On Nov. 2, lower-school music teacher Elena Bennett put up her wall of paper skeletons in honor of Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos. Second graders traditionally color their skulls and write about their memories of people who have died. The display will be up until Thanksgiving Break.
A parade of paper skeletons is displayed in lower-school music teacher Elena Bennett’s room. Above the skeletons, a banner shows a Spanish phrase that says “Con cariño… recordamos,” meaning “we fondly remember.” The skeletons play musical instruments, dance and tell stories about people who have died.
A paper skeleton plays a trumpet while the other talks about a second grader’s deceased great-grandfather while holding a tuba. “My Great Grandpa Clayton Came to America from England with his cello. He played in the New York Philharmonic. He had a music store in Mineola, New York, called Clayton’s Music.”
Second grader Rya Allen’s skull talks about Allen’s memories of her grandfather. “The night I found out my Grandpa died I cried and cried and cried. He was very special to me. I will always remember my Grandpa.”
—By Sonja Hansen
