SCUC Connect Winter 2022

It took a school-wide mobilization to get the project off the ground. Art teachers Crystal Gutierrez and Deanna Sanchez, along with a multitude of parents who showed up to contribute, constructed the orange paper flowers by hand, a painstaking effort that included scrunching the paper to make the butterfly wings. “We had an art workshop one afternoon, and dozens of parents came, with their little children, their mothers and in-laws, and uncles,” said Ortiz. “We taught them to make the paper flowers and they did it for hours.” What ensued was approximately 800 flowers made by hand. Handmade skeleton figures, called calacas, were also made. Calacas usually show an active and joyful afterlife in the Dias de los Muertos celebration. In the end, the labor involved in constructing the altar displayed at Hemisfair Arena truly encompassed the entire Wilder community. “Ours was the unity and community of people that created this altar,” said Rose. The project fostered a sense of community between parents who were previously strangers, and brought the students and parents a sense of belonging and togetherness. “Just seeing people’s reactions

Wilder Intermediate was selected as one of 50 participants to showcase their altar out of 3,000 online submissions.

2 1 S C U C C o n n e c t C o m m u n i t y E d i t i o n

to it and seeing the community appreciate it, it was so enjoyable to see,” said Ortiz. “A lot of relationships were built, hopefully, for future events.”