At the start of the school year, some teachers announced this would be their final year teaching at Newton High School. David Williams, who teaches debate, speech and forensics, along with Nanette Bergen, who teaches German, have both announced that after this year, they will retire.
Nanette Bergen has been teaching for 26 years and has decided that this will be her final year teaching German at Newton High School.
“I think I’ll miss the relationships the most, with colleagues and my students,” Bergen said.
While teaching has many ups and downs, there are many good things to remember.
“Seeing former students and what they’ve been doing, and even seeing their children is one of my favorite parts of the job,” Bergen said.
Many students were saddened by the news of some of their favorite teachers retiring. For junior Mara Oswald, she was disappointed to hear about the retirement of her German teacher.
“I know she’s been here a long time, but she’s led a good German program so it’ll be really sad to see her go,” Oswald said.
Many German students recall some of the great memories they have had with Bergen. Junior Trek Wedel recalls a fond memory of celebrating German Christmas in class.
“Around Christmas time, we got to try a lot of different German foods, so that was a lot of fun,” Wedel said.
David Williams, who has taught for over 30 years, has also decided to retire once this school year is over.
“I’m excited but kind of nervous, [because] there are a lot of unknowns too,” Williams said.
Williams isn’t only a teacher, he is also the coach of the NHS Debate and Forensics team.
“We’ve gotten a lot smaller, [so] I’m a little worried,” Williams said. “I’m trying to put everything in early so we can hopefully find someone to fill the spot.”
While there are many things Williams will miss, there are some that stick out more than others.
“I think I’m going to miss just teaching speech class. You know everyone hates it the first day, but it’s really interesting to see the kids come out of it talking in front of groups of people and doing all this really cool stuff,” Williams said.
Junior Gavin Hadley is a member of the debate and forensics teams and was saddened about the news of one of his favorite teachers leaving.
“It’s definitely sad. Some of my favorite memories in high school so far are with him and the team,” Hadley said.
While the debate and forensics team might be losing a coach, the members are trying to stay optimistic.
“I think even though the team is a little small, we still have a really good group of people that can be successful,” Hadley said. “I don’t really know who the next coach could but I think it’ll work out, I’m not too worried.”
Many students remember the fond memories they’ve made with Williams during his time teaching.
“I remember the ride home from Topeka last year. It was such a good time. We were all laughing and joking around,” junior Vaden Kumar said.
