Corner Canyon High School Honors Teacher In ICU Due To COVID-19
Sep 18, 2020, 12:38 PM | Updated: 1:02 pm
DRAPER, Utah – Students at Corner Canyon High School on Friday honored their beloved teacher, Charri Jensen, who is battling COVID-19 in a hospital ICU bed.
Those students said they are keeping Jensen – affectionately known as “Mama J” – in their hearts and in their minds by wearing purple. It’s Jensen’s favorite color.
They said she’s the school’s biggest cheerleader, and they are her’s.
“It’s definitely hard right now,” said senior Abbey Aamodt, who is a member of the tennis team. “She’s the best teacher.”
Jensen was admitted to the hospital and taken to the intensive care unit after her COVID-19 symptoms worsened.
“It really hit last night when we heard about Mama J,” Aamodt said. “She’s just an important part of our school, and it’s just hard knowing someone so close to us is going through this.”
“I was heartbroken,” I didn’t know how to feel,” said senior Macie Savage, also a member of the tennis team and President of Family Career and Community Leaders of America Club, which is overseen by Jensen.
Savage said she knew something had to be done.
“The tennis team, we’re all wearing purple in our hair,” she said. “All the SBOs are wearing purple at school, and we just announced it to the school for everyone to wear purple in honor of her.”
The tennis team is also representing her at their regional competition Friday.
Savage’s mother, Shannon, said Jensen has made a big impact on her daughter’s life.
“My daughter said to me last night, ‘I’ll give up the rest of my tennis season, school dances, everything to make sure she can get back to school,’” Shannon Savage said.
She’s not the only one who’s felt that impact either, “She just tries to make a meaningful relationship with every single one of her students and she definitely did that with me,” said Aamodt.
“She loves Corner Canyon more than anyone I know,” Macie Savage said.
And the students at Corner Canyon love her right back.
“We’re gonna win for her,” Aamodt said.
The board of education is having a meeting Friday at 4:30 p.m. where they will decide the necessary steps forward here at the school.
