Closing Program

Gakko closes with an Open House showcasing the cultural skills acquired by the students, a music program, raffle, and potluck dinner.

Music Teachers

Bob Gómez

I have been playing guitar since high school and have been singing my whole life. Hearing songs in Spanish during my childhood was a doorway to learning to love Spanish. After graduating from SF State with a BA in English/Creative Writing and a BA in Spanish, I got my Master's degree in Spanish from Harvard in 1982. I have taught in bilingual and Migrant education ever since, starting at Salsipuedes in 1984, and continuing at Alianza, MacQuiddy, Lakeview and Watsonville High. Teaching at Kokoro no Gakko with my wife and long-time singing companion, Denise (we met at a singalong in 1976), has been a complete joy. I love the way that Gakko celebrates community, and helps us value creativity, purpose and beauty in our everyday lives.

Denise Gómez

Before coming to Watsonville in 1984, I taught English as a Second Language in San Francisco, Mexico, Yuba City, and in the Boston area. For the next 26 years, I worked for PVUSD in Watsonville as a Bilingual Program Specialist and English Learner resource teacher. I have been co-teaching the Kokoro no Gakko program with my husband, Bob Gómez sense 2015. We have visited Japan many times, including Wastonville's sister city Kawakami-mura in Nagano Prefecture. My hobbies include gardening, baking and cooking, singing, traveling, studying Japanese language, and being a volunteer advocate for CASA of Santa Cruz County.