All one could hear Monday, August 21st was, "Don't look if you don't have the special glasses!" The occasion? The first total eclipse since 1918. Our part of the country, however, wasn't treated to the full spectacle; the closest we will get won't happen for 7 more years, April 8 2024, when the path of the total eclipse includes two of our adjacent states: Ohio and Pennsylvania.
For those who had never experienced an eclipse, it was both exciting and interesting. The sights from across the country varied vastly. The states near the West Coast in the "Path of Totality" witnessed about 2 minutes and 40 seconds of total darkness. Here in Clarksburg, we watched the moon make its way around the sun, leaving us with a crescent shaped ray of light. Darkness didn't come as many had assumed; however, it did become a dreary gray outdoors.
Across the country from Kentucy to Oregon, six months ahead of time, avid sun-watchers reserved hotel rooms for the event. Then, at 1:10 p.m., silence. For many, this was their first sight of an eclipse; others recalled an event from 1979, but only those in the most north western states caught a glimpse.
Students throughout the school were able to view the phenomenon through projection in the theatre, compliments of Mrs. Moore. Others, in the classes of Mrs. Cook and Mrs. Bryant, were given glasses and taken outside for the view. If you missed it, never fear: the next one is only 7 years away! The general consensus was, "It was the coolest natural event" many have seen.