On November 1, our Lower Campus community celebrated Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with a presentation from our third grade class. Our third graders spent the month of October studying Día de los Muertos and other world holidays and traditions as a part of their social studies and language curricula. 

Originating in Mexico, Día de los Muertos is a two-day holiday that reunites the living and dead. In their presentation, our third graders explained that families create ofrendas (offerings) to honor their departed family members. Each student created their own altar with ofrendas for their loved ones. Their altars featured photos, clay models of favorite foods, and physical belongings of their dearly departed. Altars were presented to parents and the rest of our Lower Campus community as a part of our Friday Morning Circle time. The presentation ended with a song sung in Spanish with parents and students joyfully honoring the lives of their loved ones.

“It might sound sad and spooky, but it’s actually a holiday filled with happiness and joy.”

Charlie, Third Grade Student

Our third graders emphasized throughout their presentation, that Día de los Muertos is a happy holiday that allows us to honor and remember our loved ones in meaningful ways. It demonstrated their emotional intelligence and understanding that discussing difficult topics such as death, shouldn’t feel scary or wrong. Instead, our students at IMS are encouraged to connect with their emotions and are given the tools and opportunities to explore difficult topics in fun and engaging ways. Thank you to Mrs. Buttacavoli, our third grade teacher, and Ms. Lopez Polo, our Lower Campus Spanish teacher, for creating a cross-curriculum experience for our students and supporting them with their presentations.

a mountain moment of our third graders’ special presentation