Culture and Creativity Are on Display in Middle School Spanish

During the month of October, students in Señora Joseph and Señora Morrison’s 6th grade Spanish classes have been learning about Día de los Muertos, a Mexican celebration that honors and remembers loved ones who have passed away. 

They began their study with a field trip to the National Museum of Mexican Art, where they viewed traditional and contemporary interpretations of ofrendas (altars, offerings) as well as an extraordinary installation of artifacts and artwork from México. They concluded their trip with a walking tour of the Barrio Murals in Pilsen. 

Upon their return to school, the students applied what they learned both in and out of the classroom. They designed original papel picado (paper cutouts) with Middle and Upper School Librarian Annette Lesak, and members of the Integrated Learning and Information Sciences staff helped bring their designs to life using the 3D laser printer in the Kovler Family Library. 

Their creativity and knowledge continued in Spanish class, where they made and decorated calaveras de azúcar (sugar skulls). The culmination of this project was the construction of four beautiful ofrendas made by each section, dedicated to Chita Rivera, Richard Simmons, Dikembe Mutombo and James Earl Jones.

Please stop by and enjoy their beautiful creations when you are at school.

Click here for photos.