Savage’s funeral is being held on Saturday, April 10, 2 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Chapel, 10000 Stoneybrook Drive, Kensington, Md. All are welcome to attend.

In remembrance of Savage, The Pitch Online is collecting memories students, staff, alum and any other community members have of this great English teacher, husband, father and friend.

— A RECOLLECTION FROM A PITCH EDITOR —

Inspirational. That is one word that truly describes Mr. Savage. He reawakened my love of language and literature as no other teacher ever could when I was a student in one of his first semester AP Lang classes. When he nearly jumped out of his clothes when we read a Frost poem, he made the whole class excited. He showed me that there is not a set way to writing anything, that there is no formula. He let me know that the way I thought about writing was right, and that was probably the best assurance I could ever get. When I realized I did not have him next semester, I worried. And this was because I knew I had so much to learn from him not only about AP Lang, but about life. He taught me that questioning everything and figuring out what you think about something is truly beautiful. And being able to write down all of what you see and experience in a tactful, thoughtful way is the ultimate. I cringed when my friends spoke of the impassioned craziness I was missing. How I envied them when they spoke of him playfully forcing them to bang on the desks while reading The Tempest. I will remember a lot of perhaps little things about Mr. Savage. How he could wittily point out the obvious ridiculousness in the world, how proud he was of his agenda and his PowerPoints, how he insanely recreated the hairball oracle in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and how he managed to keep the class completely enraptured for those 49 minutes. He made the class an exploration to find an author’s tone or purpose and to find the motivation behind taking an awkward family photo. He was the kind of teacher who I was proud to have. He was the person who let me walk a little taller because I somehow managed to impress him. I am truly grateful to have been in a class with a man who not only really knew what he was talking about, but you could tell he was intensely passionate about it.

— Katie Levingston, Pitch Online Managing Feature Editor & Junior Student

— A MEMORY FROM AN ALUM —

I never had Mr. Savage as a teacher, but I distinctly remember that when I took Creative Writing with Mr. Griffiths in ’05-’06, we would occasionally decide to “invade” Mr. Savage’s class. At a time of Mr. Griffiths’ choosing, we would storm into his classroom located at the end of the old G-Wing and challenge his class to a Haiku battle. Each class would nominate one writer and they would have a few minutes to write a Haiku on a topic usually chosen by Mr. Savage. I remember being jealous of his students and admiring the way he was willing to interrupt his lesson to allow his students to really have fun with English and develop a love for the subject. One time Griffiths needed chalk, and we all ran into [Mr. Savage’s] room and made off with chalk, staplers and a hole puncher. His humor and good spirit during this “invasion” spoke volumes about the man Karl Savage was. He was a star of the English department who was always willing to work with the students who were falling behind rather than the AP overachievers, and will be sorely missed.

— Will Watkins, Class of 2008

— A REFLECTION FROM A TEACHER —

I truly believe that among our many wonderful faculty members, Karl was one of the most well-liked. He came by this naturally: a winning smile, an infectious laugh, an easy-going manner, an incisive sense of humor and a genuine love for his family worked in concert to mold this lasting impression. His students loved him; they were both entertained and educated. Gather strength from his legacy, cherish your vivid and affectionate memories, and allow yourselves the indulgence of emotional and heartfelt response.

— T.G. Finkbinder, English Teacher & APEX Coordinator

— A POEM FROM A STUDENT —

I wrote this for him. It’s full of inside jokes.

“Living It Up in Savageland”

You left us
You flew away
You left the world behind.
You and your jokes
Your heart
Your kindness
Have all disappeared from the world.

Remember the board
Full of Helper Puppy
Pearl and Leopold?
And those rabid Number 4’s
Terrorizing your dreams
Turned into jokes
At your expense.

But you laughed with us
And took jokes in stride
And gave us more ideas.
With your selective hearing
You kept from going insane
When we made jokes
Of the most idiotic things.

Every lunch we saw you
Even if it was for a few minutes
Living it up in Savageland.
And bringing sweets
Every Friday to share,
You laughed and declined them
But still told us stories.

Remember the English teacher
With her lunch in a bag?
Remember Pearl
With her claymore and leeches?
You helped with our story
Its continuations
And characters
And that’s what kept it living on.

You left us behind
You were too good for this world.
And you went to a place
Better suited for your spirit.

— Andrea Becker, Senior Student

*Please e-mail your memories to [email protected].