The Gettysburg Nature Alliance has assembled a team of education and science experts who are responsible for proven, innovative and engaging teacher training and educational programs.
Dr. Kerri Bloom, B.S.
Dr. Bloom served as executive director of the Central Intermediate Unit before becoming director of special education for the Lincoln Intermediate Unit. She has been a teacher, supervisor and consultant working with more than 250 school districts across Pennsylvania and as instructional consultant for the Instructional Support System of Pennsylvania. She has worked as a consultant for six New York school districts and has been a featured speaker at universities and state and national conferences as well as being an expert witness for due-process hearings. She received a Ph.D. in educational administration from Penn State University and a B.S. in special education from Clarion University.
Dr. Thomasina Piercy
Earning her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Maryland, Dr. Piercy’s research received the Reading Research Award from the State of Maryland International Reading Association. She was honored with the Bailor Award from McDaniel College for her distinguished career in education, and while serving as a principal, she was a graduate-level adjunct professor and recipient of the Children’s Hero Award by CASA. During her leadership in Carroll County, Maryland, as the K-12 supervisor of reading/literacy for 40 schools, Carroll County achieved the highest reading performance in Maryland. Dr. Piercy is the author of the national superintendent’s organization, AASA, co-publication book, Compelling Conversations: Connecting Leadership to Achievement. She is the co-author of the Common Core book Disciplinary Literacy: Redefining Deep Understanding and Leadership for the 21st Century, which includes the science focus on reading and thinking as a scientist. She has authored over a dozen chapters and articles for ASCD, Corwin and Lead and Learn Press with authors including Art Costa and David Hyerle. These publications include: Preparing for Common Core Implementation: Aligning Literacy Expectations (2011); Text Complexity Structures Supporting Comprehension (2011), Increasing Students’ Deeper Understanding of Complex Text with Disciplinary Literacy Instruction (2011), and Leading and Learning with Habits of the Mind (2000). She provides professional development for districts around the country on disciplinary literacy, critical thinking and depth of knowledge for the Leadership and Learning Center (Denver, Colorado) and The Master Teacher (Kansas). She also is a trainer for Thinking Maps.
Dr. William Piercy
Before earning his Ph.D. at the University of Maryland and being a graduate-level adjunct professor, Dr. Piercy cultivated a passion for leadership development and school improvement working as a high-school principal for 16 years. As a supervisor for Carroll County Public Schools in Maryland, he observed teachers struggling to teach students who were challenged academically, who were not actively engaged or cognitively prepared, were unmotivated emotionally and disinterested in applying their skills and talents. Today, he works with districts, schools, classroom teachers and support staff from across the country to facilitate their depth of knowledge and understanding of how 21st-century learners own their learning. He guides administrations and teachers to implement disciplinary literacy instructional tools, literacy strategies and emotional understanding, which changes the hearts and minds of students while building communities of continuous adult learners within schools. Dr. Piercy is the co-author of Common Core book Disciplinary Literacy: Redefining Deep Understanding and Leadership for the 21st Century. He is co-author of the chapter Chaos in the Classroom: The New Science Applied to Instructional Practice in Critical Thinking and Reasoning. He is the past president of Maryland’s Learning Forward organization for professional development, and he was the national director of professional learning for The Master Teacher (Manhattan, Kansas). Piercy Consulting Group was formed to provide future direction, collaboration in diverse contents among school teams and districts, cooperative learning opportunities for adults and improved student performance for children. He has presented at national conferences including ASCD, AASA, IRA, NSDC and the International Conference on Thinking.
Brad Yohe, M.Ed., B.S.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Lock Haven University, Mr. Yohe went on to further his graduate studies at Penn State University and McDaniel College, where he earned his master’s degree in educational administration. He has deep classroom and leadership experiences as a chemistry teacher chairperson of the science departments in Carroll and Frederick counties in Maryland; his career progressed into a high school administration role in the Carroll County system and later to the position of supervisor of science education (Carroll County), a system of more than 25,000 students in 21 schools with 130+ science teachers. As the science supervisor, he initiated classroom reforms such as the Physics First and The American Chestnut Curriculum initiatives, which changed the roles of both students and teachers in the classroom. These reforms resulted in students becoming active learners and teachers becoming facilitators of learning, which then resulted in higher student interest and enrollments in science electives. The supporting curriculum used authentic storylines that engaged students in achieving higher scores on state assessments (Lederman, Bunce, Eisnkraft & Hewitt). The lessons were organized into Bybee’s SE framework that included assessments reflected in McTighe & Williams’s “Backward Design.” During the evolution of the science standards, Mr. Yohe served on the review committee for the National Science Foundation funded Project 2061 initiative. He served on the Maryland state standards committee for the past 20 years and most recently served on the Maryland review committee for NGSS.
