Today, we bite into an old tradition here at Buena Park High School and it is none other than a Food Fest! This event, held during lunch on Fridays once a quarter or 4 times a school year, showcases the diversity of our school through the culinary talents of our school’s clubs as they set up stands in the quad to sell delicious food, snacks, and drinks. Not only does this help clubs raise money for activities and promotions, but it also motivates students to get more involved in school activities by joining these clubs.
The Latino Club, for example, served traditional foods such as tamales, chicharrones, and tacos, along with refreshing aguas frescas like horchata and Agua de Jamaica. Other clubs like CSF, BSU, AVID, and Baseball, offered more popular fast-food items from places like Raising Cane’s, Popeyes, and In-N-Out.
Over the years, prices have increased due to inflation, leading clubs to adjust their prices to maintain a profit. This year, many students expressed dissatisfaction with the higher costs and some felt like they were being ripped off. However, many clubs still sold out their food at the end of the day. The Costco stand in particular, was selling chicken bakes and hot dogs which sold out before the HOWL bell even rang!
In addition to the food, Food Fest is a great chance for students to learn about the different clubs at Buena Park and get interested in joining. Even though some students were frustrated that they couldn’t leave the school during the event, many still showed up and chose to support their clubs.
Food Fest is a beautiful event, with students lining up, eating good food, and having a good time overall. It was especially fun to see Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Dean together wearing Batman and Robin shirts as they usually do and joining in on the fun. One standout moment was when Mr. Nova dressed up in a hot dog costume and waved a sign for Costco, it made for great pictures and laughs. It was also cool to see a student go up on someone’s shoulders, holding a sign with food prices for Filipino Club.
We were very happy as students to see many teachers and staff here enjoying the food fest. We had the opportunity to interview Mr. Nakonechny, who is a computer science and math teacher here at Buena Park High School. When asked about his favorite part of Food Fest, he replied with, “I love seeing kids get the experience of handling food and money.”
With the excitement and joy that Food Fest brings, we look forward to the next event and the delicious food it will bring!
