After 48 years of teaching and a legacy that will not soon be forgotten, French teacher Vicki Barmann is retiring as of Sept. 30. Known as the teacher who’d never back down, she has left a lasting impact on the more than 6,000 students she taught during her career.

“She set really high standards for us because she believed that we were all capable of reaching them and that we had the ability to succeed,” said former student class of 2013 alumni Julie Hewitt, whom is now a French major after enjoying Barmann’s classes. “She always wanted all of her students to be successful and wouldn’t give up until everyone understood the criteria.”

Barmann’s dedication to her students didn’t end in the classroom. When unable to make it to classes, a conference microphone was brought out and she taught her lessons from wherever she could use a phone.

“It was more effective than having a sub just sit there. With French you can’t have someone just hand out a worksheet and expect you to teach yourself; you have to have someone be there to teach you,” said junior French student Ashley Dondlinger. “Although it wasn’t as effective as having her in the classroom with us, it was the best option we had in the situation we were handed.”

Students weren’t the only ones inspired by Barmann’s endless passion to help students succeed. Former students now co-workers, like Library Media Specialist Sara Brown who had her class in 1971-1972, are left in awe at her enthusiasm that she has kept through the years.

“I feel very privileged and blessed to know her,” said Brown, having known Barmann over 40 years. “The same passion and fire and enthusiasm that we saw in Mrs. Barmann up until the time that she left the classroom here at Staley was the same I saw in my senior year.”

Over the years, Barmann has taken students to France, letting them experience for themselves what she had been teaching them. Senior Maddie Funk was one of the students who got to spend time with her outside of the class.

“We’ve grown so close to her over the years, and she’s such a great teacher. Sometimes even if she’s scary, she still loves you and wants you to do your best,” said Funk recalling some of what she called Barmann’s crazy teaching antics.

Administrators, like assistant principal Fred Bouchard, have also had a lasting impression left by Barmann, even when she didn’t agree with things he did.

“She would corner me and start lecturing me,” said Bouchard, remembering times when Barmann voiced her disagreements. “We always had a pretty good understanding. She could be very candid, and at the end I would laugh. Then she would be OK.”

Barmann left a legacy that lives on in the students she has taught and the people she has worked with. There was a fitting quote on the French club T-shirts last year:  “Le français restera toujours dans nos coeurs” a French phrase meaning, “French will always remain in our hearts.”