402 ROPER MOUNTAIN ROAD, GREENVILLE , S .C . 29615 | 864.355.8900 | ROPERMOUNTAIN.ORG

Roper Mountain

DOING BIG THINGS ON A LITTLE MOUNTAIN

Roper Mountain Science Center (RMSC) plays a vital role in the future of our young people and economic vitality of Greenville. Since 1985, we have provided hands-on, standards-based science learning labs for students, inspiring education programming for the public, and state-of-the-art training for teachers.

Our economy is growing rapidly, fueled by companies looking for workers trained in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM). Roper Mountain Science Center meets that need. By giving young people education, experiences and skills for their careers, their lives are shaped, and our community thrives.

Each year, RMSC: • Provides hands-on, standards-based science learning labs for over 50,000 students. • Serves 45 school districts from 23 counties across South Carolina. • Offers inspiring educational programming for the public year-round. • Produces state-of-the-art training for South Carolina public school science teachers.

RMSC’s new Environmental Science and Sustainability Center will open in 2021, the first new educational building at RMSC since 1990. This will be more than a building. It will be a powerful new resource to equip future generations and the public with the knowledge and skills necessary to face the challenges of the future.

We cannot embark on this journey without you. With your support, through the Roper Mountain Science Center Association, a 501c3 whose sole purpose is to promote the development of and appreciation for the sciences in the field of education through support of RMSC, we will inspire and transform lives in a way no other organization can, and more than we ever have before.

At Roper Mountain, we know science is the key to a better life for us all, and that hands-on learning is the best way to ignite the natural curiosity of all learners.

Thank you for your involvement, advice and generosity as we shape our world together.

M E S S A G E F R O M O U R D I R E C T O R

D I R E C T O RM I C H A E L W E E K S

O U R M I S S I O N T O I G N I T E T H E N AT U R A L C U R I O S I T Y O F A L L L E A R N E R S

T O E X P L O R E A N D S H A P E T H E I R W O R L D

ROPER MOUNTAIN SCIENCE CENTER PROGRAMSEach year, more than 50,000 students, 4,000 teachers, and 50,000 families and adults visit Roper Mountain Science Center. We also impact an additional 30,000 students each year through our various outreach programs. Our students are ethnically diverse and come from 45 different school districts in 23 counties and 3 states. One-half of them come from families living in poverty.

Roper Mountain Science Center is owned and operated by Greenville County Schools and models a unique public-private partnership with added support generated by the Roper Mountain Science Center Association. What we do: • Deliver curriculum-based, hands-on learning for students • Offer inspiring “edutainment” for the public • Produce state-of-the-art training for teachers

Serving Students As South Carolina’s only fully educational science center, our hands-on, standards-based school programs ignite curiosity and interest in science learning. We provide:

• Over 70 different learning labs directly aligned with South Carolina Curriculum Standards • Expanded delivery through virtual field trips and outreach to schools and community centers • Summer Science Explorations – week-long day camps featuring over 150 different topics

Serving Families and CommunitiesRMSC is not just for students. We offer a wide variety of exciting and educational events and activities for the public, including:

• Butterfly Adventure – a 6-week up-close encounter with hundreds of butterflies, combined with admission to natural habitats, gardens, Living History Farm, activities and more • Second Saturdays – themed programs with special exhibits and activities in selected months • Friday Starry Nights – cutting edge Hooper Planetarium shows and access to the 8th largest refracting telescope in North America in the Daniel Observatory

Serving Teachers Home to the Science PLUS Institute since 1993, Roper Mountain provides state-of-the-art professional development for public school science teachers from across South Carolina. • Week-long, free summer residential workshops with standards-based activities • Over $500 worth of science materials given to each teacher • Teachers from all 81 South Carolina School districts have attended

78,639 TOTAL

SCIENCE PLUS FOR TEACHERS - 547

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS - 9,802

OUTREACH PROGRAMS - 21,174

FIELD TRIPS TO RMSC - 47,116

Ben remembers coming to Roper Mountain Science Center for school field trips at an early age, but his experiences in the summer camp program “were some of the most formative experiences and set the course of my life. Those experiences have done more to determine the course of my career than anything I ever learned in school.”

His mother brought home the Summer Camp Guide one day for Ben to look at. He says, “it felt like Christmas; looking through the catalog knowing I could choose

anything I wanted.” He remembers taking every class about model rocketry that he could. He learned about building and crafting things – how important it was to craft a rocket to

make it faster and better than everyone else’s.

