About Us

The KSC GEMS instructors are Deborah Black, Ed.D., Erik Bell, M.Ed., Linda Balk, M.Ed., and Heather Pelkey. In addition to teaching math and science in their own classrooms, all have received Associate level training with GEMS at the University of California at Berkeley.

Deborah is currently Professor of Education at KSC and teaches both graduate and undergraduate Education courses. Previously, she taught in the U.S. and abroad at various elementary school levels. She recently attended the annual conference of the Association for Science Teacher Education(ASTE) and presented at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference.

Erik teaches GEMS with area home school groups and teaches science letterboxing. He has taught at multiple grade levels in both public and private school settings. He also has worked for numerous camps and outdoor/environmental organizations.

Linda Balk is a kindergarten teacher at the Winchester School. She trained at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkley and is a Keene State College GEMS associate. Linda received her master's degree in education from Cambridge College, focusing on special education.

Heather Pelkey has taught elementary school in Winchester for the past nine years. She has trained as an associate at the Lawrence Hall of Science and is also a trained reading specialist.

The KSC GEMS Site is a working collaboration between KSC's Education and Science departments and the Continuing Education Office.