Social studies teacher and varsity football assistant coach Bill Melega is retiring from Chapel Hill High School after teaching at the school for 27 years.
Melega began teaching at Chapel Hill High School in 1997, two years after he began his teaching career in 1995 at Person County High School. In this his final year, he taught AP World History and Honors Great American Conflicts: Civil War and World War I.
Winner of the Chapel Hill High School Senior Tribute Award in 2003 and the Chapel Hill High School Teacher of the Year Award in 2008, Melega has been appreciated by both his colleagues and his students.
Social Studies teacher Anne Beichner said that Melega has positively benefited countless students in the community.
“He’s really benefited generations of students to kind of engage them with our country’s history and help them kind of see that it can come alive and be relevant,” Beichner said.
Senior Rayna Chatain, who took Melega’s AP World History and Great American Conflicts courses and serves as his teacher assistant this year, agreed.
“Melega has made an impact on so many students both outside and inside Chapel Hill, the school won’t be the same without him,” Chatain said.
Melega was named a finalist for both the National Council of Social Studies (NCSS) History Teacher of the Year and North Carolina Council of Social Studies Educator of the Year Finalist in 2017, while also being the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) National Educator of the Year in 2010.
He said one of his strengths as a teacher is his directness.
“I speak the truth to my students. I don’t sugarcoat it, and I get them to think beyond what they hear and are bombarded with every single day,” Melega said.
Social studies teacher Eric Nally agreed that Melega will be missed greatly.
“I think he’s an institution to our school and our department, and I think we’ll miss a lot of his wisdom,” Nally said.
Social Studies teacher Patrick Roeber has taught and coached alongside Melega for over nine years.
“The thing I will miss the most about Melega is that it is a lot of fun to work with people who are actually your friends. It makes getting through the day or week or challenges of the job that much easier and more enjoyable,” Roeber said.
Melega took his historical expertise to Smith Middle School, where he was the keynote speaker for the North Carolina to Normandy Project from 2017 to the present. The project aims to take World War II veterans back to Normandy at no cost to them or their families.
But it’s not just in the classroom where Melega has made an impact.
Senior and varsity quarterback Josh Kelley felt that Melega significantly shaped the student-aathlete he is today.
“Melega taught all four of my older siblings before me, so taking his classes was something that I was very excited to do. I’ve formed a great relationship with him through both football and the classroom, and we will all be sad to see retire. He definitely impacted the students he taught,” Kelley said.
That impact was made especially apparent last month, when junior Lyla Berman and Melega’s wife, Laura Melega, created a GoFundMe for a new car since Melega has been driving the same Saturn sedan for almost all of the years he’s taught.
Lyla Berman explained that Melega has been one of her favorite teachers and she wished she could repay him for all he’s done for her.
As of May 31, the GoFundMe has reached $23,925, just shy of the $25,000 goal.
“I have had the honor of being in two of Mr. Melega’s classes,” Berman said, “and I can say with confidence that he is the most amazing teacher I have ever had. He teaches with so much passion and love for history that it’s impossible to not pay attention. I am extremely grateful for everything he’s taught me, and I hope with this fundraiser, that I can pay him back for everything!”
