Admin advises against unprotected solar eclipse viewing
August 21, 2017
As Monday’s solar eclipse approached, Roseville High School administration discouraged students and staff from stepping outside during second period to watch the moon shroud the sun.
Teachers and administrators worked together to balance excitement and safety during the eclipse’s peak hours, mandating signed permission slips and protective eyewear in order for students to observe the celestial event. Science teacher Darcee Durham found the opportunity to weave the eclipse into her biology curriculum.
“The eclipse is super exciting because it doesn’t happen very often,” Durham said. “In class I showed a little video about what the eclipse was and how it affects animal behavior, since we’re learning about biology. Then we brought our solar glasses outside and we watched the eclipse.”
Students whose classes prepared for the event observed the transit at its climax, while others missed the eclipse entirely.
“I was in the gym for P.E. and we weren’t allowed to go outside,” freshman Ella Jordan said. “I was kind of bummed out, I thought it was going to be cooler for me.”
Sophomore Jackson Young was glad to have experienced the solar eclipse.
“It’s a pretty cool thing to see,” Young said. “I do feel like they’re missing out a little bit.”
According to Durham, her students fully expected to observe the eclipse, despite warnings from administration through e-mail and Monday’s morning announcements.
“It was listed on our agenda so we knew that we were going to talk about it and come outside,” Durham said. “There wasn’t a lot of anxiety that they weren’t going to get to see it.”