June 2020
Your monthly news & updates
Our Mission
To ignite the natural curiosity of all learners to explore and shape their world
MOUNTAIN UPDATES
As a facility of Greenville County Schools , we are following current state-mandated social distancing recommendations and are remaining closed for all public programs until further notice. Please check our website or social media for details on when we will re-open to the public for special events. 
Membership
We are grateful for your ongoing support and want you to know that you will not lose any time on your membership. Once we re-open, our membership coordinator will extend your membership to make up for the time our facility has been closed. 
Summer Exploration Camps
We’ve received a tentative approval for July and August camps to take place! The safety of your children and our staff are our primary considerations, which means that there will be changes to the camps we can offer. We will announce an updated camp schedule as soon as possible, as we evaluate what programming we can offer while following social distancing guidelines.
DEPARTMENT UPDATES
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY BUILDING UPDATE
Lighting has been turned on throughout the new facility over the past month. Additionally, construction on flooring, the skylight, and siding has begun, and kitchen equipment installation is underway. 
MOUNTAIN HIGHLIGH T - HARRISON HALL OF NATURAL SCIENCE
Look for this new Megalodon display in Harrison Hall of Natural Science when we re-open. This display features six 3-D printed shark teeth of the extinct Megalodon shark, which was the largest shark to ever live. STEM Teacher Joe Blizzard printed the teeth from a 3-D file from a single shark whose real teeth can be found at the Florida Museum of Natural History. 3-D printing can make exact plastic copies of fragile or valuable objects for detailed study. 
 
Thanks to our volunteer fossil hunter Lee Cone and Meg Expert for the 3-D file and information, and to former Earth and Marine Specialist Dr. Brandis Hartsell for creating the display.
We’d like to introduce you to Roper Mountain’s newest resident – a blue tongue skink. Native to Australia and New Guinea and found in open woodland and forest area, this skink is at home in the Rainforest Classroom and came to us from the Greenville Exotic Animal Rescue. They have very smooth scales and small legs for their body size, meaning they are better at digging and burrowing than climbing. These omnivores live 15 to 20 years and are 18 to 24 inches long. They are one of the largest skinks and will hiss and fully extend their blue tongues to scare off predators when threatened. They are usually calm and make good pets (very similar in behavior to bearded dragons).
OTHER PROGRAM UPDATES
Science on Wheels assembly programs are still available to visit camps, summer school libraries, community groups and day cares this summer, however, due to the risk of spreading COVID-19, our Starlab and Workshop programs are not available until further notice. Virtual programs are also available either via direct link to a single site, or to the homes of students and patrons for that site. Contact Jennifer Romatelli for more information.
DID YOU KNOW?
… our Tropical Rainforest was created in an existing greenhouse? Upon entering, you walk through a giant Rainforest Ficus (Strangler Fig) Tree, which represents an emergent tree in the rainforest. This faux tree creation was done with rebar and wire lathe, which is then covered with cement, then coated with a plaster mix, and finally painted. The sculptor, John Carlson, also created our Banyan Tree and waterfall, and has other projects all over the world – including Disney Wild Animal Park and Sea World.
SUPPORT THE MOUNTAIN
Spread The Word About Roper Mountain
Please consider visiting our Facebook page, TripAdvisor page, Google listing and / or Yelp page to leave a review and help us spread the word about all that we have to offer.
Give Back To Roper Mountain:
Have you considered making Roper Mountain one of the charities you support? Without donations, we wouldn’t be able to invest in the hands-on, story-based lessons children come to know and love when here for school field trips; we wouldn’t be able to be the “place of yes” for visitors who attend our public programs; and we wouldn’t be able to invest in our current and future workforce in the community. Please consider making a gift to Roper Mountain today.
AmazonSmile
What if you could contribute to science education without spending a dime? Go to Smile.Amazon.com and choose Roper Mountain Science Center Association as your charity. Bookmark the site – which looks exactly like the regular Amazon site – so that when you make your normal purchases, we will be credited.
THANK YOU COMMUNITY PARTNERS!
Visionary:
Duke Energy Foundation
Fluor Foundation
Greater Greenville Sanitation
Greenville Water
John I. Smith Charities
The Jolley Foundation
Ernest and Betty Lathem
Lockheed Martin
Michelin Charity Golf Tournament
Piedmont Arthritis Clinic, PA
ScanSource
Symmes Foundation
 
Explorer:
Community Foundation of Greenville
GE
Greenville Evening Rotary Charities, Inc.
Bill and Jean Schmidt

Voyager:
BMW Manufacturing
South Carolina Charities, Inc.
Wells Fargo Foundation
 
Adventurer:
Aeronix, Inc.
Chick Fil-A of Pelham Road
Milliken
Ron and Tommie Reece
State Farm Insurance

Innovator:
AFL Global
Fluor
ZF North America, Inc.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
We welcome feedback on what you like to read about or see more of when you visit Roper Mountain. Email Amanda Lenar to share your thoughts.