Your Monthly News & Updates | | |
Our Mission
To ignite the natural curiosity of all learners to explore and shape their world.
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AFTERNOON EXPLORATIONS
Afternoon Explorations is open every Thursday and Friday from 1:30PM-5:00PM (last entry at 4:00PM) During each visit you’ll have the opportunity to explore some of your favorite parts of Roper Mountain including Environmental Science Building, Harrison Hall, the Living History Farm, Pirate Playground, and so much more!
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Join the Roper Mountain staff and Greenville Soil and Water on Thursday, April 17th to celebrate our planet Earth! Visitors will be able to engage with various Earth related activities, games, and can pick up free seeds!
| | FRIDAY STARRY NIGHTS
Fueled by Fluor | | Members: If you are unable to attend your scheduled showtime, please contact us at 864-355-0805 by 2:00pm Friday so your reserved seats can be made available to other patrons. | | |
THE BEST EVER PI DAY PARTY
The Roper Mountain Science Center Association’s 3rd annual Pi Day Party and Auction were held on Tuesday, March 11th, in the Environmental Science Building. Over 225 people attended the event, which featured hands-on science demonstrations from Roper Mountain Staff, music from the Fine Arts Center Jazz Ensemble, great food from Greenville Schools Food and Nutrition Services, and a fabulous online auction featuring over 70 gift packages!
This year’s event raised over $50,000 to support Roper Mountain’s programming, helping us fulfill our mission to ignite the natural curiosity of all learners to explore and shape their world. Thanks to all our guests, Association Board members, and sponsors for their support. We look forward to seeing you again next year!
| | ROPER MOUNTAIN ANNIVERSARY | | |
The Roper Mountain Science Center Association:
Driving Growth and Innovation
By the early 1980s, after years of planning, Roper Mountain Science Center was on the verge of becoming a reality; but turning vision into action required strong leadership and financial support. Recognizing this, Dr. Kenneth Hobbs was appointed as the first full-time director in 1981, steering efforts toward key projects such as the restoration of the historic Princeton telescope and the construction of an observatory.
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To further support these initiatives, GCS Superintendent, Dr. J. Floyd Hall, established the Roper Mountain Advisory Council in 1982, a coalition of parents, educators, and business leaders dedicated to advancing the center’s mission.
The council played a crucial role in securing resources, with members like Harriett Goldsmith of the Junior League and Percy Terry of the Pleasantburg Rotary Club bringing their organizations’ support. A major success at the time was the Scientific Lecture Series, launched with a high-profile talk by Apollo 13 Commander James Lovell, which helped elevate the center’s visibility.
As momentum grew, a pivotal shift occurred in 1983 with the hiring of Darrell Harrison, whose leadership proved instrumental in shaping the center’s future. Harrison, along with the Advisory Council, developed an ambitious Master Plan that envisioned new facilities and immersive learning environments.
Recognizing the need for sustainable financial backing, Harrison spearheaded the formation of the Roper Mountain Science Center Association (RMSC Association) in late 1983.
The RMSC Association immediately became the driving force behind fundraising, volunteer efforts, and membership growth. The Advisory Council, having laid the groundwork, dissolved, passing leadership to this new organization. With the association’s efforts, Roper Mountain Science Center expanded its reach, securing the funding and support necessary to grow into a premier educational institution for Greenville County and beyond.
Under the RMSC Association’s leadership, with community philanthropist Minor Shaw at the helm as its first president, fundraising efforts flourished, enabling the development of new programs, exhibits, and facilities that would benefit not only Greenville County but also the entire Upstate region. Their work secured vital resources, ensuring Roper Mountain’s role as a premier hub for hands-on science education. The association’s unwavering dedication has left a lasting impact, cementing Roper Mountain Science Center’s reputation as an innovative educational institution.
| | Spring is in the air and summer is not far behind! Our new greenhouse is allowing us to grow food for our cafe, seedlings for our farm gardens, and flowers for our popular Summer Adventure activities. | | |
In fact, the greenhouse has allowed us to harvest tomatoes already! We typically don’t begin harvesting our tomatoes from our farm gardens until mid-June. Looking for recipes that will utilize your crop?--try this amazing Tomato Pie recipe (see below) from our very own Amanda Perez, RMSC’s Cafe and FANS training manager.
Time to plant! For Greenville, SC, the average last frost date, according to Clemson Extension, typically falls between March 21st and April 3rd. So that means it’s time, gardeners! Time to get outside and get growing! Need some tips for your spring garden? Check out advice from Clemson here: https://news.clemson.edu/garden-ready-tips-for-spring-vegetable-prep-and-planting/
And be sure to join us this summer to experience Butterfly Encounter in our greenhouse where you’ll be surrounded by native butterflies enjoying all of the gorgeous flowering plants! Happy gardening!
