Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Spanish holiday celebrating and remembering loved ones who have passed away. Day of the Dead takes place on 1 November (a day reserved for all of the children who have died) and 2 November (a day for remembering all loved ones who have passed).

Various Spanish classes were involved in this cultural holiday. Señor Gleason (who teaches multiple Spanish courses)  also said that the World Language club got involved by “making flowers, papel picado, and bringing in food and other things for the altar.” “Mrs. Andrews and Mrs. Pereira came up with the idea” and the purpose is to connect “world languages, photography classes, art classes, and food and nutrition classes taught by Mrs. Gloster. The altar also exposes the Hispanic culture.” If you want to get involved in this celebration and join the altar next year, join the World Language Club or enroll in a Spanish class.

Somerset-Berkley Regional High School took part in this Spanish holiday. Students in the Spanish classes and Art classes at the high school collaborated in making papel picado (“perforated paper”), and calaveras   (sugar skulls).  Students brought in fruits as well as children’s toys. Both departments brought all of these materials together to create multiple incredible altars as offerings (ofrendas).

This was the first year Somerset-Berkley Regional High School took part in this holiday but the Art and World Language Departments hope to continue the project in the future.  Ms. Andrews (teacher of Art Foundations, Jewelry, Stained Glass, and Metals) explains that Digital Photography “had a photoshoot with different sugar skull masks and different fabrics and flowers that are associated with the Day of the Dead.  Art Foundations made sugar skulls out of wire, and jewelry and metals made sugar skull pendants.”  In the future, they are hoping to reach out to the English Department “and have students do writing on comparing and contrasting how death is viewed in the United States and how it’s viewed in Spanish-speaking countries.  We also hope to include the Science Department and have students looking at the skeletal structure of the sugar skulls and things like that.”  The World Language and Art Departments can potentially collaborate on “Mardi Gras and other cultural practices like that.  The Art Department is looking for more opportunities because we had so much fun working with the World Language Department.”