LQHS Pays Tribute with ‘Dancing in the Light with the Angels’

On the evening of Nov. 15, Dancing in the Light with the Angels, a remembrance event for loved ones and those who have passed away recently due to tragic events, was held at LQHS’ tennis courts.

Upon entering the event, attendees held lit candles to pay their respects. “I’m here for my grandpa and I thought the event was very therapeutic, calming,” Colin Bailitz ‘18 said.

The coordinator of the event, Medical Health Academy student, Clarissa Castro ‘19, was motivated to bring the community together and pay tribute to lost lives after the Las Vegas shooting.

“I went home and thought to myself, ‘Wow,” people went out to have fun and enjoy a concert. They all had their own futures and the next day planned out,” Castro said. “I was in shock, as many others were, to hear what had happened. It took a while for it to click into my head that this was real life.”

Days leading up to the event, staff and students submitted photographs of loved ones who passed away to ASB adviser, Ms. Smith. The photos were used in a video, edited by ASB President Santiago Magaña ‘18, that played during the event. The video also included photographs of two former LQHS teachers, Mr. Tom Jenkins and Mr. Mike Gates, as well as photos of victims who died in recent mass shootings.

Under the projection screen, tea candles in the shape of a heart-peace sign were displayed. Battery-powered candles made up the heart-peace sign; some had the normal yellow light, while others were the color of red, green, and blue.

“The normal colored lights are for the general lives lost and the different colored ones symbolize the national shootings that have happened since Oct. 1,” Ms. Pederson, LQHS counselor, explained.

Dancing in the Light with the Angels concluded with the attendees signing a poster with the names, birthdates, and passing dates.  

“May the peace, love, and unity you all share tonight be the same tomorrow, the next week, the next month, next year, and for as long as we live,” Castro said to the audience.