Señor Gary Cotroneo’s second period Spanish 4 class and Mrs. Jillian Feese’s second period Gourmet Foods class worked together to celebrate Day of the Dead on Nov. 1.
The foods class finished up their unit of Mexico, resulting in an ideal time to combine the classes and learn all about what Day of the Dead is.
“Our students now have a better understanding of Day of the Dead as we celebrated the holiday with Señor Cotroneo’s class,” Mrs. Feese said.
The purpose of the traditional Mexican holiday is to remember the souls of loved ones who have passed so that their souls can be cherished eternally.
The foods class celebrated the holiday by cooking quesadillas, a traditional Mexican food. This is a way to celebrate loved ones who passed because it is tradition to cook their favorite foods.
In the front of the room, there was a mock altar set up. The Spanish class took turns explaining each of the different parts of the altar.
The students explained that people light candles on the altar to welcome the spirits back to the living world. The students also talked about how the pictures on the altar are pictures of loved ones who passed away and whom they are remembering.
The altar was decorated with sugar skulls. The sugar skull is a major part of the celebration, as it represents a departed soul. People celebrating the holiday also leave their loved one’s favorite food on the altar. It is said that If the food tastes bland, it is because the loved one took the flavor with them.
The students in the classes were grateful for this new type of learning opportunity.
“This collaboration with the Spanish class really helped me understand what Day of the Dead is all about,” senior Rainna Carr said.
