The Rosenthal Museum of Natural HIstory is now open at Portland High School.  That is thanks to Sam Rosenthal, a 1971 Portland High School graduate who has donated a collection of fossils that include ammonites, ancient alligator jaws, massive teeth of megalodon and dinosaur bones.

The Museum will be used to enhance instruction in biology classes.  It will also be open for scheduled visits from K-12 classes across the district with the  hope of sparking new interest in natural history.

“Every child loves dinosaurs,” Rosenthal said.  “A lot of people lose their interest as they grow older.  I never lost my interest.  Dinosaurs are what got me into science”

Rosenthal is a dinosaur-hunter who spent over 35 years writing and designing software at NASA, MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory and Raytheon.  He helped develop the computer science curricula at Portland High School.