Mitchell Elementary School honored the lives of CPS students killed by gun violence by installing an “ofrenda,” an alter, for “El Dia De Los Muertos,” the Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico as a way to honor and remember those who have died.

Eighth-grade students created the ofrenda, with the theme: No Child Left Behind. One group created a CTA bus with skeleton images in the windows and a “Stop the Killing” sign on the front. Another group took wooden drawing mannequins, painted them as skeletons and dressed them as CPS students walking to school.

The students researched the holiday tradition by visiting the National Museum of Mexican Art. Students, parents, staff and community members also contributed to the beautiful community art piece by bringing in photographs and mementos of loved ones they want to honor. Day of the Dead was Nov. 1 and 2.