After more than 31 years of teaching, Jean-Luc Roche has officially announced his retirement. Roche was born in southern France, where he grew up in Toulon by the French Riviera. After graduating high school, Roche spent a year drafted in the French army and then spent his time working for a temporary agency; he also later went to work for the French Navy. Upon coming to the United States in 1988, Roche studied at Inver Hills Community College, then at Concordia University in Saint Paul, and finally at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities for graduate school. Roche started his career as a French teacher by “pure accident”  as he originally went to these schools to become a social studies teacher. This “pure accident” started when Roche began substitute teaching at schools as a French teacher and eventually got a long-term substitute teacher job at a school in River Falls, Wisconsin. Roche then became a certified French teacher and began teaching at the University of Minnesota -Twin Cities, where he worked from 1993 to 2000. 

In 2000, Roche made the transition to AHA, where he has been teaching ever since. One of Roche’s favorite memories he made in his time spent at AHA is from his second-class trip to Paris. He recalls walking down the streets of Paris with his students, and seeing their faces “light up” in a fancy restaurant, “gleaming with excitement.” In the present day, Roche’s face lit up while recalling these precious memories. 

Roche has greatly impacted this school, but his biggest impact is seen through his students. In honor of his years of hard work for AHA, some of the French students chose to share their favorite memories of Roche. Many students pitched Roche quotes, with the most popular being “Marry rich” and “Life is suffering.” Molly Bauer ‘24 says she loves Roche’s obsession with “Barbie pink.” Kathleen Gaston ‘24 says she loves his humor and the stuffed animal, Barney, that Roche gives to students when they look tired or sad. Olivia Comeau ‘24 also mentions Barney, recalling the time Roche let her take it home because he noticed she was tired. Ava Welter ‘24 states, “He is my icon,” and, “I think he’s the funniest person I ever met.” Another student comments, “He always makes my day better and he always makes me laugh.” Many students mentioned how much they love watching Roche laughing along to the movies he shows in class. Other students talked about how supportive and empathetic Roche is. Ava Dean ‘24 adds to this detail, stating “Mr. Roche is unlike any other teacher. He creates a personal connection with his students by getting to know them and truly caring about them. He even got to know my grandparents on Grandparents Day.” 

Roche’s personable nature and entertaining way of teaching have led many of his students to admire him, but he has ultimately decided it is time for his retirement. When asking Roche if there was anything he wanted in this article, he stated, “I was lucky to be here teaching French.”