ECHS – Lawndale’s annual Día de los Muertos celebration filled the campus on the evening of Friday, November 6, with a strong turnout of students, families and neighbors.
Built by students, advisory by advisory
Almost everything on campus that evening was made by students. In the weeks beforehand, each advisory took on a piece of the decor, and on Friday afternoon students went outside together to install it.
- Clay vases filled with marigolds, set along the lunch tables
- Catrina collages mounted on the windows
- Giant Catrina banners on the walls leading to the amphitheater ramp
- Handmade paper flowers along the rails at the side gate, in front of the murals
- Papel picado strung from the hallway ceiling
- Piñatas hung from the canopies
- Painted rocks placed around the campus pathways
Ofrendas and club displays
Clubs and classes built ofrendas across the campus, each one honouring different people and communities. The AASA Wishing Tree hung lanterns and wish tags above an altar of marigolds and candles.
Music, dance and food
The evening program included a performance by Aztec danzantes in full regalia, with drums, on the deck stage. Food was available for purchase, and desserts and aguas frescas were served while supplies lasted.
Thank you
Seven weeks of planning
A behind the scenes team met for seven weeks to make this happen: Juan Fuentes, Alexsandra Vela, Rayhaneh Tabatabai, Natalia Arnold, Lizbeth Cabrera and Bethany Sanabria. Thank you as well to every club advisor and staff member who worked the event, and to the advisory teachers who guided students through each piece of the decor.
Principal Jennifer Larsen called the evening “a beautiful expression of our students’ ownership of the campus, reflected not only in the physical spaces and decor, but also in the culture they actively shape.”
Thank you to everyone who came out. See you next year.
