Every year, Rita Ciambra has asked her students to take out their phones and put a date in their calendars.
“Even in 2018, when I was teaching at my last school, I was like, ‘OK guys, April 8, 2024. It’s a Monday. Whatever you’re doing, try to get out of it and go into the path of totality so you can see the total solar eclipse,’” Ciambra said.
She teaches an astronomy elective and other science classes at Peoples Academy High School in Morrisville, which will be in the path of totality during next week’s solar eclipse.
Two years ago, she convinced her principal there to buy eclipse glasses for every student. This week, the school will finally hand them out.
Ciambra had invited her astronomy class to stay on campus watch through solar telescopes as the moon stared to move in front of the sun. They were planning to set up in front of the school, on a hill next to a small observatory built in 1931 that still works.
“It’s the only public high school I know that has an observatory,” Ciambra said.
Those plans changed, when the district announced that school would be canceled for the eclipse, along with several others in the region.
But for Ciambra, it doesn’t matter if students are at school or somewhere else for the eclipse.
“Mostly I’ve just encouraged them, just be somewhere you can see it," she said.
"Take the glasses and use them because for some people, this might be the only opportunity they have to see a total solar eclipse, and it’s life changing.”
Maple Newlin, a senior in her class, will certainly be watching.
“I am really, really excited to see the corona of the sun and the chromosphere,” she said.
“When the moon eclipses the sun completely, you can see sort of the pink chromosphere and you can see the corona, which is the outermost atmosphere of the sun.”
On a clear evening later this spring, Ciambra hopes to open the observatory in front of the school for a public viewing night.
It’s a reminder that you can stare into space in wonder even after the eclipse.
Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.
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More eclipse resources
- See our eclipse liveblog for the latest updates.
- Watch our half-hour educational TV special, "Path to Totality."
- See our interactive map of the eclipse path.
- Plan for road closures around the state.
- Get updates on the weather forecast for Monday.
- Emergency management officials share travel and communication tips.
- Where to find eclipse glasses.
- Learning guides for preK-12 educators.
- Details on our live event in St. Johnsbury and other events around the state.
See all of Vermont Public's 2024 eclipse coverage.
