Meet Our Team

Our teachers are masters at crafting authentic learning experiences, from meeting with researchers at University of Maryland’s Horn Point oyster hatchery to reviewing upcoming agriculture legislation with Chesapeake Bay Foundation lobbyists in advance of meeting with state Senators.  

John Lewis, Head of School

John Lewis has served as Gunston’s Head of School since 2010. During his tenure, he has sought to further enhance the school’s renowned Chesapeake Bay Studies Program, and he has overseen the development and implementation of the school’s first-ever Environmental Strategic Plan.  He is also the founder and leader of the Environmental Leadership for Independent School Leaders conference.

Brad Hirsh, Director and Humanities Instructor

Brad has taken a long and winding road before joining the Chesapeake Watershed Semester, but he is ecstatic to be joining such a wonderful program and community. His path started growing up in Kent County Maryland and leaving for boarding school at 15 and then heading to Bard College in upstate New York to major in Languages and Literature. From there he taught ESL in Los Angeles Unified School District, English and History at Sage Ridge School in Reno NV, Ecology, history and team building at Echo Hill Outdoor School in Worton, MD, Humanities at the Swain School at Allentown, PA, and most recently he was the Director of Paddling Programs at Sultana Education Foundation in Chestertown, MD.

Brad has fallen in love with the Chesapeake Bay Watershed three times over the course of his life. The first time was as a young boy learning how to swim, waterski, and explore on Langford Creek (a tributary of the Chester River). The second time was when he returned to the eastern shore to teach about the bay at Echo Hill Outdoor School set on the northern part of the bay, and mostly recently he fell in love with a whole new part of the watershed as he taught about and explored the southern part of the eastern shore with Sultana Education Foundation. Each of these times, he has gained a deeper and new appreciation for the bay and all the people who live here and in each of his adult experiences on the bay, his commitment to passing on that love to students has deepened as well. He believes that education is the first step towards environmental stewardship, and is delighted to be teaching about the history and literature of the Chesapeake and connecting students with the bay, so that they can also commit to its stewardship for future generations.

Mel Skirkanich, Associate Director and Science Instructor

Mel has always wanted to bridge the gap between the science community and everyone else, and education was the perfect way to do that. She firmly believes that in order to get people to care about the environment, we need to help people fall in love with the environment. After all, people protect what they love!

After graduating from Virginia Tech with a bachelor's degree in Wildlife Conservation, Mel immediately joined the outdoor education field, where seasonal jobs all around the country were the norm. From teaching ecology and recreation classes in Southern California, to catching and releasing native herpetology species in New York, to working with birds of prey in Vermont, Mel has had quite the experience!  She eventually settled as a high school teacher, where she found (and confirmed) her favorite age group teaching environmental science and biology to students in Manassas Park, Virginia. While at Manassas Park, she was heavily involved in student leadership opportunities, sponsoring SGA as well as the Allies club and running a leadership program. 

Advisory Board Members

Chris Cerino, Vice President Sultana Education Foundation, Mayor of Chestertown, MD

Susan Dillon, former Gunston Board of Trustees Chair, and board member of Women and Girls Fund of the Midshore

Rob Etgen, President, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy

Greg Farley, Director of University Sustainability, George Mason University

Alan Griffith, Honorary Trustee, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, CBMM Board member emeritus, 

Mike Hardesty, Associate Director of Programs and Staff, Center for Environment & Society at Washington College

Joseph A. Janney III, CWS2 Parent 

Betsy McCown, Director, Echo Hill Outdoor School

Jill Meyerhoff, Gunston Trustee, Semester School Parent

Nancy Nunn, Assistant Director, Harry Hughes Center for Agroecology

Mara Schmittinger, Gunston Trustee, Semester School Parent

Patrick Shoemaker, Chair, Gunston Board of Trustees

Jim Wright, Gunston Board of Trustees