Braves’ Hub marks Day of the Dead
Photo by Nancy K. Crowell / La Conner Community News
About 30 children in grades K-7 gathered at the Braves’ Hub Friday to celebrate Día de los Muertos, learning about the Mexican tradition and remembering loved ones while getting crafty.
From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the students sat at the Hub’s tables and floor armed with craft tools and copious amounts of glitter, bedazzling and painting tiny pumpkins with the assistance of a few parents and a group of high school volunteers while Paraeducator Kismet Coons dished out plates of homemade tacos.
For the parents, it was an opportunity to see their kids’ work at the Hub, including the traditional papel picado decorations hanging from the walls and the altar (called “ofrenda” in Spanish), and to learn a thing or two about the Day of the Dead.
Third grader Ika Phillips, for example, learned that the ofrendas are set up to welcome back the spirits by featuring offerings like food and objects that the deceased loved in their life.
On the altar, handmade candles made with toilet paper tubes and tissue paper flowers surrounded heartfelt notes and hand-drawn pictures of fish, furry pets and grandparents.
Among the young artists at the event, third grader Ahri Bennett said she chose to honor her puppy, Tater Tot, who died at only nine months old.
Braves’ Hub Site Coordinator Jessica Pedroza said that working on the altar prompted the children to “dig really deep” into the topic of death being an inevitable part of life.
“Tthat was certainly not a conversation I was having in elementary school,” she said.
Pedroza said the event is an example of the Hub’s efforts to provide opportunities for students to celebrate their cultural heritage and to expose them to the many cultural backgrounds that exist within the La Conner School District. At the moment, the Hub is trying to come up with event ideas for November.
The Braves’ Hub is striving to become a platform for community members, not just students, to share their passions and learn from their neighbors, she said.
“We’re here to be part of the community,” she said. “If you have something cool that you do as part of an organization or as an individual, come talk to me, I want to make sure that gets highlighted.”
For more information about future events, contact Jess Pedroza at jpedroza@lc.k12.wa.us.
Luisa Loi is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
