Charles County Commissioners Candice Quinn Kelly and Ken Robinson got a chance to tour the new James E. Richmond Science Center at St. Charles High School Tuesday, June 17 with Principal Richard Conley and Superintendent of Schools Kim Hill. The facility features state-of-the-art technology available to incoming students and the community alike.
The predominant feature is “Science on a Sphere,” a large interactive globe that allows viewers to experience real-time weather, view air traffic flights worldwide and even view storms of the past, such as Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the East Coast in 2012. Data for the globe, enclosed in its own room near the entrance of the school, is provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Dr. Kimberly Hill, Superintendent of Schools for Charles County, said that St. Charles will only be the third high school in the nation to have “Science on a Sphere.”
“One thing to point out about the new school is that it will be open to all Charles County high school students and after hours it will be open to the community. Any time the building is not used by students, it will be open to the community and senior citizens. Adults are going to be here as much as our kids,” Hill said.
Another feature of the Science Center is a 184-seat planetarium, again, a feature that will be available to the community as well as the students of the new high school.
Monique Wilson, director of the James E. Richmond Science Center, said they have slated 15 programs to be shown throughout the school year and that the center would be available to Charles County citizens.
“We will have several programs beginning in the fall, where the community can come and view the moon,” Wilson said. “On September 21, we will have a storyteller telling stories about the constellations. In October, we will view the full sky and in November, we will focus on the history of flight.”
“It’s great you’re talking about the community,” Robinson said. “In addition to being a great school, this is a great community asset.”
“We’re trying to be all inclusive,” Hill said.
“It’s really exciting,” Kelly said.
The new school will encompass almost 30,000 square feet, said Principal Richard Conley.
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