KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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After more than three decades responding to emergencies across Johnson County, retired first responder Greg Bergman has found his calling in the classroom — and his work with students just earned him statewide recognition.
Bergman, an EMS and health science instructor at Olathe Schools, recently received a 2026 Kansas Horizon Award, which honors outstanding new educators in their first year of teaching. Only 32 teachers statewide receive this recognition annually.
"There's so many talented teachers that are coming out every year and to be non traditional, be recognized at this level. It's really amazing. I'm very humbled," Bergman said.
His journey into emergency services began early — at just 16 years old.
"I joined a Boy Scout Explorer post at their local fire station. So that's where I started learning the ambulance," Bergman said.
For much of his 32-year career, Bergman served as a division chief for Johnson County Med Act. Now, he's channeling that experience into teaching students at the new Olathe Innovation Center, which opened this semester.
The facility houses programs like EMS, nursing, animal science, and culinary arts, giving high school students real-world experience to explore careers before graduation.
First-year EMS student Prini Patel said Bergman's background makes all the difference in the classroom.
"Since he's been in, like, the shoes that we're gonna fill and like he's had all the experiences and like, all the stories he tells, I feel like it helps us a lot," Patel said.
She wasn't surprised when Bergman received the award recognition.
"He is amazing honestly, we were not surprised at all," Patel said.
For Bergman, seeing students discover their passion brings back memories of his own early enthusiasm for emergency services.
"Seeing that new freshness of that energy of, oh, I want to know more about that. I want to know more that. It definitely brings back that," Bergman said.
Even for students who ultimately decide EMS isn't their career path, Bergman hopes they leave with one crucial skill.
"That willingness to start engaging with that in emergencies and helping others is the biggest key anybody can come out of this class with," Bergman said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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