WARREN — Warren G. Harding High School students painted winter scenes Friday on the windows of the sky bridge at the Trumbull Regional Medical Center. It was the fifth consecutive year art students have painted the pedestrian bridge over East Market Street.

Drawing and painting class teacher Suzanne Melia said the class is a secondary option for students who want to continue to pursue art after taking their required art classes.

“It’s a great, yearlong class for students to thoroughly develop a large portfolio that can be viewed by colleges,” she said.

“The high school students are very talented in drawing and painting, and they appreciate the opportunity to get excused from class to come out to the bridge and really show off their skills,” she said. “It’s very exciting to treat the kids. It’s exciting to spread it with friends and families. Even people that don’t live in Trumbull County enjoy the photographs and the postings every year and are always very supportive.”

Trumbull Regional Medical Center Marketing Director Alexa Polinsky said hospital patients and employees also enjoy the artwork.

“The staff just love it,” she said. “It brightens their day to walk through (the painted bridge), the patients love it and then it’s really nice for the community, too, because this is a really busy main road.”

She also said the employees always ask if the students are coming back the following year.

Sophomore Abigail Jones, 15, painted a candy cane and holly berries. “When I think of winter I always think of holly berries because of mistletoe and it’s like a statement of peace,” she said.

She said it was her first year painting the bridge and for her it was “like giving joy back to the community.”

“I’ve gotten joy from this community,” she said. “Being able to bring my joy for the holiday season and give it to others (makes me) happy.”

Ella Morgan, 18, painted the bridge for a second time. She said painting the bridge “means a lot because it’s something they don’t get to do every day. It helps with winter because it’s supposed to be warmer this winter. It makes it seem like it’s not just spring, summer and fall (all year).”

Morgan, a senior, said this is why she painted penguins with scarves and hats on.

“When I think of winter, I think of colder areas and penguins live in the cold,” she said.

Senior McKenna Murphy, 17, painted the bridge for the first time this year and said it was “a good experience.”

“It’s like we’re bringing holiday cheer to the community,” she said.