Encinal School celebrates Day of the Dead

Approximately 400 hundred people attended a community celebration for the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) on November 2nd at Encinal School in Menlo Park.

The evening was hosted by the school’s Spanish Immersion and World Language Programs. It consisted of arts and crafts, face-painting, and the showing of the movie Coco. Community education and awareness of the holiday’s meaning was at the heart of the celebration: remembering, celebrating and honoring our loved ones who have passed.

Encinal School’s mission is “growing successful learners for a changing, global society.”

The Spanish Immersion and World Language Programs prepare students to be bilingual and bicultural by the time they graduate in 5th grade. This community event was just one of many opportunities the students and families have to participate in and practice those very important cultural traditions.

Hillview Middle School Spanish students also participated in the event by assisting Encinal Spanish teachers with crafts, greeting families in Spanish and helping to decorate for the event. These students were part of a work-cooperative, earning volunteer hours for their bilingual certification award completed at the end of 8th grade.

Photo by Gina Hart (c) 2018