Solar eclipse provides plenty of teachable moments for area schools

Mekiell and Raven Cox viewed their first solar eclipse together.

Mekiell went to Alexander II Magnet School on Tuesday afternoon to watch the cosmic event with her fourth-grade daughter.

“I figured this was the best place to come since it would be educational,” she said. “This is a very memorable experience.”

Students in every grade level at Alexander II completed educational eclipse activities, such as building pinhole cameras out of cereal boxes and drawing their solar eclipse observations. Across the school yard, “wows” and gasps were audible as students put on their special glasses and looked to the sky.

“It helps them to understand our world. It makes learning so relevant,” said Jennifer McMahan, who teaches gifted students at the school.

The eclipse grabbed the students’ attention and will serve as a “remember when” moment for them for years to come, said Mark Friar, the school’s science lab teacher.

Bibb schools — along with Baldwin, Bleckley, Crawford, Dooly, Houston and Putnam counties and Dublin city schools — dismissed students late to ensure safe viewing and extended learning opportunities. Jones, Laurens and Monroe counties dismissed students around lunchtime.

Stratford Academy students and teachers gathered on the school’s soccer field to witness the eclipse, and Georgia Military College’s Prep School took students to the football field. At Tattnall Square Academy, students were allowed to wear solar eclipse T-shirts or a “spirit dress” and bring blankets to sit on while watching outside.

Grades one to 12 at First Presbyterian Day School viewed the eclipse together on campus. Students in the school’s lower grades practiced using their eclipse glasses last week.

Middle school students at Mount de Sales Academy went to the Museum of Arts and Sciences for a planetarium show in the morning, and they did activities with solar glasses and pinhole viewing cards in the afternoon. Upper school students viewed the eclipse through a telescope with a sun filter and used handmade pinhole viewers.

Some schools, including Cirrus Academy Charter School and the Academy for Classical Education, opted to keep students inside and watch the event online because of safety concerns. However, about 100 older ACE students traveled with teachers to Columbia, S.C., which was in the “path of totality.”

Cirrus students and teachers were encouraged to wear black outfits to represent the “black out,” and students enjoyed snacks including Moon Pies and Oreos while watching the eclipse on NASA’s website. The school is preparing a time capsule to be opened during the next total solar eclipse in 2024.

Some schools and districts granted excused absences in case families wanted to share the experience together.

This story was originally published August 21, 2017 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Solar eclipse provides plenty of teachable moments for area schools."