Madame Bellaiche is Ramaz’s French teacher, and we are saying goodbye to her this year. Madame is moving back to France with her family, and she is very sad to leave the Ramaz community. Madame has been working at Ramaz for 4 years. She said “the school welcomed me with warmth, kindness, and made me feel like I was part of the family immediately.”

As a student of Madame for two years, I can confidently say that she was the perfect teacher. She understood how to cater to all of her students’ needs in the classroom, integrated fun activities to make French more fun, and would constantly check up on anyone if they had any trouble learning. 

Ironically, my favorite moments with Madame were on the last few days of school. On the last day of classes, Madam’s 10th grade second year class threw her a party. They made a colorful poster, brought French treats such as croissants and madeleines, and bought her a bracelet to remember the class. They also made her a fake passport saying that she can use it to visit the class next year.

Madames’ students have a lot to say about her departure. Eliana Cepelowics ’23 said: “Madame Bellaiche not only taught me a great deal of French, but she also made me look forward to her class every single day, whether it was on Zoom or in person. She made the class about French culture and French language, and I know I am going to remember every verb she’s ever taught us. I’m really going to miss her.” Alex Paul ’23 said: “It’s very cool to have Madame as a French teacher because she understood what I needed to learn to speak French fluently. I will miss her throwing markers at me every time I go on my phone or get an answer wrong.” 

When asked about what specifically she loved at Ramaz, Madame answered: I loved every single moment at Ramaz! I have been amazed by the kindness of the kids and their interest in learning. I have too many amazing memories, from baking crepes with them, to singing songs, discussing French gastronomy, or fashion. But what I really enjoyed the most was when I saw them write full stories in French and realizing they could write and understand French!” Additionally, Madame will miss her students the most, and loved interacting with them. “As the mother of teenagers myself, I know how hard the journey of high schoolers can be. I tried to give to my students what I hope someone would give to my own children to make their journeys smoother. I enjoyed each day with them and feel I received as much from them as I gave them.”

Madame, thank you for being not only our teacher for the past four years, but someone we all grew to admire. The Ramaz community wishes you the best in France!

P.S. Madame will still be teaching an AP French class live from France next year.