Girls' Middle School Continues Its Annual Dia de los Muertos Tradition

The Girls’ Middle School (GMS) is scheduled to hold its 16th Día de los Muertos celebration on Monday, Nov. 3. GMS has celebrated “The Day of the Dead” (El Día de los Muertos) since its founding in 1998.

The holiday actually spans three days, from October 31 to November 2, and is a time to remember loved ones now gone.

GMS offers a comprehensive curriculum that allows students to learn from diverse heritages
and cultures. Spanish is a core subject at GMS, including classes for beginners as well as fluent
speakers. Students are involved in art, dance activities, and choral poetry in preparation for
the Day of the Dead celebration.

As a part of the Spanish curriculum, students decorate a 7 foot altar with paper decorations (papel picado), sugar skulls, and handmade masks. Every year, Miguel Martínez, Director of Fuego Nuevo Ballet, teaches the eighth grade students how to dance traditional folklore dances.

The school-wide event on November 3 is the culmination of a month-long study of the history and significance of this important day in Hispanic cultures.

As an extension of the GMS Spanish curriculum, Día de los Muertos has become one of the
largest annual events for the entire school.

This year’s event on November 3 will begin at 1:50 pm with a school-wide assembly, followed
by a traditional Mexican feast.

The celebration will be held at GMS’s campus at 3400 West Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303. For more information on GMS or the Día de los Muertos celebration, please contact Ann Smith at asmith@girlsms.org or 650-968-8338.

About The Girls’ Middle School

The Girls’ Middle School, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, educates girls at a crucial time
in life, from grade six through eight. Since 1998, GMS has been committed to nurturing
curiosity and academic growth through a well-rounded and engaging hands-on curriculum.
Attention to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) offers girls the opportunity to
delve deeply and build confidence in areas in which women remain underrepresented in both
higher education and the workplace. GMS values diversity and strives to close the opportunity
gaps associated with ethnicity, gender, race, and socioeconomic factors. A joyful and
supportive learning environment encourages girls to stretch beyond their comfort zone as they reach toward their potential, today and in the future.

For more information about The Girls’ Middle School, please visit www.girlsms.org

--Information submitted from The Girls’ Middle School.

--Images courtesy of the school’s 2013 Day of the Dead celebration on Facebook.