Battle High School students have mixed opinions on Blue and Gold Cards and the on-going tradition of giving students a blue, gold, or no sticker on their student ID depending on their grades and attendance.

Blue and Gold Cards come with many benefits such as a possible free or discounted entry to Battle’s athletic events, access to the Media Center during a study block, and allow students entry for raffles for free event tickets. 

“I think they were implemented to try to get students to do better,”Junior Amarea Fagala said, “Battle was probably thinking ‘how can we get people to start trying and start achieving some goals and recognize the go-getters.’”  

Each student has their own opinion on why the cards were implemented, how it affects Battle, and what kind of influence it has on the students. Sophomore Ruby Hernandez feels that the cards are a “gray area” in exposing students’ personal grades and how well they’re doing in each of their classes.

“The cards are bad because people can know if you don’t have A’s when you don’t want them to know that,” Hernandez said. “There are people that put in a lot of effort, but things like attendance can hold them back, and it is not their fault.” 

Even though Blue and Gold cards are meant to be a positive reinforcement on students who are excelling the expectations and to help push students continue to get good grades, some students feel it may have a more negative effect than positive. 

“I think Blue and Gold Cards are a good idea in theory, but it wasn’t executed well.” Sophomore Heather Kasmann said, “I don’t think students should work towards good grades just to be able to get a blue [or] gold card.”

After COVID-19, Battle High School began implementing the Blue and Gold Cards again once more students were able to go to school and get an in-person education. Progressively each year that Blue and Gold cards are given out, students take them more seriously with growing numbers of Blue and Gold Cards handed out each year according to Ms. Alexandria Wendell, English teacher.

“More people are aware that they exist now than they used to be. I think it is something that a lot of students work really hard for,” Ms. Wendell said.

Ms. Wendell is in charge of the Blue and Gold Cards and takes an estimated time of four to five hours generating the reports, formatting the labels, and distributing them.

“We love rewarding students that are doing the right thing and are working hard and doing the best that they can do,” Ms. Wendell said. “We wanted to have a mixture of things that kids could do in our school building during the school day as well as after school or on the weekends out in the community.”