Dia de los Muertos at Barnhart School
This fall a group of Barnhart parents and teachers collaborated to raise awareness of various cultural traditions that connect our Barnhart Community to our larger Southern California Community and the world. The first focus was the traditional holiday Dia de los Muertos which is celebrated in much of South and Central America as well as large portions of the United States including Southern California. Art teacher, Mrs. Morgan, Spanish teachers, Señora Schall and Señora Nallar, and Music teacher Mrs.Quishenberry collaborated with a group of Barnhart Parents: Lelalois Beard, Dawn Blackman, Calleen Danon, Chinelo Ogbogu, Monica Cajayon, and Monica Sanchez to support our teachers in educating our community about this tradition.
Dia de los Muertos is a holiday for remembering and honoring those who have passed. It is not a time for mourning, but rather a festive, joyous time of celebration. For those who participate in this holiday, it is an opportunity to approach their beloved ancestors and celebrate their lives.
Some of the activities students engaged in included:
Learning about the significance of sugar skulls, designing their own sugar skull with icing, and visiting the community altar.
In the instrumental music class students learned to sing a Dia de los Muertos song.
In the elementary Spanish class students made drawings of sugar skulls as they learned about the culture and history of Dia de los Muertos.
In the middle school Spanish class students learned about the history of Dia de los Muertos, had remembrance presentations and created another altar in the Spanish class where students had the opportunity to place images or mementos of loved ones who have passed.
The activities culminated with a story about the legend of La Catrina while the students enjoy Pan Muerto.
Barnhart School, 240 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia, (626) 446-5588 or visit www.barnhartschool.org.