This is the second of a three-part series on the additional changes to Sunny Hills facilities over the summer and during the 2024-2025 school year. These updates follow the larger makeover that started in the previous school year with a campus-wide painting project followed by new signage in hallways and outside athletic facilities. The Accolade will next focus on developments regarding the two campus electronic sign boards.
It’s been on campus since 2006 — more than a decade before the jumbotron got installed in February 2017 outside the campus’ only two-story building.
Stationed outside the west parking lot entrance before cars can turn right onto the parking stalls outside the administration building or the lots outside the 10s and 30s wings, the marquee featured a rectangular gold sign with the words “Sunny Hills High School” in black lettering and the image of a lancer on a horse at the bottom left corner.
That signage rested atop another rectangular board that featured red lettering that would scroll across the screen. It featured such messages for visitors like, “IT’S GREAT TO BE A LANCER!” and “A California Distinguished School.”
VIDEO CUTLINE: The minitron displays multiple announcements in red text like “PROM Ticket Sales end May 19” and “Battle of the Sexes May 15-19” in the video taken when the signboard was first turned on in 2006. The video was taken by Shay Einhaus, who works as a regional sales consultant for Stewart Signs in Florida. (Video used with permission from Shay Einhaus)
Installed in March 2006, the 14-foot-by-6.4-foot minitron was purchased by the Associated Student Body [ASB] in December 2005 for $28,000 to inform about school functions, according to a Dec. 16, 2005, Accolade article.
But when visitors returned for the 2024-2025 school year, both rectangular pieces were missing. They saw only the black, vertical stump for nearly a week since the start of school on Monday, Aug. 12.
School officials said they needed to remove it and replace it with something more modern, which occurred on Thursday, Aug. 22.
“The software was completely outdated. … So we were unable to program anything on the sign other than what it was set,” which ranged from the date, time and temperature, assistant principal Sarah Murrietta said.
The one thing she said she knew for certain was that it needed an upgrade, which cost nearly $25,000 — $3,000 less than its predecessor. The assistant principal gave the following cost breakdown:
- $13,785 for an LED, full-color board
- $6,115 for removal of old marquee
- $1,920 for retrofit for changing it to LED
- $1,381 for the new sign, face of the top part
- $75 for rendering of what the electric board would look like
The new marquee above the LED screen features “SUNNY HILLS” in a lighter yellow shade with “HIGH SCHOOL” in white. The lancer on a horse has been replaced with the knight logo that has been used throughout the campus since two summers ago.
Instead of the gold background like the original, it’s black.
Like the jumbotron, programs and clubs are able to submit videos to Murrietta, who programs the minitron and publishes the content.
“The initial software was completely outdated, and there were no upgrades for the software, so we were unable to program anything on the sign other than what it was set to. It was the date, time and temperature.
The middle part hat was replaced with an LED, multi-color sign where we could do videos and animations.
“I think it was worth it; since a lot of people walk to school, it would be the first thing they see when they walk on campus,” junior Jaden Joo said. “It really adds to the school atmosphere and makes the school look better.”
“BIG BROTHER TRON” ALSO DOWN FOR AWHILE
While visitors got to see a smaller digital screen outside one part of the campus, the giant marquee outside the only two-story building on campus remained dark for the first four months of the fall semester.
The nearly decade-old jumbotron has been a challenge to maintain recently. For example, during heavy rainfall, school officials learned that it would be best to shut it down to prevent it from any short-circuiting from the wet weather, which has happened before.
This time around, the problem with the electronic board had to do with its individual sections.
A crew from Sunset Signs came out to the campus to attempt a repair on Thursday, Aug. 22, but to no avail.
“The power supply is not working on some of the screens,” Associated Student Body adviser David Fenstermaker said during a news conference with The Accolade on Thursday, Sept. 26. “The hope, now that we know what’s wrong, is that they will actually fix it.”
Having finished repairing it last semester, the fix cost a total of $250.
The damaged big screen caused the ASB to change the location for the annual Senior Sunrise; instead of watching a movie on the jumbotron as in past years, 12th-graders ended up playing games like baseball, taking pictures at designated spots decorated with backdrops and decorating senior boxes to store keepsakes and memories, senior Jenna Kim said.
“Without the movie, it was kind of boring,” senior Luke Corrales said. “There wasn’t a sunrise [to see], either.”
Likewise, although he and his friends made the most of it, senior Ethan Castro said that he was aware of the fact that there was supposed to be a movie but felt kind of disappointed that it was canceled.
“It felt like something was missing,” Castro said. “We were all sitting on the grass eating and watching a movie would’ve gone perfectly with that.”
However, senior Oliviah Chavez said that she didn’t feel any negative feelings toward the situation because it wasn’t anyone’s fault.
“Not having a movie there at Senior Sunrise didn’t take anything away from the overall experience,” Chavez said. “Our class still connected and had a good time all together at our first senior event of the school year.”
Despite the change with Senior Sunrise, juniors and sophomores were able to still hold their annual after school movie nights once the big screen was fully operational by Wednesday, Dec. 4.
ASB resolved issues with the jumbotron by the day of the movie night. That allowed sophomores and juniors to hold their annual movie night on Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 5-7 p.m.
“The movie looked really clear when watching, and the colors were vibrant,” said sophomore Josef Hudak, who paid nothing to catch “Home Alone.” “Being able to watch [the movie] on the jumbotron, as opposed to a projector or anything similar, made the experience much more enjoyable.”
Likewise, junior Jasper Hanrahan was excited to watch the movie on the jumbotron.
“I enjoyed watching “Home Alone” on the jumbotron and drinking hot chocolate; it was very nice,” said Hanrahan, who also liked the placement of it. “I like that it’s in the quad because it’s a great place to get with friends and hang out during break and lunch, and the same vibes are carried out during movie days.”
JUMBOTRON’S FUTURE
Like with the old marquee outside the west parking lot, Fenstermaker said it’s time to replace the $50,000, 20-foot-by-10-foot electronic signboard with something more modern and less prone to break down or be affected by rain.
Although recently fixed, the ASB adviser plans on finding a way to see if they can afford a new one.
No matter what happens next with the jumbotron, the ASB may need to find more ways to get students to notice it during the school day.
“I hang out in the quad, but I don’t look up,” Corrales said.
