Earlier this week, Mount Maunganui Intermediate School principal Melissa Nelson described Jorja-Ray as a “delightful, happy, engaged and valuable” member of the school’s family.
“As a school, we’re devastated to lose one of our own in such awful circumstances,” she said.
“The loss of a child is an unimaginable tragedy and our hearts and love go out to the family affected by this loss.”
Jorja-Ray Smith, 11, attended Mount Maunganui Intermediate School. Photo / Alex Cairns
She said the student went to Omanu School for her primary years and had whānau at Mount Maunganui College.
“Our whole community will feel this loss deeply and I feel grateful that we are such a close-knit community that supports each other so well in times of need.
A Ministry of Education trauma team had been at the school, and classmates had been sharing memories of their friend and writing messages to her family.
Correction
An earlier version of this story misspelled Jorja-Ray Smith’s name. The incorrect spelling was taken from a police media release issued on Thursday night. The Bay of Plenty Times corrected the name in this story that night. Police issued a formal correction on Friday morning and apologised for the error.
