Donor pledges to match $600,000 in gifts for new science lab, equipment
An anonymous donor has pledged a gift that is hoped to yield up to $1.2 million for Greenwood Laboratory School at Missouri State University. The challenge gift is part of a $2.5 million campaign to build two 1,800 square foot modern, flexible laboratory environments that offer state of the art science technology at the lab school.
More than $1.3 million of the $2.5 million campaign goal has been raised to date. All new gifts and pledges made before July 1 will be matched by the donor up to a total of $600,000. If enough gifts are given to match the challenge, it will complete the goal for the campaign.
“This project is really gaining momentum and we want to encourage parents, alumni and friends of the school to take advantage of this very generous gift,” said Brent Dunn, vice president for university advancement at Missouri State.
The $2.5 million campaign also includes transforming former science space into an elementary science center for Greenwood. The innovative lab space will provide an environment for inquiry based learning, problem solving and hands-on experiments for students in kindergarten through grade 6.
When the work is completed, Greenwood plans to offer opportunities for area students and teachers.
“This campaign will move us into the state of the art science facility and curriculum for kindergarten through 12th grade,” said Greenwood Director Janice Duncan. “Once finished, we will also be offering Summer Science Scholars’ Academy that will address curriculum from a number of science professions. The first planned academy will be ‘Health Care Advances – The Twenty-First Century in Action.’ This will be an opportunity not just for our students, but for all students from the area as well.
“Greenwood students, Missouri State students and science professors, and Summer Science Scholars’ Academy students from Springfield and across the state will benefit from the science education and research opportunities available. The Summer Science Scholars’ Academy in the summer will also include training workshops for area science teachers,” added Duncan.
Duncan anticipates that students and teachers will begin to use the new facilities in 2011.
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