Thirty adult students from the Ocean View Night School Centre are on a mission to make a dream come true – their very first matric ball.
These students, aged 22 to 55, hope to raise R10 000 on BackaBuddy to cover the venue, food, decorations and other expenses for the event, scheduled for Saturday July 27, according to one of the students, Mishka Potts, who created the campaign.
She said Simon’s Town Country Club had been secured as the venue with a Great Gatsby theme.
Night classes take place at Ocean View High School on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 6pm to 9pm.
The programme began in September 2022 and offers three subjects per year. In 2023, the students completed English, Afrikaans, and maths literacy. Currently, they are studying geography, business studies, and history, which they will finish in the May/June exams this year.
Mishkah, a 32-year-old mother and dental assistant, attended Ocean View High School but fell pregnant at the age of 16 and left school in Grade 10.
“As the cost of living kept increasing, I realised the uncertainty of relying solely on a paycheck to provide for my children’s future. This motivated me to enrol in a night school programme with hopes of pursuing further studies in the future,” she said.
Vasco Vigis, 45, also dropped out of high school in Grade 10.
“I got caught up in drugs, alcohol, and a reckless lifestyle. I fell in with the wrong crowd,” he said.
“Now, after ten years with my current company, I’m hitting a ceiling because I lack a high school diploma. Without it, I can’t advance any further. I know my age works against me, but I’m proving to myself it’s never too late.”
Shana Fredericks, 35, is a single mother of two boys aged 17 and 12. She works as a nanny while completing her matric.
“In 2004, at the age of 15, I started experimenting with drugs and dropped out of school at the end of that year. Two years later, I fell pregnant.
“We never expected to make it this far. With over half of the students who started with us dropping out, it’s essential for us to acknowledge and celebrate our achievements.“
For more information, contact Mishkah Potts at 061 557 2694.
