Top of the class for pizza skills

Newton Moore Senior High School Education Support students are learning more in class than your average student.

The students in Years 12 and 13, who each face various disabilities, spend Fridays with their hands deep in pizza dough, cutting vegetables and basking in the warmth of a homemade wood fired pizza oven.

Almost two years ago, Newton Moore launched the pizza making program following the success of an oven-building project in a building and construction class.

Education Support education assistant Tracey Ginder said the program funded an annual student trip to Adventure World in Perth.

‘‘The students in building and construction built the pizza oven and then the upper school education support children started making pizza to raise money for a trip to Adventure World,’’ she said.

Mrs Ginder said the aim of the program was to teach the students practical skills that they could use outside school.

Education Support principal Penny Nunn said the program had made the students proud of their achievements and encouraged others to look past their disabilities.

Student Andrew Davie said he had brought skills he learnt through a TAFE course with his high school peers, back to the classroom.

‘‘I like pizza and making it, I enjoy cutting the vegies up because I did a cooking course at TAFE with Education Support and we’ve made pizzas since.’’

Fellow student Scott Webb said he enjoyed being busy and had mastered the art of flicking pizza into an oven.