Annie De La Cruz

• Art teacher

Annie De La Cruz taught art at PS 115 in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan for all 28 years of her teaching career and service as a UFT member. She cultivated artistic skill and passion in students and kept the school vibrant and beautiful, decorating the hallways with her pupils’ artworks.

Annie died on May 17, 2026, from injuries suffered in a building fire that also killed her son, Lance Garcia. She was 54 years old. “Her death has impacted the entire community surrounding PS 115 — the students, their parents and her colleagues,” said Mayra Cruz, the UFT District 6 representative, who was good friends with Annie. 

Annie’s community — including politicians from Washington Heights — came together to show their love at her funeral. “That funeral home was way overcrowded. That’s how loved she was,” said Cruz, who added that many teachers who are either retired or now teaching elsewhere had traveled from out of state to attend.

Annie was born in New York, but was raised and attended school in the Dominican Republic until she returned to the United States for high school. 

In the early ’90s, she became friends with her coworker Evelyn Vargas while working at the Conway department store on 34th Street in Manhattan. In 1998, Vargas began teaching English as a new language at PS 115, and Annie started working at the school through an AmeriCorps program. She became a full-time art teacher in 2002.

Vargas, who is now the chapter leader at PS 115, described Annie as an exemplary friend, colleague and teacher. 

Annie taught her students how to paint, draw and sculpt and educated them about art history and noted artists, including her favorite, Frida Kahlo. 

By showcasing students’ creations throughout the school, Annie not only beautified the building, but “ensured that every child felt seen, valued and celebrated,” said Vargas.

She would stay late after school so that students could finish their projects, and she encouraged them to participate in art contests. Some even won scholarships to continue studying art. 

“Every student who went through PS 115 loved Miss Annie,” said Cruz, who was previously the school’s chapter leader. “She was an excellent art teacher.”

Annie was also a licensed reading specialist and an “asset to the entire faculty and student body,” Vargas said. She helped coordinate field trips for PS 115 and worked with other teachers to incorporate their curriculum into students’ artistic projects in her classroom. 

In the broader District 6 community, she was integral to putting on the visual arts exhibition that was part of the annual student art showcase at the local United Palace theater. 

Annie was also a dedicated rank-and-file member of the UFT and extremely active in union work. “She was really an activist,” said Cruz. “She was at every rally. Every time I said, ‘I need you to make phone calls,’ she would be there.”

Annie always brought her children to the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, and she attended the Tier 6 rally in Albany in March 2026. The UFT honored Annie’s contributions and memory with moments of silence at the Executive Board meeting on May 18 and the Delegate Assembly on May 20. 

Annie is survived by her daughter, Karla Garcia, and her father, Augustine De La Cruz. 

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