Wiscasset Elementary School students Jace McArdle, Ronan Jewell, and Tyler McLaughlin enjoy the eclipse on Monday, April 8. (Photo courtesy Becky Hallowell)
Emelia Underwood takes in the eclipse on Monday, April 8. (Photo courtesy Becky Hallowell)
After months of planning, students from Wiscasset Middle High School and Wiscasset Elementary School drove to the Opal Myrick School in East Millinocket to experience the total solar eclipse.
Fourth through fifth grade students prepared for this trip by learning the science and mythology behind eclipses, as well as the geography of the path of totality. The students boarded a bus from Northeast Charters and mini busses early on Monday, April 8 for the journey that would create lifelong memories.
Students knew they were close to their destination when they saw snow-covered Mount Katahdin. When they arrived at the Opal Myrick School, they engaged in eclipse trivia games and activities as they awaited the beginning of the eclipse.
Once the eclipse began everyone created similes about what they were witnessing. Excitement grew as totality approached and the countdown began. A roar of cheering began as the diamond ring effect marked the arrival of totality. The students jumped and danced, overjoyed as they witnessed this once in a lifetime phenomenon. They ran up to teachers to show their goosebumps from the drop in the temperature and admired how the sky had changed.
As totality ended and the sky brightened once more, everyone began sharing their reactions to this amazing experience.
Fourth and fifth grade students returned to school a bit tired but excited the following day and immediately began working on posters to summarize all they had learned building up to and one the day of the eclipse. Their learning spread throughout the curricular areas as they used math and geography to plan the trip, science to understand what was happening, and literacy and history to explore how people interpreted causes of eclipses in the past.
The students look forward to sharing their learning at the next school committee meeting.
