When Melissa Toogood heard she had been appointed Director of Dance at The Juilliard school, one of the first people she called was her old high school teacher.

“I never would have achieved what I’ve achieved if it weren’t for Newtown High School of the Performing Arts,” she said.

“To have a public school providing mentorship at the level they do is just incredible.”

The internationally acclaimed dancer admits to a little trepidation when contemplating her senior post at one of the world’s most prestigious performing arts education institutions.

“This is the culmination of a lifetime of work, so I have many feelings,” she said.

“I’m hugely excited and a little scared. But if fear ever stopped me doing anything, I would never have stepped on a stage in the first place.”

Melissa’s journey towards Julliard, in Manhattan’s upper west side, started in Campbelltown, in Sydney’s south-east.

It took off when she auditioned for Newtown.

“I saw the Newtown kids perform at School Spectacular when I was in Year 7 at another school, and I thought that’s a whole other level, I want to be on that level. That’s why I auditioned to come here,” she recalled while visiting her former school.

During the visit, M Toogood met some year 11 and 12 students majoring in her specialty – contemporary dance.

Yuuki Hiwatashi was among the students lucky enough to catch up with Ms Toogood during the visit.

“It’s just amazing that someone from our school is now the head of the dance division at Juilliard,” Yuuki said.

“To have a role model like this to inspire people like me is fantastic.

“It’s so uplifting to know that she learned in the same studios as us and now she’s gone off and done such incredible things.”

Alison McKellar, the school’s relieving dance head teacher, said the whole school community was sharing in Ms Toogood’s success.

“It’s such a credit to this school and public education,” Ms McKellar said.

“It’s just so exciting that we can now show the dance students at Newtown that incredible things really are possible.

“It’s such a credit to Dr John Mullins, who was the head of dance when Melissa was here, that he could help her develop to where she is today.”

Despite being firmly focused on her new chapter, Melissa happily reminisces about life as an aspiring young dancer at high school.

“It’s so exciting for these students. They’re at the beginning of their journey in a lot of ways, even though they’re ending high school,” she said.

“This was me - it feels like a lifetime ago but many of the teachings are still with me.

“I’ll never forgot what this school has done for me.”