This is the first year Clearwater Middle School has had a full-time art teacher and students are enthusiastic about what they are producing.

As part of a class project, students entered their creations in the Secondary and Middle School Art Exhibition at City Hall.

Students from ages 11 to 18 were asked to create tourist-type artwork suitable for mass production.

All the schools participating received at least five commendations, but Clearwater shyly admitted that it had received seven.

Clearwater art teacher Jenny Hewit said the whole show was excellent and she was amazed by the talent shown by all the students participating.

"It's not about rubbing salt in anyone's wounds,'' she said. "We encouraged the kids to go to the exhibition to see the standards of the other students works.'' Ms Hewit went on to say that David Haigh, Clearwater's design and technology teacher, should also be recognised for helping two of the award winning students.

"Michelle Trott and Michael Lindo won commendations for design and technology and that was due to the work they did in Mr. Haigh's class,'' she said.

Clearwater's entries were based on the Winslow Homer painting Fog Warning.

"I asked them to create Fog Warning Two,'' she said. "The painting is of a man on a boat on the stormy seas. They analysed the painting and then came up with their own ending to the story. Did he get home or not?'' She went on to say that since this was the first year Clearwater has had an art teacher, students were interested.

"Until now they've had no opportunity for guided studies in art,'' she said.

"But now they are seeing results and are very talented.'' Next Ms Hewit plans to take the students to the beach to try their hand at landscape drawing.