Maniototo Area School principal Melissa Bell is a typical roll your sleeves up and get stuck in, kind of a gal.

If there’s a job needs doing – a self-confessed, got to be busy workaholic, Melissa will likely volunteer.

Even if there isn’t she’ll probably create one – all for the benefit of her beloved rural Central Otago community.

Despite juggling multiple school and community roles, including choreographing school productions, when the Cromwell ballet teacher who covered Ranfurly pulled out, Melissa, and another woman, stepped in.

A massive dance lover herself from a young age, she could feel the local students’ disappointment.

Just a few weeks ago they pulled off their first big end of year show with 35 kids – A Night Before Christmas.

“I don’t think country kids should miss out,” she says.

Melissa with some of the ballet pupils

So passionate about this, Melissa asked students at her school last year what they thought they were missing out on. “They said, ‘We live in Ranfurly so our sports teams don’t get to go overseas or visit other

countries and we’d love that experience.”

So Melissa rolled those sleeves up along with teachers, parents and kids, fundraising well over $100,000 - $6500 per student, to make it happen, thanks to generous input from the local community.

In April this year they took 35 Maniototo Area School students, aged 14 to 18, to Vietnam to experience an entirely different culture, food, climate, language, customs and beliefs. “They were fully immersed for two weeks. It was such a great group of kids.

“We organised the trip and fundraised locally – quiz nights, a fashion show, catering for weddings and tailing on farms,” she says. “The whole community got behind it, including people with no kids, businesses. Everybody was so generous.”

And just like she’s got the spare time, this year Melissa, who successfully fought off cancer 13 years ago, spent her sabbatical trekking the iconic 850km Camino Trail in Spain - a pilgrimage from the French border to Santiago.

“I did it with my mum, who’s 75, and ticked that off my Bucket List.”

All this 13 years after winning her cancer battle, at the time a busy fulltime working mum of two young boys at the height of her career.

She says despite her natural tendency to give everything her all and work long hours, the move to beautiful, rural Central Otago in 2022 has been the best thing for her:

“Here I do all that work with people, whereas before I was in the office or always at meetings,” she says.

“In the country teachers go above and beyond. I’ve always felt so welcome here. Our school is like a family, only 150 kids from new entrants to Year 13. It’s pretty special seeing 5-year-olds holding hands with high school kids on sports day.”

Country adults don’t want to miss out either.

Local women asked for Barre Fit classes too – a blend of Pilates and dance strengthening.” I’ve got 82 people in the community signed up already,” she says.

“Strangely enough the Maniototo males are a bit hesitant but we’re all inclusive and there’s space for everyone.”

Melissa herself started ballet, aged 7, while at Centennial School in Waimate where she grew up amongst strong teaching stock.

“Teaching wasn’t a choice. Both my parents were in education – Mum one of 11 kids, seven or eight who became teachers. Education was in my gene pool,” she smiles.

A diligent student who loved school, dance was her life, studying and teaching ballet and dance from age 14, once the family moved to Dunedin.

“I avoided sport at all costs. I had two noisy brothers. Dance was my escape. Every day after school I’d be at the dance studio training or teaching. For years I was the only one in my class. That was my world.”

Wagging school wasn’t an option.

“I snuck home while at Queen’s High in Dunedin once and got caught by Dad who taught at King’s across the fence.”

It was the fence where she met husband of 31 years, Nigel Pacey. “Dad was Nigel’s dean. I remember him running away in horror when he realised he’d just dropped off the dean’s daughter,” she laughs.

Melissa and her husband Nigel. Image: supplied

At just 17, Melissa, already younger than her school peers, was off to Teachers College, studying for a history degree at the same time.

Even then she liked to work, working part time as a waitress and teaching ballet.

Flatting in Dunedin’s notorious Castle Street, Melissa didn’t fit the norm. “I was pretty well behaved. I took it all very seriously,” she says.

Teaching has always been something of a baptism of fire for Melissa, after realising during her first placement she’d found her thing.

“My first year teaching at Macandrew Intermediate I was 20 and had 39 kids in my class, some of whom could be challenging.”

It was a social teaching family, running fun time trials through the corridors on a kids’ bike left at school during a Christmas staff barbecue.

However, the horror she heard during a family group conference for one challenging student was hard to rationalise at 20. “I was young and naïve.”

After four years Melissa was awarded a Royal Society Fellowship to go back to uni and study science, which she’d loathed at school, amid a shortage of specialist primary school science teachers.

“No one else wanted to so I stepped up. You do what needs to be done,” she says.

She completed the three stages of chemistry in one year, writing resources for all primary schools in New Zealand.

That led to fours years teaching science and maths at St Hilda’s then teaching trainees dance and science at Teachers College.

Teaching at John McGlashan College under fabulously supportive principal Mike Corkery for three years, at just 33 he encouraged her to apply for the St Hilda’s principal’s role which she got.

“That was an incredible opportunity to lead a really strong school in good heart,” she says. “I was so excited. I felt so privileged and ready.”

However, she could not have been ready for the high-profile murder of one of her ex-students Sophie Elliot, by then an Otago University student, during her first week on the job. A new young principal, Melissa found herself organising Sophie’s farewell at the school and speaking during extremely tragic circumstances.

“I was supporting the community through grief and working closely with Sophie’s parents Lesley and Gil. I was proud of how I coped with that so young, looking back,” she says.

Then in 2013 Melissa, by now Mum to two teenage boys, was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer, leading to her decision to resign.

“But on the happy side, the way I was loved and supported by the community was incredible,” she says. “My head student even came to chemo and radiation appointments with me.”

Melissa during cancer treatment. Image: supplied

Thankfully, she’s in good health now, but says the hardest part was thinking how her family would be without her.

“It changed the way I did things. I knew I had to work a bit less. I’d been a workaholic, so I went back to the classroom at John McGlashan and absolutely loved it.

“When I reached 10 years cancer free, I thought, ‘I’ve dodged a bullet’ and I have another principalship in me,” she says.

The Maniototo role came up at just the right time, both Melissa and Nigel huge fans of Central Otago, Nigel scoring a teaching role too. “I’m now my husband’s boss at home and at school,” she grins.

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