There is a new Guth in town.

Kristen Guth has been joined by her cousin Jennifer Guth this year, and the similarities between the two teachers and volleyball coaches are quite remarkable. Working with another family member might be somewhat awkward for some, but that is not the case with Kristen Guth and Jennifer Guth.

“It’s really fun because we’ve always been close, and we didn’t get to see each other as much and now we get to see each other all the time,” Kristen Guth said.

Kristen Guth is entering her second year at Elk Grove, and Jennifer Guth is a new addition to EGHS’s faculty.

“She actually told me that she was interviewing, and then it just like happened that they really liked her too, and so it worked out well.” Kristen Guth said. “We are really close so it was fun having each other,”

It was a coincidence that both Guths started working at the same school. Jennifer Guth has been looking for a high school staff opening for the past few years and Elk Grove came in with the golden opportunity.

“When I saw it, I actually called her and was like ‘There is an opening at your school,’ and she was like, ‘Well go for it!’” Jennifer Guth said.

The cousins working side by side has worked out quite nicely and improves the atmosphere for both teachers.

“It’s really fun. Kids tell us we look alike but we don’t. I don’t think we do,” Kristen Guth said.

Looks appear to be one of the only differences between the two staff members. The English teacher and the Physical Education teacher both shared the same career interest and pursued it at the University of Illinois.

“We’re just a Big Ten family,” Jennifer Guth said.

Kristen Guth and Jennifer Guth have both found a way to integrate volleyball into their careers at Elk Grove. Both staff members played volleyball in high school and then continued on to participate in club and intramural volleyball at the University of Illinois.

“I helped out with volleyball when I student taught so then I just always wanted to continue with it,” Kristen Guth said.

Kristen Guth is the current coach for Freshmen B volleyball, while Jennifer Guth occupies her time coaching volleyball for the sophomores.

Because they both work at Elk Grove, they share students and it could be a little confusing when trying to contact them–especially through email.

“I’ll sometimes get an email from the wrong kid who has PE and health with her,” Kristen Guth said. “So they’ll be like ‘I have to sit out of PE because I stubbed my toe,’ and I’ll be like ‘I’m sorry, I’ll forward your email to my cousin!’”

Having the same last name has inspired Elk Grove students to think of a way to distinguish between the two teachers.

Blonde Guth, Brunette Guth, Guth 1 and Guth 2 are among the nicknames students have created for the cousins.

“Sometimes they’ll say Guth 1 and Guth 2, but we don’t really know who’s who,” Kristen Guth said. Because they are both coaches as well, getting called by athletes and students has proven to be a little confusing as well.

“Someone will yell Coach Guth or Ms. Guth and we’ll both turn around and they’ll laugh,” Jennifer Guth said.

Other faculty members have joined in on the jokes about the Guths.

“Even Principal Kelly at orientation on the first day made a joke about how another Ms. Guth was coming,” Jennifer Guth said. “He was like ‘Oh, we’ve got another Ms. Guth and she’s also very tall!’”

Despite some minor confusion, working with each one another has proved to be a fun experience for the two; working together has allowed them to spend more time together.

“[Our family is] jealous because we get to hang out all day,” Kristen Guth said.

Overall, working among family has worked out well. Kristen Guth has been giving her cousin tips on working at Elk Grove as well as outlets to meet new people.

“It’s a really fun experience and I love working with her,” Kristen Guth said. “She’s an awesome addition to EG.”

By Esmeralda Silva