Dr. Kerri Bloom, B.S.
Dr. Bloom served as executive director of the Central Intermediate Unit before becoming director of special education for the Lincoln Intermediate Unit. She has been a teacher, supervisor and consultant working with more than 250 school districts across Pennsylvania and as instructional consultant for the Instructional Support System of Pennsylvania. She has worked as a consultant for six New York school districts and has been a featured speaker at universities and state and national conferences as well as being an expert witness for due-process hearings. She received a Ph.D. in educational administration from Penn State University and a B.S. in special education from Clarion University.
Dr. Thomasina Piercy
Earning her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Maryland, Dr. Piercy’s research received the Reading Research Award from the State of Maryland International Reading Association. She was honored with the Bailor Award from McDaniel College for her distinguished career in education, and while serving as a principal, she was a graduate-level adjunct professor and recipient of the Children’s Hero Award by CASA. During her leadership in Carroll County, Maryland, as the K-12 supervisor of reading/literacy for 40 schools, Carroll County achieved the highest reading performance in Maryland. Dr. Piercy is the author of the national superintendent’s organization, AASA, co-publication book, Compelling Conversations: Connecting Leadership to Achievement. She is the co-author of the Common Core book Disciplinary Literacy: Redefining Deep Understanding and Leadership for the 21st Century, which includes the science focus on reading and thinking as a scientist. She has authored over a dozen chapters and articles for ASCD, Corwin and Lead and Learn Press with authors including Art Costa and David Hyerle. These publications include: Preparing for Common Core Implementation: Aligning Literacy Expectations (2011); Text Complexity Structures Supporting Comprehension (2011), Increasing Students’ Deeper Understanding of Complex Text with Disciplinary Literacy Instruction (2011), and Leading and Learning with Habits of the Mind (2000). She provides professional development for districts around the country on disciplinary literacy, critical thinking and depth of knowledge for the Leadership and Learning Center (Denver, Colorado) and The Master Teacher (Kansas). She also is a trainer for Thinking Maps.
Dr. William Piercy
Before earning his Ph.D. at the University of Maryland and being a graduate-level adjunct professor, Dr. Piercy cultivated a passion for leadership development and school improvement working as a high-school principal for 16 years. As a supervisor for Carroll County Public Schools in Maryland, he observed teachers struggling to teach students who were challenged academically, who were not actively engaged or cognitively prepared, were unmotivated emotionally and disinterested in applying their skills and talents. Today, he works with districts, schools, classroom teachers and support staff from across the country to facilitate their depth of knowledge and understanding of how 21st-century learners own their learning. He guides administrations and teachers to implement disciplinary literacy instructional tools, literacy strategies and emotional understanding, which changes the hearts and minds of students while building communities of continuous adult learners within schools. Dr. Piercy is the co-author of Common Core book Disciplinary Literacy: Redefining Deep Understanding and Leadership for the 21st Century. He is co-author of the chapter Chaos in the Classroom: The New Science Applied to Instructional Practice in Critical Thinking and Reasoning. He is the past president of Maryland’s Learning Forward organization for professional development, and he was the national director of professional learning for The Master Teacher (Manhattan, Kansas). Piercy Consulting Group was formed to provide future direction, collaboration in diverse contents among school teams and districts, cooperative learning opportunities for adults and improved student performance for children. He has presented at national conferences including ASCD, AASA, IRA, NSDC and the International Conference on Thinking.
Brad Yohe, M.Ed., B.S.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Lock Haven University, Mr. Yohe went on to further his graduate studies at Penn State University and McDaniel College, where he earned his master’s degree in educational administration. He has deep classroom and leadership experiences as a chemistry teacher chairperson of the science departments in Carroll and Frederick counties in Maryland; his career progressed into a high school administration role in the Carroll County system and later to the position of supervisor of science education (Carroll County), a system of more than 25,000 students in 21 schools with 130+ science teachers. As the science supervisor, he initiated classroom reforms such as the Physics First and The American Chestnut Curriculum initiatives, which changed the roles of both students and teachers in the classroom. These reforms resulted in students becoming active learners and teachers becoming facilitators of learning, which then resulted in higher student interest and enrollments in science electives. The supporting curriculum used authentic storylines that engaged students in achieving higher scores on state assessments (Lederman, Bunce, Eisnkraft & Hewitt). The lessons were organized into Bybee’s SE framework that included assessments reflected in McTighe & Williams’s “Backward Design.” During the evolution of the science standards, Mr. Yohe served on the review committee for the National Science Foundation funded Project 2061 initiative. He served on the Maryland state standards committee for the past 20 years and most recently served on the Maryland review committee for NGSS.
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