The old hall at St Margaret College Secondary School Verdala, Cospicua, was a hive of activity yesterday as students, teachers and guests attended the launch of the school’s annual exhibition.

Titled The Verdala Experience, it features creative and educational projects produced for different subjects, including art, geography, religion, social studies, engineering and computing.

“This is the 34th year we’re organising this event. The aim is to raise awareness about the school and to let students express themselves,” Keith Balzan, an art teacher and the chairman of the exhibition’s organising committee, said.

“We’ve had different themes over the years but, for the first time, we’ve decided to focus on the school’s historical premises,” he added, noting the grounds formerly accommodated the Royal Navy School.

Mr Balzan’s students presented various interpretations of the theme.

Among the works on display are an abstract painting by Form 5 student Nicole Plant, who was inspired by Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky, and used chalk and aquarelle to portray the school’s architecture, including the hall’s dome, which is currently undergoing reconstruction.

Similarly, classmate Yasmin Vella used modern techniques to depict the same subject, while Elisa Cordova, who is in Form 4, presented a monochrome painting of the dome.

For the first time, we’ve decided to focus on the school’s historical premises

Standing out among these paintings is Form 4 student Hailey Camilleri’s portrayal of stress.

Her dark-coloured artwork features a figure looking distraught while covering his head with his hands. For the young girl, the flowers symbolise students’ life and the greyish skies represent sadness.

A monochrome painting by art student Elisa Cordova.

A section of the exhibition is dedicated to the school’s archival project which science teacher Martin Azzopardi has been in charge of for 25 years.

It features many black and white photos of past students and teachers, the school’s headmaster in the 1960s, the school grounds and architectural features that have disappeared.

“Every two years, former pupils of the Royal Navy School organise a reunion here. They always bring along memorabilia, some of which they kindly donate to us,” Mr Azzopardi noted.

Other interesting stands include the one set up by the home economics students, which carries informational charts on nutrition, and another one by what is known as ‘the learning zone’, where the works of students experiencing difficulties with particular subjects are presented.

Also on display are projects produced as part of international programmes.

These include the Young Reporters for the Environment, for which students investigate local environmental issues, and the Prince’s Trust Achieve Programme, which helps students discover their true potential.

The exhibition runs until Friday. It is open to the public daily from 9am to noon.

An old photo of the Royal Navy School which formerly occupied the Verdala school’s premises in Cospicua.