The progressive, eco-oriented private school, Costa Verde International School, is now completing its fifth year of operation here in Sayulita, and in keeping with the policies established when the school opened, a number of local kids who could not afford the tuition at CVIS are able to attend the school thanks to its generous scholarship endowment. That endowment is funded, in part, by the annual CVIS Surfathon, a Sayulita beach event that raises a considerable sum each year. This year, the total was close to $16,000US, and although the waves were tiny (they always seem to be tiny for the Surfathon), everybody had a good time and lots of little kids from the school got to play in waves just about right for them.
Thanks to all the organizers and special thanks to the sponsors, who paid various surfers to paddle out in the 8-inch swell and shred the mini-barrels. A bunch of nice prizes were also raffled off, the finest being a beautiful custom-made fish surfboard from local shaper Rogelio Ramos. Gracias Rogelio. The O’Grady family won the board, and now Dad O’Grady will have to buy another one, since he’s got twin kids, and you can’t very well have one twin with a fine new fish and the other without.
CVIS board members and others involved with the school have worked very hard over the past five years to keep the school connected to the local community and not allow it to become an isolated, gringos-only kind of place. We all at times grow weary of the constant drumbeat of fundraising for this cause and that here in Sayulita, but in the case of CVIS, it is hugely important for the school to maintain that link to the “real” Sayulita. And things beings the way they are, it takes money to do this. The Surfathon brings in some money, and a lot of kids have a ball doing it.
Who knows, maybe next year there will be some epic waves!
