Students at Dellwood Middle School held a community clean-up day last Friday in honour of their former deputy principal – who passed away after an illness last December.

The Ray Smith Community Service Day included a special assembly, a trash clean-up and viewings of a special movie.

Mr. Smith was one of the most popular teachers at Dellwood during his five years of service at the school – first as a language arts teacher and later as deputy principal role for the three years which proceeded his death at age 49.

Head girl DeAzha Chambers said the idea for the community day came from Mr. Smith himself as he was always an advocate of keeping the community clean.

"He always made the community a better environment," she said of Mr. Smith. "He was always doing community service and cleaning up. We want to live up to his wishes."

She said the school plans to make the event annual. During the special assembly the students sang the Mariah Carey song 'Hero' because, Miss Chambers noted, "he truly was our hero".

The students also sang 'Now Behold The Lamb' by Kirk Franklin.

Miss Chambers added Mr. Smith wanted Dellwood to be the best school and that they are the best and want Bermuda to know.

MS team leader Ellen Kelly said the students were put into two groups for the marking of Community Day.

The first group picked up trash from the school grounds, along Parsons Road and down to the playground while the second group watched the movie 'War Dance'.

At lunchtime, the groups switched, with the first group watching the movie and the second group picking up trash up to Langton Hill.

'War Dance' is a documentary which follows the journey of three girls from a refugee camp in war-torn northern Uganda as they travel to compete in the country's national music and dance festival.

It won awards at the Sundance and Jackson Hole film festivals last year.

Mrs. Kelly said the film was chosen "because it shows the what you can achieve when you put forth a positive attitude and effort".

"We at Dellwood want to be the light in the community," said Mrs. Kelly. "North Hamilton is us. Most of the children come from around here and we want to prove that good can come out of nothing just like bad can come out of nothing. I believe in these guys."

Performing arts teacher Sheryll Ricardo added of the children's methods of honouring their former teacher: "I think they are not only remembering his death but keeping his memory."