On April 8th, students throughout the Sioux Falls School District witnessed the solar eclipse when the sun peeked out through the clouds. The Education Foundation partnered with Hy-Vee and Midco to provide more than 3,000 eclipse glasses so that students at Ben Reifel, Edison, McGovern, Memorial, Patrick Henry, and Whittier Middle Schools could safely view the phenomenon.
Sixth grade students particularly enjoyed the experience because they had been studying solar and lunar eclipses as part of their science curriculum. The last solar eclipse that was visible in the United States occurred on August 17, 2017, but it was overcast and raining that day in Sioux Falls (and school was not yet in session), so this was the first time to experience this for most students. According to NASA, the next solar eclipse that will be visible in the contiguous United States will not happen again until 2044.
Students were able to see the eclipse for a few seconds, and there were shouts of “Wow, look up, look up!” and “There it is! That’s so cool!” Educators enjoyed sharing information with students and incorporating eclipse-themed lessons in the week leading up to the event.
