We have experienced a remarkable journey filled with countless achievements that will imprint in our memories for years at Ormiston Senior College in 2023.

At Ormiston Senior College (OSC) Deaf Provision, we have discovered many hidden talents that are now being spotlighted, resulting in numerous achievements this year. Such as Angelena’s extraordinary barista skills, Taylor’s design skills, Hayden’s business skills, Jona’s tattoo design capabilities and video-making skills, and Tautoga’s passion for sports.

Sadly, this year, we farewelled four senior students: Jasonta, Mohammed, Seth, and Evan.

Jasonta (Jas) has shown extreme resilience in her studies these past three years and has proven to be a strong independent young woman. Jas should be proud of the progress she has made and the things she has overcome to get where she is today. Jas has been an exceptional chef, excelling in her hospitality studies and cooking delicious food. She has led the Deaf Cafe at OSC, mentoring/guiding her younger peers on how to work in the kitchen and serve customers. On top of this, she completed a two-day cooking assessment with Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT), and the chefs were very impressed with her knowledge and capabilities to work in the kitchen. They would like to see her continue on this path. Jas will continue her studies at Tū Kōkori to further her education towards the path she wishes to be on.

Mohammed has been an exceptional role model for Deaf Youth; his hard mahi creating virtual get-togethers online through lockdown was a great support to many ākonga who found it a difficult time. He continued to show this support through his education in the provision, guiding others onto a positive pathway. He also showed terrific work in the Education for Sustainability (EFS) class, creating a system to safely dispose of hearing aid batteries, reducing the impact on the environment. A part of this class included marine biology studies of the Goat Island Reserve and how to protect marine life for future generations. Mohammed is continuing his education at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) to become a teacher.  

Seth has proven to be a good friend to many of his peers in the provision, continuing to show his support to others and advocate for the voices that are too shy to be heard. Seth has worked extremely hard to obtain a University Entrance to continue his education in Architecture next year at AUT. He has shown massive improvement in all his subjects over this year and should be very proud of the achievements and progress he has made towards his future path. 

Evan has worked hard, striving towards excellence across his subjects, prioritising his study this year above all else. He has made his mainstream teachers proud, providing exceptional work at a high level and using initiative to independently learn extra skills outside of the classroom to enhance the level of his work. He will be going on to study media and graphic design at Media Design School.

Jas, Mohammed, Seth and Evan will be greatly missed in the Deaf Provision, and we wish them all the best for their future studies.