Students and staff at Montpelier High School (MHS) are thrilled with the striking new mural that has been painted inside the school by mural artist Rory McCann. Rory collaborated with the Student Parliament team to design a mural that would represent what it means to be a part of the MHS community.

Students felt strongly that the imagery should reflect the school’s values, the many languages spoken in school and the range of religious beliefs, set against a backdrop of Bristol.

Rory said: “This has been a really enjoyable project to work on. The students were brimming with ideas of how they imagined the mural bringing their sense of belonging to life. They strongly influenced the overall design. We’ve incorporated the four elements of the school emblem – the phoenix, a butterfly, a tree and a water wheel – interwoven with many different elements that students identified as representing their sense of belonging. The design is filled with hope and determination, with the phoenix blazing a new trail over new horizons.”

Year 9 student Danitor said: “I love the aspect of inclusivity, the school is a community working together to move forward.”

Year 7 student Daria said: “The mural is so inspirational and captures the sense of belonging at our school.”

Vicky Fraser, School Business Manager, said: “Our mural looks incredible, so vibrant and it encapsulates perfectly the key values of MHS and what belonging means to our students.”

You can watch the development of the mural here: https://youtu.be/VR7JQPzrhAo

You can listen to Rory explaining the mural design here: https://youtu.be/FnEWyArKtCo