At the time, he didn’t realize how much those experiences were impacting his future career choices. As a mechanical engineering student at Clemson, and later as a design engineer at Michelin, he traces his success back to what he learned at Roper Mountain, “The critical thinking skills I learned at Roper Mountain - how to think systematically and how to break down problems into simple steps - they laid the foundation for my future success in engineering.”

Benjamin Vaughn Mechanical Engineer and Information Manager, Michelin

1967Roper Mountain site purchased by State of South Carolina for tricentennial celebration.

1974South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism deeds Roper Mountain to the School District of Greenville County “for use as an environmental science center.”

1982Horticulture building – now Harrison Hall – opened.

1985Official opening of Roper Mountain Science Center

1970The “Piedmont Expo Center” opens at Roper Mountain.

1979First permanent facility, Robert Wilson Amphitheater, is dedicated.

1984Roper Mountain Science Center Association established. Minor Shaw is first President.

O U R H I S T O R Y

2018-2019 SCHOOL PROGRAM ATTENDANCE

Susan, a veteran teacher, was an early participant in Roper Mountain’s Science PLUS Institute. She has since attended 3 times and has taught several times over the past few years. “Science PLUS is an invaluable resource to me as a teacher. It has given me the knowledge and materials that have enabled me to teach science in a way that makes it interesting and fun to students.”

Susan says that Roper Mountain is such a great resource for students to come to a local facility where they can experience science in a way that is just not possible in the classroom. “It enables them to see the big picture and experience science in action… so much better than just reading about it in a textbook.”

Susan McCoy 6th Grade Science Teacher, Tanglewood Middle School 2019 Greenville County Teacher of the Year

1987Dedication of Daniel Observatory

1990 Hooper Planetarium opens

2002 Opening of David H. Wilkins Conference Center

2019Groundbreaking for new Environmental Science Center

1988Symmes Hall of Science grand opening.

1993Science PLUS Institute starts.

2017Harrison Hall of Natural Science renovation

49,450 TOTAL

FRIDAY STARRY NIGHTS - 12,0678

BUTTERFLY ADVENTURE - 20,284

LASER LIGHT SHOWS - 5,176

SUMMER CAMPS - 2,273

SECOND SATURDAY - 9,649

2019 PUBLIC PROGRAM ATTENDANCE

EXPANDED PROGRAMS• 15,000 additional students in our hands-on standards based learning labs.• 25,000 students in poverty participating in STEM programs.• 30% increase in middle school participating in learning labs.• 50% increase in public programming and access to exhibits.• 25% expansion in summer camp programs.• Enhanced teacher professional development programs.• New seasonal exhibits available to the public.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTSOur new Environmental Science and Sustainability Center, our first new educational building since 1990, is scheduled to open in early 2021. The Center will provide unique and immersive educational experiences that foster exploration and stewardship of natural resources and engage students and visitors in hands-on learning about personal and global sustainability.

Features of the new building include:• Roper Mountain Orientation: invites visitors to discover more about Roper Mountain Science Center and the Upstate’s natural resources. • Sustainable Future Exhibit: demonstrates how our personal and collective actions influence the future of our community and our world.• Water Story Exhibit: an immersive multi-level experience that visualizes the process of the water cycle through the local Greenville Watershed.• Pledge walls to promote community engagement and display individual stewardship commitments and solutions.• Large, flexible teaching spaces and dynamic animal habitats.• Host a culinary Employability Credential and School-Based Business Enterprise program, a career-based educational program for students with disabilities, in our new on-site kitchen and café.

ENDOWMENT Establish a fund to ensure sustainability and help Roper Mountain thrive for decades to come.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) are critical drivers of the local economy. South Carolina’s economy, and particularly the Upstate economy, is growing rapidly.

At Roper Mountain Science Center we are focused on providing the STEM educational opportunities employers require. We provide young people with the education, experiences, and skills they can build upon to shape their lives and ours.

Unfortunately, we are at capacity at our current facility. Summer camps are full; there is a wait list for programs.

A better tomorrow also requires that we address the complex environmental issues that our modern economy brings. Children and adults need to understand how their individual and collective actions impact the world around us.

To meet this need as well as our growing demand, Greenville County Schools has made a $12.2 million investment to build a new Environmental Science and Sustainability Center on the Roper Mountain Campus. The Center will address capacity limitations and prepare the next generation of students and teachers for successful STEM careers.

