When they were younger English teacher Cathlina Bergman and band director Greg Bergman always played school together, but that has now become reality for both of them. Greg started teaching at Newton high in 2001 when shortly after he encouraged his little sister to accept a teaching position in Newton as well.

“He told his wife to e-mail me to tell me that there was opening for an English teacher at Newton, he knew I was kind of ready for something different because I had been doing the same thing for a while now. I thought it was a pretty good recommendation because he doesn’t usually meddle in my life,” Cathlina said.

Although these siblings may work in the same building it is not likely that they will be seeing each other on a regular basis, and often find themselves catching up and getting each others opinion on school issues at family gatherings.

“We are more likely to see each other at Walmart then here at the high school. I like being able to see what he thinks about things, something new that is going on in the high school I know how the English department feels about it but it’s fun to see what the fine arts teachers are saying about it,” Cathlina said.

Even though the Bergmans may not be teaching the same subject they still have a lot in common when it comes to interests and talents, such as both of them being able to play the trumpet.

“[What we have in common is] our sense of humor and our apologies to students. We have high standards for ourselves, musical inclinations, and a significant interest in geeky things. We also have a lot of students in common, and we both want those young people to maximize their potential,” Greg said.

Even though the Bergmans do not see each other everyday they still have ways to be in contact with each other and give each other a laugh.

“When he sends a student to me with a late pass, he will often add an inside joke. For example, he’ll send a drummer back with a note that says, ‘Student’s mouthpiece got stuck’ since he knows that I know drummers don’t use mouthpieces,” Cathlina said. “He’ll add a movie quote: ‘We’re on a mission from God!’ from The Blues Brothers, one of his favorite movies.”