When Corvallis High School senior Gary Breed learned about the Mexican celebration of the dead, Dia de los Muertos, it was like a revelation.

"At first it was kind of awkward for me," said Breed, who is the president of the CHS Spanish Club. Like many of his peers, Breed grew up in a family that does not talk a lot about death.

"It's kind of a forbidden subject and it's uncomfortable," he said. "It's hard for people to face."

He was excited to learn that in Mexican culture death is celebrated as a continuation of life, and enthusiastically helped the club and students in the school's Spanish classes build an ofrenda - an altar - for a CHS graduate who died this fall in Iraq.

Things U.S. Army Cpl. Graham McMahon was fond of - Japanese anime movies, pizza and root beer - were featured on the altar set up in a hall at the school, as well as first aid kits to signify McMahon's work as an Army medic.

The ofrenda was laden with skulls made of sugar to sweeten the journey of McMahon's soul, candles to light the way, and a glass of water.

"Necesitamos agua (We need water) because the dead have traveled so long and hard and they are thirsty," said Nelly Leaño, a language instructor who works with Latino adults in the community.

Leaño was on hand to help the CHS students make their ofrenda authentic.

The students made colorful paper streamers, called papel de picado, and paper flowers to resemble orange and yellow marigolds.

Known as the "flower of the dead," the scent of marigolds is believed to attract the souls of the dead and draw them to the altars.

"It's really exciting and kind of colorful," said CHS sophomore Claire Winograd. "It's a way for people to honor their ancestors, so in that way it's not quite like Halloween. It's more meaningful. It's more of a celebration, I guess."

This celebration to honor strong family ties, the lives of the deceased and the next stage of their existence, is as much about life as it is death.

"I really like the idea," Breed said. "I really want to adopt it for my own, that death is part of life. It makes me feel better about it."