MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A beloved South Florida coach is preparing for retirement after more than four decades on the job.
William Barron has been a staple at Miami Beach’s Feinberg-Fisher K-8 school and has taught a number of generations.
Monday was field day for Feinberg-Fisher first graders.
Leading the way in the battle of Team Red vs. Team Blue was Coach Barron.
“They make me laugh every day,” he said. “It’s been a great ride. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Barron will be missed by his students and his colleagues as well.
“In Coach Barron’s class, everybody is going to be moving for sure,” said Feinberg-Fisher Principal Maria Costaa. “I’m very happy for him, but for us it’s a very big loss. It really is.”
Those who have been in Barron’s class know why it’s such a big loss.
For former student Carmen Caicedo, it’s appreciation from three generations.
“He was my teacher in the 80s,” she said.
Barron taught Caicedo, her daughter, and now her granddaughter.
“Whatever you do, even if you mess up, it’s going to be fine,” she said. “He teaches you that confidence.”
Fienberg-Fisher is where Barron met his wife, who has also been a teacher there for 35 years.
“When you get out there, there is music playing. He does the exercises with the kids,” Lisa Barron said.
The couple’s daughter also teaches at Feinberg-Fisher now. It’s a family passion that can be felt just by speaking to them.
“He really connects with the students,” said Marissa Barron, the Barron’s daughter and third grade teacher at Feinberg-Fisher.
Back on the field Monday, it was the Blue Team that took the win, but losing Coach Barron is a loss for this community.