Making science come alive for his students is a main goal for Steve Arthur.

"We do a lot of hands-on," said Mr. Arthur, who teaches students from kindergarten through eighth grade at Our Lady of Peace Catholic School in North Augusta.

Mr. Arthur's classroom is full of life. A wading pool is home to several turtles; an iguana, a snake and fish have a place in the room, as do many plants.

He is building a greenhouse outside the school.

Allowing children to experience what they are learning helps them retain that knowledge and is more important than the rote memorization style he followed in school.

Even the science-fair concept was a little different under Mr. Arthur last school year.

The pupils turned the school's auditorium into a rainforest. Small groups researched animals and plants of the rainforest.

Some pupils served as tour guides leading people through the forests and sharing their knowledge.

Mr. Arthur hasn't always been a teacher. He spent several years as a medical research scientist for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

"When the (Iraq) war started, they pulled the grants for our research," he said.

Mr. Arthur had been working on a teaching degree during his time in research because he knew he wanted to eventually be in the classroom.

Outside the classroom, his interests lie with flowers. A past vice president of the South Carolina Orchid Society, he is an orchid grower and has made about a dozen trips to South America to procure plants.

Reach Charmain Brackett at charmain.brackett@augustachronicle.com.