On April 8, the St. Louis area will be in the path of a solar eclipse. While the Pattonville attendance area will not be in the path of complete totality, our schools will experience a partial eclipse, with St. Louis reaching 98% totality around 2 p.m. To prepare for this rare opportunity, Pattonville is making preparations so that students can experience this event in a safe and educational manner.
The eclipse is being called the Great North American Eclipse because it will fall over more places in the U.S. than the total eclipse before and after it. Additionally, the length of the path of totality is wider and will also pass over more cities and densely populated areas than the 2017 path did than it was for the eclipse in 2017, which was the last time a solar eclipse was visible across the United States. The next total solar eclipse to occur in St. Louis will be in 2505.
Pattonville students will learn about the solar eclipse leading up to April 8 and watch a video on eye safety. Students and staff who view the eclipse will have certified viewing glasses provided by Pattonville. This will allow individuals to view the solar eclipse safely. At no point during the eclipse is it safe to view without certified solar eclipse safety glasses. Looking directly at the sun is unsafe and, because the area will not see complete totality, the only safe way to look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as the eclipse glasses provided by the district. Parents/guardians must submit a permission form for their child to view the eclipse.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, completely covering the sun and casting a shadow on the Earth. The eclipse is expected to start around 12:42 p.m. and end around 3:17 p.m. with the Pattonville area reaching 98% totality around 2 p.m. Student dismissal is not expected to be impacted by the eclipse.
Seventh graders in Danica Johnson’s class at Remington Traditional School will have a unique opportunity to experience the totality after a student-led, in-depth project led to a special field trip. In the fall, students were learning about the solar system and space, including the sun/earth relationship when the topic of the solar eclipse came up. Learners were curious about the event, which led them to investigate the path of the eclipse and inquired if they could see it. The students investigated the distance to different totality locations and all aspects of planning a field trip, including the cost of renting a bus to Ste. Genevieve, a timeline of when they’d need to leave school and what else they might be able to do there to tie into their learning. Through this research, they determined this could be a reality and put together a presentation and presented it to their principal, Dr. Don Furjes, who signed off on the trip. To learn more, watch the video here or on the player below. To find out more about the student-led learning model work happening at Remington, click here.
Find out more
The National Solar Observatory (NSO) eclipse map
https://nso.edu/for-public/eclipse-map-2024/
NASA website on the solar eclipse
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/
NASA eclipse fact sheet
https://science.nasa.gov/learn/heat/resource/total-solar-eclipse-fact-sheet/
Watch Remington's journey to totality