Beginning the first week of January each year, for three months, a group of volunteer teachers meet at Octopus Garden Restaurant in La Cruz from 5-6 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and teach English to the residents of La Cruz.
La Cruz de Haunacaxtle, is a small fishing village located about an hour from Puerto Vallarta. Learning English is a luxury afforded to those who can afford a private school.
In 2006, Della Sullivan, a retired business woman from Carlinville, Illinois started The English School of LaCruz. She has a BS degree in Education from SIUE. She supplies everything at no charge to residents or teachers.
Eight years ago, with two students and the generous OK from Aruna and Wayland, owners of Octopus Garden Restaurant, Della began teaching English. The first year 2 students grew to two tables of students.
By the second year, with over 30 students, she not only taught English, but took the whole class in a bus to the Puerto Vallarta Zoo. None of them had been there.
The third year, due to a detached retina, she arrived a month late. To her delight, her friends had used her materials and started the school, waiting for her arrival.
The fourth year, the amount of students wanting to learn English was more than one teacher could teach. Volunteer teachers started helping. There were over 40 students.
When Della returned to Illinois, she received her certification in ESL, TESL, TESOL, and TEFL from Oxford Academy.
Each year both the amount of students, and fortunately the amount of volunteer teachers grow. The teachers are the jewel of this school. Most are from Canada and the United States, but some have been from England, Germany, Ireland, and Australia. It definitely takes a village.
Beginning in 2017, Della was generously granted the use of the entire floor of Octopus Garden restaurant for the school from Alfredo and Mari Chuy, who now operate the restaurant.