Students propose monthly "Festival Fridays" and expanded AP classes to Cliffside Park Board

Student leaders from Saint Paul High School asked the Cliffside Park Board of Education on May 16, 2025, to permit a monthly "Festival Fridays" event series and to expand the school's Advanced Placement offerings, including AP French and AP Seminar.

The proposal, presented to the board during the public portion of the May 16 meeting, would stage one Festival Friday each month with food trucks and music played through the school speaker system, student-club tables to sell food or merchandise and opportunities for clubs and volunteers to earn service hours. The students said the events would be used to raise funds for school activities and to build school spirit and community connections.

Erie Gonzales, identified in the presentation as a student leader and vice president of the senior class at Saint Paul High School, said: "These events would feature food trucks and music played through the school speaker system, which would create a welcoming environment for students and staff to connect." Gonzales also told the board the students had identified potential vendors and local partners, including Kona Ice, Napoli Pizza and a number of family-owned cafés and bakeries, and emphasized that some owners have children in the district.

The students also asked the board to add AP course options they said are limited at the school. They specifically requested AP French and AP Seminar, describing AP Seminar as a yearlong course that builds research, critical thinking, writing and public-speaking skills and as the first step toward the AP Capstone diploma. The presenters said a teacher had indicated willingness to teach AP French but acknowledged district constraints: training, teacher availability and course staffing requirements could complicate immediate implementation.

Board members thanked the students for the presentation and for bringing local-business partners to the proposal; a board member said staff would "get back to you" about next steps. No formal board vote or policy change was recorded during the presentation; the students requested the change and the board accepted the materials for consideration.

The board packet included a QR-linked slide deck that members said they had reviewed during the meeting. The students said the proposed Festival Fridays would prioritize "meaningful social interaction and school engagement" and would not include games or other distracting activities.