Near the entrance of the third floor math office in the middle of the fridge lies a list of each teacher’s name and birthday. Next to Jane Canright’s name is her nickname, given to her by her coworkers, in parentheses: the Sage. When her colleagues have a question, it is Ms. Canright who they turn to when they seek wisdom or advice or just want to talk.
“Usually if somebody needs to know something in the department or how a class used to be, I’m usually the one they would ask, and I usually know the answer,” Ms. Canright said. “I’m always happy to give advice and talk.”
In her 30 years at Lab, Ms. Canright has become a pillar of the math department and beyond. Her work has shaped countless curriculums, and she will leave an enduring impact for her dedication, compassion and care for the entire community.
Ms. Canright has taught every U-High math class except two. In addition, she was the math team’s head coach for 12 years, was the department chair for six years, and has served on countless committees. Her work at Lab has been treasured for years.
“There are parts of worksheets and packets where I’ll quickly look at it and I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I wrote those and that’s my voice,’” Ms. Canright said. “It just makes me feel good to see that things that I created are still in use and that people appreciate that.”
Ms. Canright said she will miss the camaraderie in her classes. One of her most memorable classes at Lab was an AP Calculus BC class, who made T-shirts and said the word “wow” on the back in honor of Ms. Canright’s response to when her students would make a funny joke.
Junior Krish Khanna is in Ms. Canright’s advisory and was in her AP Calculus BC class. He said his whole advisory will miss Ms. Canright and the humor and care she brings to the community.
“Every day when I walk in, Ms. Canright would make me feel welcome and would just bring an amazing energy to the class that was just so infectious,” Krish said. “She’s always trying to foster community spirit and got us to bond more and more as a group. Our advisory dynamic would be totally different if we didn’t have an adviser as uniquely great as her.”
In addition to missing her relationships with her students, Ms. Canright will also miss her math department colleagues.
“Especially during COVID, a lot of us became really close, just helping ourselves stay safe,” Ms. Canright said. “It still feels, you know, like my second family. They’re the people I know will help me out if I need help, and I know I would do the same.”
Math teacher David Hartigan said the math department will miss Ms. Canright, her incredible memory and perspective. This year, Mr. Hartigan taught AP Calculus for the first time, and said the best part was working alongside Ms. Canright.
“I’ve been teaching 32 years. Ms. Canright is one of the best educators I’ve ever been associated with. On top of that, she knows a tremendous amount of mathematics. That’s just a spectacular combination,” Mr. Hartigan said. “We’ll all miss ‘the Sage.’”
