Park City High School’s Latinos in Action students prepared an immersive evening Thursday night representing parts of their heritage through art, dance, food and tradition.
The Día de Los Muertos event has become a tradition hosted at the high school for more than a decade.
Each year, Latinos in Action senior class leadership takes the reins on the execution of another year’s successful celebration.
Guests made their way into the school, finding a seat at decorated tables that filled the common space where the planned activities were held. As they found their places, students added additional chairs for the growing crowd and handed out marigolds made of tissue paper, each to be crinkled into shape by their recipients.
To kick off the evening, the co-presidents of Latinos in Action, Gabriel Villanueva and Amy Nava, expressed their gratitude to the community for its support and involvement. After a brief introduction, they invited groups of tables to begin the evening’s tastiest portion — the food.
A long row of tables held a myriad of foods: tamales, tinga, taquitos, rice, tostadas, tacos also paired with a variety of desserts and aguas frescas.
The food and drinks available were made by the community, said Villanueva. He explained that along with some donations from the community, parents and students volunteered to bring dishes to share with all guests who were in attendance.
The evening’s activities included face painting, coloring stations for kids and several photo backdrops to capture the moment. Students from Parley’s Park Elementary School performed a dance called “Danza de los Viejitos” which is a traditional folk dance from Michoacán, Mexico.
Several other dances were showcased, and leading the choreography was Nava, who not only planned and brought the dance performances to life but also sang with a student-formed band.
As Nava and the band performed the song “Llorona,” students from Latinos in Action danced in vibrant, colorful dresses.
From serving food to performing and cleaning up spills, the students did it all, ensuring the evening ran smoothly.
“They do all the marketing, all the prep, all the food ordering,” said Dr. Jacob Jobe, Latinos in Action teacher, praising his students for their efforts in putting the event together.
“There’s a lot of things in education from day to day that you don’t get to necessarily see progress. It’s very amorphous sometimes,” said Jobe. “It’s cool to see them work on a thing for three months, have it, and see a lot of success. … They can take pride in being able to put on an event and have the community show up. It’s cool to see them get credit for the wonderful work they’ve done.”
As the evening went on, participating students stood on the sidelines with smiles on their faces as they watched their classmates perform.
“My favorite part of this event is just everyone being here and sharing my culture with everybody else,” said Victoria Rodriguez, vice president of Latinos in Action.
The night ended with a moment of silence for the most important part of the tradition, the Ofrenda. Students from Latinos in Action created their own Ofrenda in the school’s main lobby. It showcased traditional objects, foods and flowers that formed a path directing guests through its entirety.
