On November 1st, 2004, Myers Park High School celebrated Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead is an ancient Mexican holiday traditionally celebrated November 1-2. It is a celebration of the lives of loved ones who have died as well as a celebration of the continuity of life. Families build altars in their homes, dedicating them to the dead. They surround these altars with flowers, food and pictures of the deceased. They light candles and place them next to the altar. Our students gained a first hand exposure to this important cultural celebration through the colorful art, food and folk traditions of the holiday and its close association with the more common Halloween celebration in the US.

How Did We Celebrate The Day of the Dead at Myers Park?
Music on the Quad - A live Mexican Mariachi band performed on the quad during all three lunches

Special Guests (e.g. Wayne Cooper, Honorary Consul of Mexico)

Paper Flowers - Flowers are an important part of The Day of the Dead. Students made tissue paper flowers during their lunch periods the 2 weeks leading up to Nov 1. These flowers were used to decorate the Art Gallery for our Day of the Dead Altar Display.

Altar Displays - For the Day of the Dead, Mexican families create altars in their homes to welcome back the spirits of their departed loved ones. Several of our Spanish classes prepared Day of the Dead altars that were displayed in the Art Gallery. Students were invited to view the displays.

Drama - A dramatic sketch about Day of the Dead.

Food - Mexican "skull cookies" and traditional Mexican bread were given as contest prizes.

UNC Chapel Hill and Duke Latin American Coalition Day of the Dead Exhibit - We displayed a traveling exhibit regarding the Day of the Dead on loan from UNC Chapel Hill and Duke.

Writing Contest - We sponsored an essay contest (Spanish and English!) with the prompt "Should We Celebrate the Day of the Dead?" The essays were scored using the new SAT writing rubric. Prizes were awarded to the top 3 essays.

Announcements - Morning announcements provided educational information about The Day of the Dead.

Trivia Contest - A Day of the Dead trivia question was asked each day and a winner was drawn from all correct answers submitted.