After over 23 years of teaching at Sahuaro, Ms. Lange’s time here has come to a close. If you know her, you know the effect that her leaving will have on Sahuaro High School. She has taught English, Honors English, Multicultural Literature, Creative Writing, and The Paper Cut, or as she calls it, her “baby”.  Lange started The Paper Cut in 2015, initiating TUSD’s first online school newspaper.

Ms. Lange has also led student and staff trips, taking lessons beyond the classroom. Injecting wanderlust into over 50 Cougars, she orchestrated trips all over Europe, Australia, Central and South America, and Asia. Her teaching is marked by passion and dedication, inspiring students to overcome adversity, loss, and disappointment, and celebrating creativity and individualism.

In her ever-playful spirit, Ms. Lange shared that she’s “been joking with everyone that I’ll be graduating with the Class of ’27 for the past couple of years, but it looks like after 23+ years, I’ll be graduating from TUVA.” Her new job will start next semester.  She laments “leaving in the middle of a school year; it’s really not how I envisioned ending my Sahuaro years, but I was offered a position to work remotely, and I hope everyone can be happy for me.”

In so many years of teaching, Ms. Lange has not only given Sahuaro a lot, but she’s gained a lot too. “Sahuaro has had a profound effect on my life. It’s been so much more than a job or anything I could have imagined when I started teaching here back in 2003. I met my partner and best friend, Mark Chandler, here.” Ms. Lange’s wall is decorated with photos from her travels, many of which are with Mr. Chandler.   

Aside from Mark, Ms. Lange has made countless friends over the years. “Pretty much every single good friend I have, I made through Sahuaro, from teachers and staff I’ve worked with, to graduates who have become a part of my family, to parents of students who I befriended, to all of my son’s best buddies who continue to call me mom – my life is full and blessed with wonderful people who I met on this campus and who I cherish.”

While there are too many memories to recount, Lange shared some of her craziest and fondest memories.  Like when she brought students to Barcelona, and one of them tattooed her name on his thigh.  “We call ourselves ‘Lange Gang’ while traveling, and after an afternoon of free time, a senior who just graduated shows up with ‘Lange Gange’ – he purposefully spelled it wrong because he wanted it to be symmetrical!”  Or, her “claim-to-fame” when she coached Sahuaro Olympic medalist, Caitlin Leverenz (even though she had her own coaches, and I did absolutely nothing to help her win that medal!)

Ms. Lange shared another positive part of her work at Sahuaro – her relationship with Principal Estrella. “I asked Mr. Estrella for his blessing as soon as I applied for the job. He actually gave it to me before I even told him why I needed it. That’s the kind of leader he is. He not only put me at ease over this tough decision and assured me that I’d done a great deal over the years for Sahuaro and our students, but he even put in a good word for me before my interview,” she said.

This was especially important to Ms. Lange after losing a close friend and fellow English teacher, Mrs. Watters, to cancer earlier this year. “It meant a lot to me, especially because we had the conversation in Mrs. Watters’ room. We were the same age before she passed away, and my partner has overcome cancer three times. Life is short. We have to live it to the fullest.”

Ms. Lange’s time teaching has inspired and moved many students. Former Editor-in-Chief of The Paper Cut, Marley Gandee, said, “I had Ms. Lange’s class for at least one period every year, and it made my high school experience so much better. I came in as such a shy kid, and really blossomed under Ms. Lange’s guidance in The Paper Cut. She encouraged me to go do what I want to do, and so I have to give her a lot of credit for what I’m doing now.”

Ms. Lange usually does not seem to be at a loss for words, but she says leaving Sahuaro is a rollercoaster of emotions.  “To every single student from 2003 to right now who has touched my heart, made me laugh, shared your personal, heart-breaking stories with me, allowed me into your heart and world, traveled with me, inspired me, written “Your the best” (spelled incorrectly!) on the back of a grad photo, and made me cry in empathy with you – I want you to know that you’re the reason I couldn’t picture myself teaching anywhere else.  Hear my voice in your head – you can do anything and everything.  Travel the world, be kind, stand up for yourself, and live your best life!  Thank you for being a part of my world…”

While we are sad to see Ms. Lange go, this new chapter brings a lot of excitement; if you’ve ever had a conversation with Ms. Lange, you know she’ll be enjoying life to the fullest. “Mark and I just bought a 22′ trailer. With this new position, we’ll be able to travel around the US while I continue to teach,” she shared. Ms. Lange will be taking her wanderlust to more places than any of us could ever imagine, learning from the world, and surely bringing the lessons that she blessed us all with to new places as she begins this new adventure.