On November 1st and 2nd, a celebration known as Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead was celebrated by PHS staff and Spanish Club. The celebration was celebrated with dancing, alters, treats, and much more.

“It’s important not to forget your loved ones,” said Spanish club member, Claudia Galarza.”Everyone wants to be remembered and it’s important to help to be remembered these people and cherish them even if they are gone.”

Dia de Los Muertos celebration started on November 1st with the staff members making an offering or alter in the rotunda where staff and students were able to place pictures of their loved ones who passed. Students could enjoy Dia de Los Muertos with treats, face painting, and live music. It was an event where different organizations from the school were able to participate such as cosmetology, culinary, and orchestra.

“I felt like it was a need, especially in our community just to teach different cultures. Is a learning experience that showcases the Hispanic community,” said counselor, Lilliana Rodriguez. “My favorite part was getting people involved like the staff and the students bringing pictures and I hope that this will continue to grow in the upcoming years.”

On November 2, the Spanish club had its annual Dia de Los Muertos celebration where students in foreign language classes were able to learn and experience Dia de Los Muertos traditions. Students learned about the origin of the celebration and about traditions such as making an altar. Students were also able to enjoy traditional music and dancing showcased at the celebration.

“I think it’s important to learn about Dia de Los Muertos and I think it’s important for people to embrace the culture,” said Spanish club member, Gala Rosas. “I enjoy showing our culture to others because others get to learn more about what we do and about our traditions.”

To show some traditional Dia de Los Muertos dances, a group of Spanish club members got together and decided to do Folklorico dancing. Folklorico is a Mexican folk dance where dancers have long colorful ruffled dresses.The PHS Mariachi was also present. The Mariachi students played and sang Amor Eterno. Band members Claudia and Mirna did a duet to the song Llorona, a song mostly known because of the movie “Coco.”

“The mariachi and the Folklorico dancing, I really enjoyed that,” said Rodriguez. “The song selections kinda got to me and got me kinda teary-eyed because they showed such beautiful songs and when the girls were dancing, it was awesome to see them celebrate this tradition.”