“A CERTAIN VERVE”  
Madame Germaine Nahmias Farrell: Prep’s First Female Teacher
Dr. Stephen J. Ochs
Lawler Chair of History 

Looking back at the 1967-68 academic year, a student writing in the pages of Cupola, Georgetown Prep’s yearbook, matter-of-factly noted that French teacher Madame Germaine Nahmias was the first woman faculty member in Prep’s history; and that as such, she was “somewhat of a pioneer.” Considering her merits as a teacher, the student asserted that “she has proven herself more than equal to the challenge – using the latest language lab techniques along with her own thorough knowledge of the French language.” The Cupola staff member then insightfully closed his profile with the observation, “She teaches [with] a certain verve, the grace and subtlety [of] which are characteristic of a woman’s touch.” That characterization of “a certain verve,” would be shared by students, staff, and faculty during the years (1967-1976) that Germain Nahmias (later Farrell) taught at Georgetown Prep.
                
Born in Tunisia of French parents in 1924, Germaine Nejema Berrebi attended the Sorbonne. On September 29, 1945, shortly after WWII had ended, she married Sergeant Joe D. Nahmias, a member of the United States Army. She joined him in Indianapolis, Indiana, in February 1946, and became a naturalized United States citizen in 1949. (She and Joe would divorce in 1964.)

Madame Nahmias came to the Washington, D. C. area in the early 1960s to study at Georgetown University and by 1963 served as chair of the Language Department at the Congressional School in Virginia. She joined the Prep faculty in the fall of 1967 and quickly made her mark as an ultimate professional. 

A demanding and popular teacher of French, Madame Nahmias – who would marry fellow Prep faculty member Michael W. Farrell, in the summer of 1971 -- was blessed with a sprightly sense of humor and a positive, upbeat personality that lifted the spirits of those around her. She had an uncanny ability to defuse heated faculty arguments with her wit, and a strength of character that commanded the respect of colleagues and students alike. 

Philip O’Donoghue ’68, one of her former students, observed that the petite, 5’½” inch-tall teacher “was fully confident and took control of the classroom right away.” She impressed the young men with her mastery of the subject and her cosmopolitan air and “was a hit right away.” While warm and friendly, “she made it clear that her classroom was for learning.” During the first marking period of 1967, for example, a high-profile senior in her French class decided to inform the new teacher of “how things are done at Prep,” and announced to her that since he planned to attend Princeton University, he simply could not get the grade that he currently had in the class. She informed him in no uncertain terms that he would indeed get that grade if he deserved it, and that hard work on his part was the only way to rectify the situation. Chastened, the student dramatically improved. 

Madame’s students in French classes and in the French Club noted gratefully in the pages of the Cupola the enthusiasm she displayed in introducing them to various aspects of French culture, including literature, movies, and French dinners that she personally prepared for them. She attended student games and dramatic productions and served as moderator of the Student Council. As Robert C. Barry, then a young English teacher later noted, “It was never about her. It was always about the students.”

Madame made further significant contributions to the school as chair of the Modern Language Department, as a mentor and exemplar to young teachers such as Bob Barry, and as a valued adviser to Prep’s young headmaster, Rev. David A. Sauter, S. J. She also helped strengthen Prep’s international character by initiating and directing its first summer resident program for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). That program helped to inspire the establishment in 1977 of a full-year ESL program that over the years would bring increased numbers of international students to Prep. 

Madame Farrell left Prep in 1976 and returned to the Congressional School where she served as President and Headmistress until her retirement in 1987. She passed away on May 26, 1995. Madame Nahmias Farrell blazed a trail for women faculty at Prep with her special blend of professionalism, warmth, grace, and, of course, verve. Currently, 21 women constitute one-third of the Georgetown Prep faculty.