Message from Mary A. Levens, Executive Director
2023 right now this new year seems so futuristic! Yet here we are. 2022 was an amazing year for science education and discovery. The very gorgeous and exciting glimpse of the stars we received from the James Webb telescope showed us views of our universe we could only predict were there.
We practically lived in a science fiction movie as we shifted the trajectory of an asteroid with a spacecraft from Earth. And, this year represents our 45th Anniversary of providing quality STEM education to students and lifelong learners in Spartanburg! An entire year of celebrating science and our community of learners lies ahead.
The Spartanburg Science Center did all we could to keep our doors open during the pandemic, moving forward and designing lessons and experiences for when the students, teachers and parents of Spartanburg County would return! And…you are back, and we are so glad to see you! Our animals are glad to see you!
During a typical year the Science Center team conducts over 500 educational programs, which serve more than 20,000+ children. Thanks to the generous partnerships we have extended our space to include the Milliken Learning Center and the Contec Media Center where we host a monthly student-lead podcast and educational video studio as well as our Little Scientist Classroom.
- We provide more than 20 Summer Camps for ages 4-12
- We’re the largest provider of programming to Kid’s Club of the Upstate (formerly Boys & Girls Club of the Upstate) now supporting Spartanburg County and Cherokee County.
- We serve every school district in Spartanburg County
- In 2022 we launched our inaugural Stepping into STEM program for children ages 4-6 to spark passion and creativity for learning STEM through interactive activities and experiments. All lessons are rooted in the South Carolina Science standards.
- We host a nationally renowned Community Aviation Program that has served over 60 students ages 16-20 with the Downtown Airport.
2023 is the year to explore what Spartanburg, Chapman Cultural Center and the Spartanburg Science Center offers to our residents and visitors. We would love to welcome you to our Third Saturday Family Free Day if you want to explore for the first time, and if you just want to begin 2023 with something different, come on by! We are open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11 am -3 pm. Please consider joining us!
We are beginning preparations for our Lego Expo for teams of children 6-10 years old in March and our famous science summer camps for the summer of 2023! There is a lot to experience in science in Spartanburg.
Come by and explore!
Sincerely,
Mary A. Levens., Executive Director
