It may not be London, New York, Paris or Madrid, but Belmore has joined the ranks of locations boasting rooftop bars, with delicious beverages, fine food and a healthy dose of social wellbeing on the menu.

Belmore Boys High School has converted a rooftop garden into a rooftop ‘bar’ dubbed The Aviary where staff - teaching and non-teaching - gather regularly on a Thursday evening after school to socialise and consume finger food and mocktails.

Human Society and its Environment (HSIE) teacher, Natalie Mikhael, said The Aviary provided a great space for staff to mingle and unwind.

“We rarely get time to talk to one another, especially if we’re not in the same faculty,” she said.

“(The Aviary) gives us a reason to mingle and detach.”

Her HSIE colleague and Head Teacher, Wellbeing, Sarah Elakour, agreed.

“We don’t get to see each other that often, or if we do, it’s in passing,” she said.

“So, coming up here is an opportunity for us to get together and share things on a more personal level.

“That spirit of community and support of each other is what keeps people here at Belmore Boys.”

The leafy décor and ambiance of The Aviary has been enhanced over the past year using funds raised through the sale of works created by the school’s art teacher.

“A year ago, The Aviary didn’t look like this,” Ms Elakour said.

“The art sales fund the umbrellas, tables, chairs and heaters. Every time we meet there’s a new addition.”

The Aviary is the brainchild of Belmore Boys High Relieving Principal, Omar Chahrouk, and music teacher, Charlie Hill.

The concept emerged when they were brainstorming ideas to boost morale and address staff shortages.

“It occurred to me that the rooftop garden (at the school) wasn’t being used and so we decided to do a rooftop bar exclusively for staff as a way to escape from the demands and nature of the job,” Mr Charouk said.

“Geographically, it’s so excluded from the noise and the chaos of the main grounds.

“Staff are able to connect, collaborate and develop stronger relationships with each other.”

Initially, The Aviary concept comprised of a four-course dinner twice a year, which required the services of kitchen, wait and bar staff.

“We scaled it down to a more of a casual setting with finger food and three (mocktail) drinks to choose from,” Mr Charouk said.

“By doing that we could increase the number of events, and the staff have appreciated that.”

Each event also has a theme based around music and puns.

“The most recent theme was ‘Take a pizza of my heart’. We’ve also had ‘Dumplings and dumping’, which was all about heartbreak music,” Mr Charouk said.

The Aviary concept co-founder, Charlie Hill, said staff had lofty ambitions when launching the rooftop bar.

“We wanted to make it a rooftop bar that you’d find in New York or Spain,” he said.

“You see staff coming in and if they want to, they can debrief. Otherwise, there’s plenty of people just talking about their personal lives and connecting.

“I think it’s something that used to be very prevalent in a lot of schools.

“It just gives everybody the chance to chill and unwind and reminds them that we’re all on the same team.”