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Otago Daily Times

Matariki market a smash hit

Selling their tacos at the Cromwell College Matariki Market are (from left) Mikayla Veeran, Sasi Avirineni, Cooper Harrison and Ella Sangster. PHOTO: KIM BOWDEN Junior chefs, homegrown products, fiery rockets and stargazing — Matariki celebrations transformed Cromwell College's new technology and art block into a buzzing evening market last month. Year seven students created food stalls for the now annual event, developing everything from the menu to the branding and pricing, before serving up their tasty treats to paying customers on the night. Sasi Avirineni, part of a crew selling tacos, said building the business had been fun because they had been given "lots of freedom to choose what we did". "We got to use our ideas and be creative, which made it exciting." It was all go on the night, especially when their stall "slowly ran out of one ingredient at a time", she said, but it didn't stop the rave reviews. "Our customers enjoyed our tacos. They said they loved how quickly we made them and also loved our customer service — we gave our first customer a discount." Lead teacher Sophie Lee said it was satisfying to see it all come together on the night for the pupils. "They get such a buzz from selling their products and hopefully have gained some valuable business experience along the way. "The support from whanau on the night was awesome." Beyond the food stalls, science "buskers" drew crowds with hydrogen explosions and fiery rocket experiments, while telescopes were trained on the stars. Principal Mason Stretch said the Matariki celebration was an opportunity for the school community to connect and share kai, learning and time. "We were also excited to welcome whānau into our stunning new technology and art facility. "There was learning on display across faculty areas, live music, year 12 and 13 business studies students promoting and selling their products and the hugely popular year 7 food markets. "I am very proud of the mahi and the manaaki [care] by our students and staff and thank our whānau for contributing to such a special evening."