San Fernando High’s Night of the Dead Continues to Grow Year After Year

San Fernando High School’s (SFHS) Day of the Dead event – called Noche de los Muertos, or Night of the Dead – has grown over the years since it began in 2022. Although the area of the school where it was held was relatively small, the size of the crowd and the things to look at were anything but.

There were plenty of musical performances from the SFHS music and mariachi students, but also other outside demonstrations, including one of a Mesoamerican ball game and an Aztec danza ceremony.

For a first this year, other schools reached out to participate, including Panorama High School. Students under art teacher and muralist Manny Velazquez brought their calaca (skull) sculptures and a four-story tall catrina. One calaca paid tribute to artist Frida Kahlo, and another was made recently to famed Dodger pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.

But that there were plenty more from SFHS students, from providing free food to art pieces from those in Tarah Davis’ advanced art class – not to mention catrinas from Jacqueline Torres’ ceramics class and an altar dedicated to teachers who passed away in the past year.

“The kids didn’t help me, they built this,” said Torres. “You care about the things you work hard at, the places you contribute to making look beautiful. I know they will take pride in it, even if they did one or two little things. … This [event] came together, and it was beautiful and it was awesome.”