NEDERLAND - Dia de los Muertos is a celebration of life. It is remembering the lives of departed loved ones. It is a time to honor ancestors and the circle of life. Dia de los Muertos has been celebrated in Latin American countries for generations.

Spanish, art, and social studies classes at Nederland Middle-Senior High School (NMSHS) have been collaborating together to teach and create projects to help students understand what Dia de los Muertos is about. 

NMSHS art teacher Judie Sievers was inspired, from her years in the Peace Corps and then from teaching in schools with a large population of Hispanic students, to have the students create a Dia de los Muertos exhibit to share with everyone. Sievers said, “This is celebrating those we love and I hope it helps students have a different view on death.”

The exhibit included masks made by the high school pottery class, sugar skulls, Mexican folk art, other decorated masks, and an ofrenda. The ofrenda is the altar that welcomes the departed back to the world of the living. At NMSHS, students decorated the ofrenda traditionally with candles, flowers, photos of departed loved ones (pets and people), and papel picado. 

The entire exhibit was beautifully decorated with papel picado (tissue paper with cut-out designs), candle light, and a festive atmosphere. 

Death is painful and difficult to deal with. Dia de los Muertos transforms this grief into remembrance with joy and celebration. Each year remembering, honoring, and knowing the journey we are all on -- that is at the heart of Dia de los Muertos.