The Roper Mountain Science Center Association works hand-in-hand with Greenville County Schools to support RMSC. We are embarking upon a campaign to raise the necessary funds to equip this new building with the exhibits and technology to make it unlike any other facility in South Carolina. We will be able to target middle school students just when they are beginning to establish interests that will shape their future.

“This Environmental Science and Sustainability Center will be a valuable tool, to not just Greenville, but the state of South Carolina. This is a NEED to have.” David Wilkins Former State Representative, Speaker of the House, and Ambassador to Canada

BUILDING A BETTER TOMORROW

ENDOWMENT

GRAND TOTAL

D O I N G B I G T H I N G S O N A L I T T L E M O U N TA I N C A M PA I G N

INVESTMENTOPPORTUNITY

2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 3 Year Total$85,000 $85,000 $80,000 $250,000

EX IST ING AND EXPANDED PROGRAMS

PROJECTED REVENUE

CAPITAL IMPROVEM ENTS

2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 3 Year TotalHands-On Student Learning Labs $2,204,450 $2,522,083 $2,886,056 $7,612,589

Educational Public Programming $1,296,400 $1,409,040 $1,532,944 $4,238,384

Seasonal Exhibits $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $150,000

TOTALS $3,550,850 $3,981,123 $4,469,000 $12,000,973

2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 3 Year TotalGreenville County Schools $2,600,000 $2,678,000 $2,758,340 $8,036,340

RMSC-generated Revenue $891,000 $980,100 $1,078,110 $2,949,210

Memberships, Grants and Donations $385,000 $423,500 $465,850 $1,274,350

2020 Gifts and Grants in Hand $1,342,342 $205,000 $1,547,342

TOTALS $5,218,342 $4,286,600 $4,302,300 $13,807,242

2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 3 Year TotalSchool and Public Programs One Time Needs $275,000 $302,500 $332,750 $910,250

Exhibits and Technology - Environmental Science and Sustainbility Center

$3,000,000

$3,000,000

$16,161,223

$2,353,981

TOTAL EXPENSES $16,161,223LESS PROJECTED REVENUE $13,807,242

RMSC-Generated Revenue

$2,949,210

$13,807,242

Memberships, Grants and Donations

$1,274,350

2020 Gifts and Grants in Hand

$1,547,342

Greenville County

Schools$8,036,340

TOTALS $3,275,000 $302,500 $332,750 $3,910,250

402 ROPER MOUNTAIN ROAD, GREENVILLE, S .C . 29615 | 864.355.8915 | ROPERMOUNTAIN.ORG

O U R V I S I O N T O B E A P I N N A C L E O F I N N O V A T I V E L E A R N I N G ,

A N E N G I N E F O R C O M M U N I T Y E N G A G E M E N T A N D A N A T I O N A L L E A D E R I N S C I E N C E E D U C A T I O N

Roper Mountain

ROPER MOUNTAIN SCIENCE CENTER ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TOMMIE RE ECE , PRES IDENTRE T IRED EDUC ATOR

LES KNIGHT, V ICE PRES IDENTRE T IRED, ERNST & YOUNG C INDY CRICK , SECRETARYN E L SON MULL INS CAROLINE STEWART, TREASURERLOU IS P. BATSON CO.

DAVID LAURSEN, PAST PRES IDENTFLU O R

CL EVE BEAU FORTRE T IRED, BMW MANUFACTURING

GALEN BURDESHAWA BB MOTORS

CHRIS E R ICKSENSY N TERRA CORPORAT ION

RESH G RAMOPADHYECL E MS ON UNIVERS ITY

L INDA HAMILTONRE T IRED PHYS IC IAN

MARK KE ATINGLOCKHEED MART IN

JEFF LAWSONP IEDMONT ARTHRIT IS CL IN IC

SHAVADA LEEAFL GLOBAL

KIM MAZURRET IRED, LOCKHEED MART IN

JAYNE M CCLAINGREENVILLE TECHNICAL COLLEGE

BRIAN M CSHARRYBMC CONSULTANTS

CARRIE NORELLZF TRANSMISS ION

MATT RUSSODUKE ENERGY

WALKER SMITHBON SECOURS ST. FRANCIS

MARISA TRZEMZALSKISELF EMPLOYED

BENJAMIN VAUGHNMICHEL IN NORTH AMERICA

MADISON WILSONGE POWER