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Amanda’s Tomato Pie
· Pre bake a deep dish pie crust of your choosing.
TOMATO FILLING
4 lb. vine-ripe tomatoes (about 12), cored, seeded, and diced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup whole basil leaves
TOPPING
1/2 cup DUKES mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
Tomato Filling: Toss half of the diced tomatoes with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Set them over a colander to drain while you get everything else ready, at least an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium sauté pan or skillet, melt the butter and then add the onion and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium-low heat until deeply caramelized. Add 1⁄4 cup of water to the pan, scrape up the browned bits of onion. In the end, you’ll have a scant 2/3 cup of caramelized onion.
- While the onions are caramelizing, toss the remaining diced tomatoes with 1/2 teaspoon salt, thyme, and olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a sheet tray with as much room separating the individual pieces as possible. Slide the tray onto the middle rack of your oven and roast for 30-35 minutes. The tomatoes will be dry and a little brown.
- Once all the tomatoes and onions are done, stir everything together.
- Stir together the mayonnaise, fontina, and Parmigiano. Spoon the tomato filling into the crust. Top with the cheese mixture and tomato slices. Bake in the middle of your oven for 30 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve hot or at Room temp.
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Do You Know that apathy is one of the greatest threats to our natural world? In Last Child in the Woods, author Richard Louv introduces the term “nature-deficit disorder”, not a medical diagnosis, but a way to describe the growing gap between kids and nature, and the consequences. Never before in history have children been so plugged in and so out of touch with the natural world. Kids spend more time glued to iPads or screen time, than time outside. Most kids today are better able to identify cartoon characters or corporate logos than plants and animals in their own backyard. This disconnect or lack of interest in our natural world begs the question –If they don’t know it exists, will they care if something happens to it?
At Roper Mountain during field trips in our Natural Science and Environmental Science labs, we are helping to provide a solution to this apathy by teaching thousands of children about our natural world. Our Nature Exchange program is another way we are trying to solve this “nature-deficit disorder” by encouraging families to go outside to bring back items from nature and trade for other natural items. Teaching kids and raising awareness about our natural world hopefully will create interest in preserving and conserving nature in the future.
To celebrate Earth Day this month, how about spending a little more time outside or plan to visit during our Afternoon Explorations and upcoming Summer Adventure!
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This month's Volunteer Spotlight actually goes to our wonderful Intern Caroline Hoerl! Caroline goes to Brashier Middle College and has been interning all school year with us at Roper Mountain. You may see her smiling face during Afternoon Explorations on Thursday and Friday afternoons, greeting you in the Marine Lab or introducing you to a snake in our Rainforest Lab. For her internship project, she created an incredible kids Activity Book on Reptiles and Amphibians, and even published it on Amazon. We are working to start selling it in our Gift Shop, so stay tuned! It would be a great activity to do with your kids during your visit to Roper Mountain, since we exhibit many of the animals highlighted in her book. We are so lucky to have Caroline interning with us and enhancing our guest experience every Thursday and Friday afternoon. Make sure to say hi and ask her about her book next time you visit!
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Members receive 10% off all t-shirt and hat purchases. Mention that you are a member to receive your discount.
PLUS earn an additional 25 points each time you wear your t-shirt to Nature Exchange!
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Spark Good
Walmart recently launched Walmart Spark Good Round Up where customers can round up their purchases to the nearest dollar and donate the change to their favorite charity. We would love for you to choose Roper Mountain Science Center as your charity to receive these donations every time you shop on Walmart.com. Just select us from the drop down menu when you checkout!
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Give Back to Roper Mountain
We appreciate your consideration in making a donation to support our mission to help lay the foundation for future successes for school and public programming.
Make a gift to Roper Mountain today.
| | THANK YOU COMMUNITY PARTNERS | | |
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Visionary:
BOSCH Community Fund
The Daniel-Mickel Foundation
Dodge Industrial, Inc.
Fluor Foundation
Fluor Golf for Greenville
Greenville Water
Lockheed Martin Corporation
ReWa
South Carolina Farm Bureau
Explorer:
BMW Manufacturing
GE
SEW-EURODRIVE
Voyager:
Arthrex Charitable Foundation
Audacy Communications
Greenville Federal Credit Union
Jeff Lawson
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Adventurer:
AFL Global
Bank of Travelers Rest
Bannon Foundation
Brian Cauthen
John R. and M Margrite Davis Foundation
HDR, Inc.
Moons Drug Store
Ryobi Power Tools
ScanSource Charitable Foundation
TD Charitable Foundation
The Timken Company
Upcountry Fiber Foundation
Vulcan Materials Company
Innovator:
Broad River Electric Charities
Greenville Master Gardeners
Bonnie Jilek
Piedmont Natural Gas
Publix Super Market Charities
| | We welcome your feedback. Email Roper Mountain to share your thoughts. | | | | |
