Traditionally Dia De Los Muertos (day of the dead) is celebrated outside the United States.
Dia de los muertos is the tradition where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives.
Algebra teacher and softball/water polo coach Shanika Randle expresses her feelings on how to teach and be a part of Dia De Los Muertos with her BSU (Black Student Union) students.
“You can’t respect a culture if you don’t understand it,” Randle said. “[BSU students] are going to bring pictures to the altar, that’s how we’re going to represent.”
Spanish four students created their own ofrendas (An altar which holds pictures,
One of the three ofrendas set up in the library, set up by the spanish four students
flowers, and favorite foods of passed loved ones) in the library to contribute. Students created three different ofrendas, each with their own personal touch of family, decorations, and sweets.
Spanish one and two teacher Ashley Gonzales thinks it’s important to have students understand hispanic traditions and why different representations of traditions matter.
“I think it’s super important for kids to be culturally diverse and exposed to other cultures,” Gonzales said. “We try to gain a better understanding and people have a lot of questions so it’s important for us to lay down the facts and let them know what different things they do to celebrate.”
When it comes to students’ cultural beliefs Randle feels it’s important for them to understand that their traditions are welcome to the school.
For students who may be new to such holidays, it’s important to understand that they’re welcome to celebrate and learn about their classmates’ beliefs.
“It’s about educating all of us on all cultures,” Randle said. “I love day of the dead, this holiday is very important to me. I always put my grandparents and circus peanuts because my papa used to love those.”
