Bronx River students and staff watched as a rare celestial event, a solar eclipse, took place across North America on April 8. During the event, the moon passed directly between the earth and sun, which cast a shadow across the Northern Hemisphere.
At 2:15 pm during 8th period, the school gathered outside on the football field. Some students sat on the ground while others stood up. To safely view the event: You had to wear solar eclipse glasses and so the school distributed pairs to both staff and students for a safe comfortable watching experience. People put on their eclipse glasses excitedly, and eagerly watched as the moon started to move across the sun’s face. The teachers also joined in, sharing this memorable experience moment with their students.
Fahim Chowdhury, a senior, enjoyed the experience. “I feel privileged because this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,’’ he said. He says his favorite park was when the sky went dark because it was beautiful. He is looking forward to the next eclipse because “I want to watch it with my family and kids.”
As a science teacher, Sabrina Alkayfee, is always excited about sharing phenomena surrounding science with her students and her son. And the eclipse was no exception.
“It’s pivotal that kids are a part of this experience because they won’t be able to see it with their families, so it could be seen with peers,’’ she said. She described the experience as a beautiful moment to share with students and see their excitement.
Not everyone was impressed. “I’ve never seen a solar eclipse before,’’ explained physical education teacher Joseph Shinn. He had expected something more exciting: His thoughts once it was over was, “When did it even start? But it was something new. Afterward, everything went back to normal. The sun came back out and the weather went back to normal.”
Physical education Dominick Pellettieri, on the other hand, enjoyed this experience, saying his favorite part was the beginning because he likes the heat the sun emits.
The Bronx experienced a partial eclipse while other parts of the country, including Dallas, experienced a full eclipse. Justin Chapura, an ELL teacher, eager to view the full eclipse traveled there with seven friends. Although this was his third time viewing the eclipse, this one made him anxious because he feared the experience might be ruined by the weather or a poor viewing location.
Luckily, the group found a spot in Sulphur Springs, where they were able to set up their equipment. He said this eclipse was special due to the fact the moon was a super moon which means it appeared larger.
Chapura, who keeps track of eclipses, says the next one will be in two years in Spain. And then in August in three years, there will be another eclipse spanning Northern Africa and a tiny part of southern Spain and he plans on watching this event as well.
