It was an exciting afternoon throughout Ann Arbor Public Schools as students and staff donned their safety eclipse glasses and looked up to the heavens for their glimpse of the Great North American Solar Eclipse.
The weather was perfect for a memorable opportunity for students to experience the eclipse, said Amy Deller-Antieau, the district’s Science Department Chair for Grades 6-12.
“Students were genuinely curious and able to answer all sorts of questions about that was happening,” she said. “Some were surprised at how slow it progressed, some gave detailed explanations about why the moon could block all or part of the sun despite being smaller than the sun and the Earth. As we got closer to dismissal and closer to the max eclipse things got increasingly festive.”
It was a true celebration of nature and science, she said, adding: “We are really grateful we could work with our partners to give all of our students a chance to feel like they were a part of this event and conversation happening across the country today.”
The Great North American Solar Eclipse lasted four minutes as the moon passed between the sun and Earth, blocking out daylight. Ann Arbor missed Monday’s total solar eclipse, but did experience a 98.8 percent complete eclipse, with the maximum magnitude at 3:13 PM. Locally the eclipse began at 1:57 PM and ended at 4:26 PM.
The Michigan Schools & Government Credit Union (MSGCU), which recently opened a branch on Stadium Boulevard, donated 20,000 eclipse glasses to the district, which allowed all students and staff the chance to safely look directly at the eclipse.
Leading up to Monday, the district created lesson plans for elementary school teachers, including special materials for those in grades that don’t typically include units on space. Middle and high schools provided safety information and brief information about eclipses during advisory or other designated class periods.
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