Dia De Los Muertos Face Painting Fundraiser

San Dimas High School mental health specialists provide grief counseling in honor of Dia De Los Muertos while also creating a special event and fundraiser for students. Dia De Los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead originated in Mexico and is a significant day to remember our family and loved ones who have passed away. The day is celebrated through homemade altars, prayers, and vibrant decorations. 

San Dimas High School mental health specialist Kean Flowers helped create many special events for students that may have had a troubling time dealing with grief during this time of remembrance. A homemade altar, also known as an ofrenda was set up in the Media Center where all students could come and set up a picture of their loved ones that have passed to honor their life. Along with this altar, there was a wall of affirmations that students were able to come and receive encouraging words if they had been experiencing grief.

Flowers explains the importance of making these resources available because, “many students do not know how to manage and deal with their grief, especially during a holiday like this where the main idea is to remember the dead. That’s why we are here to help provide these resources and outlets for students” mental health specialist Flowers said. 

The ofrenda and the wall of affirmations was not the only thing Flowers arranged for this significant holiday. During the dates of Oct. 31 and Nov. 1-2, a face painting fundraiser took place on the stage. Students could get their faces painted like sugar skulls and all the proceeds benefited San Dimas High School’s mental health club. While students got their faces painted the mental health advisers were there in order to talk with students about grief and how to deal with it. This allowed many students to learn to deal with their emotions while not bottling them up at the same time. “We were really trying to incorporate the importance of mental health and culture and Dia De Los Muertos was the perfect opportunity to do that,” Flowers states.

Dia De Los Muertos is a time of prayer and remembrance of our loved ones who have passed away, and with this comes the emotion of grief. San Dimas High Schools Mental Health Specialists Mr. Flowers and Mrs. Zuniga have created great outlets such as the ofrenda, affirmation wall, and most importantly the impactful face painting fundraiser.