Pupils at a Warwick school have honed their skills under the guidance of their art teacher painting murals depicting symbols from parish history on a nearby bus shelter.

Daniel De Silva of Warwick Academy said students started the project on Middle Road during the 2022-23 school year.

However, it was put on hold during Term 3 after the passing of his mother, and restarted in September 2023.

Mr De Silva said the students, enrolled in school enrichment activities, have worked on the shelter on Thursday afternoons with a few Year 13 pupils assisting.

Head art student, Sophie-Yumi Rouja, of Year 12, also pitched in.

Mr De Silva said the project was first suggested by fellow teacher Bismillah Richardson, and he decided to take it to fruition with pupils’ help.

He said he benefited from his time at the school in the Class of 1985 and saw the project as “a way I can give back, as well as show pride in Bermuda, as a Bermudian”.

Mr De Silva added that it was “very important to follow through on the idea of community representation”.

He said the idea included paintings depicting “the legacy of Cobbs Hill Methodist Church, Gombeys, how the existing Royal Bermuda Regiment badge can be a symbol of integration in Bermuda, as well as subjects specifically regarding Warwick”.

Parish details include Warwick Long Bay, a Warwick Lizard, the Warwick Lanes bowling alley and the Royal Bermuda Regiment’s headquarters at Warwick Camp.

Mr De Silva added: “We could not include all things Warwick, but at least a collection of symbols that people who have lived in Warwick for years could appreciate.”

He said the motto “Warwick Proud” reflected pride in the school as well as the parish.

Mr De Silva said students gained “a twofold benefit”, beginning with experience in planning and developing a large-scale artwork.

He added: “The other is to appreciate the different types of skills and strengths schoolmates have — some with strengths at painting lines, others with strengths at representing texture, with everyone learning from each other.”