PORT TOWNSEND — High school students are celebrating the Day of the Dead a little differently this year due to the pandemic.
Some examples:
• Illuminated cutout sugar skulls honoring Ruth Bader Ginsberg and others blaze every night through Monday from the Benton Street third floor windows at Port Townsend High School.
• Port Townsend High School’s media arts teacher, David Egeler, aka DJ David Bonobo, will devote his weekly radio show, “The Subversive Rhythm” to “Día de los Muertos” at 7 p.m. today on KPTZ 91.9 FM.
• With very few students attending in-person classes, the ofrendas — altars composed of photos, mementos, and decorations — were made as digital slides.
• Students prepared special Dead of the Dead food at their homes.
“As a senior, I am very grateful for the staff going above and beyond to ensure that this Día de los Muertos celebration is just as special as my freshman, sophomore, and junior years,” said student Melanie Bakin.
“Even though it looks unlike any others, I will definitely remember this for years to come.
“The distance learning gave me more time than normal, which allowed me to dive deep into the culture and history of the people I am honoring.”
Spanish teacher Reed Aubin said that his students always celebrate the traditional Latin American holiday of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in class.
“Last year’s celebrations in the classroom and at the PT Public Library were fabulous and memorable, but for now, we adapt.”
For these celebrations, students chose to honor a person or group of people who have died. They created brief biographies that included photos, what the people liked or didn’t like, where they were from, and why they were meaningful to the students.
Spanish class students dedicated each of the large sugar skulls to the memory of groups of deceased people they feel are especially deserving of the honor.
Chosen by a vote of the students, these community-facing illuminated faces honor Black victims of police violence, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, victims of COVID-19, and Travis Seebergoss, a student from our community who died on Sept. 10.
“Day of the Dead is an excellent time to reflect on those individuals who were role models to us, and who affected our lives in a meaningful way,” Aubin said.
The students worked under the direction of Michele Soderstrom, art teacher, and the PTHS facilities crew arranged to illuminate them from the inside with a high-powered, efficient LED light, so the public can see the skulls from the outside.
This year, students are preparing special food at home to honor their loved ones.
Assigned to make a traditional dish from Mexico, Guatemala, or Ecuador — or make a food that was loved by the person they are honoring — many students are cooking a traditional family recipe, while others have elaborate traditional Mexican meals of tamales, mole, and candied squash, or Pan de Muerto — bread of the dead — with hot chocolate.
