARD’S BEGINNINGS

Up until around 2008, officials recognized which students would get discounts to attend games or dances based on a sticker placed onto a laminated piece of paper — the student ID — that had a student’s name on it, Fenstermaker said.

Improvements in machines and printing technology allowed for the creation of actual plastic photo IDs and the option of a golden color accent for those who purchased a Gold Card. 

The change to an official ID with a color distinction made it more exclusive and cost-effective compared to the stickers because the company that produces the cards doesn’t charge extra for the design addition, Fenstermaker said.

“It’s better now 1,000% because it’s like a legitimate ID [compared to the old laminated paper card],” the ASB adviser said.

The card’s name changed to “Gold Card” after originally being dubbed an “ASB Card” prior to 2013, Fenstermaker said.

The change was present by the time he became the adviser in 2013, then co-advising with former social science teacher Mike Paris, who retired two years ago.

Fenstermaker said that one of the reasons for changing the card was to differentiate the ASB Card from gold and silver credit cards.

“Everyone had the same exact ID, and it was just a sticker [that showed it was a Gold Card],” he said. “So now, to make it a little bit easier and not spend as much money on stickers, we just distinguish the two different IDs with gold [for a Gold Card] and black [for a regular card].” 

While stickers aren’t used for the Gold Card, they are still used for off-campus permits.

But the price is more reasonable, and in theory, it’s easier to take the stickers for students who misuse the permit compared to taking away a physical card, Fenstermaker said.

The Gold Card is also connected to the 5-Star app, and the barcode in the 5-Star profile is the same one on a student’s card. Now, the ASB can quickly scan students into dances through 5-Star and can also provide perks like giveaways and points.

While some schools, such as Great Oak High School in Temecula, have chosen to go fully digital with 5-Star, Sunny Hills won’t be leaving behind physical IDs yet considering that some students don’t have phones, the ASB adviser said.

GOLDEN BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS

Many coaches encourage their student-athletes to buy the Gold Card because it helps the programs with funding for referees and tournaments.

“We make a big push with the coaches because this funding is substantial,” Fenstermaker said.

Junior Rayna Tam said her cheer coach encouraged each of her peers on the team to purchase a Gold Card.

“Our coach recommends that we get a Gold Card, especially to support the teams we don’t cheer for,” Tam said.

But not every student prefers to take advantage of the “golden benefits.”

“I didn’t think that I would go to any events this year because my junior year is going to be super busy,” said junior Serena Wen, who only paid for one her freshman year.

Freshman English Honors teacher Jennifer Kim said she bought the Gold Card for her Class of 2021 daughter every year and for her Class of 2023 son every year, who was also involved in ASB his senior year. 

“If you are a [involved] Lancer, you have to get a Gold Card; if you’re not an active Lancer, I feel that if you have a Gold Card, it would kind of push you to become more active,” said Kim, who doesn’t remember whether she had a Gold Card during her high school years. “Because why not attend this thing if you get a discount?”

Similar to Kim, science teacher Mason Morris said he bought the ASB Gold Card every year for both his sons — his eldest, who played baseball, graduated in May and the younger one is a sophomore and remains part of Sunny Hills’ baseball program.

“I think it’s a good idea to have one because it supports a variety of programs on campus, and it’s good for sports and other ASB activities,” Morris said.