theleaven.com | vol. 35, no. 13 | November 1, 2013
Holy Name seventh-grader Emina Struga works on her Day of the Dead artwork on Oct. 28. Students K-8 created a colorful array of projects to decorate the Kansas City, Kan., school’s halls and an altar for the Day of the Dead.
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ANSAS CITY, Kan. — Skeletons and skulls lined the hallways of Holy Name School here recently, but the brightly colored figures were no Halloween decorations. “We’ve been learning about Day of the Dead,” explained Emilio Ojeda, a third-grader at Holy Name. Under the direction of art teachers Kathleen Wendland and Ada Koch, kindergartners through eighth-graders created a colorful array of projects to decorate the halls and an altar for the Day of the Dead. “El Dia de los Muertos” is celebrated in Mexico from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, and marks a time to pray, remember and celebrate the lives of loved ones who have died. Students at Holy Name learned about the meaning of the Day of the Dead and, at the same time, picked up new artistic techniques. Emilio’s class learned about symmetry as the students designed bright butterflies. “When you cut it [in half], it’s the same,” he said. The classes that created butterflies worked on collage, watercolor and more, but also learned a spiritual lesson.
Day f the Dead
Holiday project celebrates lives
Story by Jessica Langdon | Photos by Lori Wood Habiger
“Our focus has been that the Day of the Dead reminds us that our loved ones have left their earthly bodies and are now in the presence of God, in heaven,” said Wendland. So some of the grades studied how the winged creatures first lived as caterpillars, then entered cocoons, before finally emerging as beautiful butterflies. “The butterflies represent the deceased who have left their bodies to be in heaven,” said Wendland. Janessa Bejarano, an eighth-grader at Holy Name, was excited to study the Day of the Dead. “That’s a very special day that’s celebrated in Mexico,” she said. “And it doesn’t matter what culture you’re from. Anyone’s welcome to celebrate it.” Her class designed a multicolored mural of a skull that hung in the hall near the office. They also designed skulls on red flags. “At home we’ve always prayed and we’ve always gone to the cemetery to put flowers,” said Janessa. Her family honors her great-grandmother Shirley Hill, who had been an important part of her life, as well as close family friends >> See “nelson-atkins” on page 4