Lake Tahoe School held its fifth annual Dia de los Muertos celebration in Duffield Hall yesterday and it was quite the fiesta! El Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a day to remember and honor those that have passed and to welcome their spirits’ return. Each year, Spanish teacher Senor Eric Harssema hosts this celebration in which students sing, dance, play instruments, and display art projects.

After a slideshow reminiscing on Days of the Dead past, the seventh grade class presented their Young Ofrenda projects, sharing stories of their dearly departed loved ones. The fourth and fifth grade class then performed “Volare” by the Gipsy Kings, singing and dancing with the direction of music teacher Miss Barb. The sixth grade then followed with an entertaining dance-off with “Macarena” versus “Cha Cha Slide,” which had the whole crowd clapping and dancing along! With steps taught by local dance instructor Andrea Tatengo, the eighth grade class then performed a dance to “Hoy es Domingo” by Diego Torres featuring Ruben Blades. For the last performance, social studies teacher Mr. Casey and his Rock Band elective class absolutely slayed their cover of “Hey Baby Que Paso” by the Texas Tornadoes.

To conclude the celebration, Senor Harssema shared two beautiful quotes:

“Your loved ones don’t stop existing when they die. They keep on living within you.”
“What I like about Day of the Dead is how it makes us reflect on life, knowing you need to enjoy things to the fullest.”