Editor's note: Due to computer problems we were unable to reproduce the photos to accompany this story. We regret their loss.

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PHILIP D. BROWN/HERALD STAFF WRITER

ROANOKE RAPIDS - The city of Roanoke Rapids held a special ceremony to honor the efforts of Roanoke Rapids High School students in the design of the new Roanoke Canal Museum Thursday afternoon.

Art teacher Tina Gregory's class was honored with words from Mayor Drewery Beale, Canal Museum board co-chairmen Jim Frazier and Hugh Bazemore and Halifax County Tourism Director Lori Medlin.

The class designed the ecological exhibit for children in the museum, as well as the murals downtown that will be used for billboards and advertisements.

"It's been hard work because we didn't have a working drawing to go from, we had a number of ideas," Gregory said. "For example, we knew we wanted to be abstract and match the billboards and the murals downtown, but we were working in the children's area, so we decided that even though the main layout would be abstract, the animals had to be realistic."

Tenth-grader Shane Dennis said that he'd been enriched by the experience working on the project. "I learned stuff about like our environment and what animals are in it, there are some animals that are here that I didn't think would be here. I also learned a new painting style. It's hard to describe, but I'd never used the style we used when we were doing this."

"It was just fun and I learned more about the animals," 11th-grader Amber Barfield said.

"When you go off to college, and hopefully you'll come back and live and work here ...You'll be able to look back over the years and see something that you contributed to with your artwork. It'll make you feel good," Beale told the students.

Mike Cindricks of Design Dimension in Raleigh was the supervisor of the project and he was quick to compliment the work of these students, as well as point out the work of others.

"It's great, they've been really fun to work with, not only on the mural, but also with the work they've done here," Cindricks said. "They helped with the trail signage and the shop students built the kiosks. They're extremely inventive and free and open and curious. Some of the design work is gonna go on some billboards out on 95 and it's some of the best work I've ever seen."