Introducing Starlab at River Trail Elementary

Fort Mill School District Students get ready to blast off when Starlab visits your school. Starlab is an inflatable, mobile planetarium that will travel to Fort Mill schools, providing limitless science lessons covering topics such as star constellations, sunrise and sunset patterns, lunar landings, and meteorology. River Trail Elementary's fifth graders were the first to explore outer space with Starlab.

Greg Probost, the science coordinator for the Fort Mill School District, serves as the instructor during the Starlab sessions. He asserts that this resource is invaluable for enhancing classroom instruction. “It allows us to offer exciting, hands-on activities to our students. The amazement observed in their eyes upon entering the StarLab for the first time is remarkable. We transition from day to night, exploring the cosmos and zooming in on stars, which provides students with an experience that would otherwise require a visit to a conventional planetarium. Thus, it is advantageous to bring this opportunity directly to the students.”

The Starlab mobile planetarium was funded through a donation from The Foundation for Fort Mill Schools. These unique science presentations increase accessibility and save money compared to traveling to local planetariums.

Fifth grader Ava from River Trail Elementary won the design competition for the Starlab logo. Her winning design surpassed over 850 entries from students across the Fort Mill School District. The logo will be featured on stickers given to each student who visits Starlab.

For the 2025-2026 school year, first-, fifth-, and eighth-graders will have the opportunity to visit Starlab at their respective schools and gaze at the stars.