St. Mary's in Edwardsville uses Solar Eclipse Fair to educate students

EDWARDSVILLE - The recent Solar Eclipse Fair was a hit with all the K-8 students at St. Mary's School in Edwardsville.

St. Mary's students joined students around the region learning an abundance amount about the solar eclipse, which peaked in the area about 1:19 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017.

Volunteer parents and eighth-graders worked at 12 different booths around the gym that each taught a different lesson about light, solar eclipses, and planetary science, the St. Mary's Principal Diane Wepking said of the event before the eclipse.

"I loved seeing the students translate what they'd learned at Friday's Eclipse Fair into a real understanding of the Solar Eclipse on Monday. It was a true STREAM event - Planetary Science viewed through UV-ray-blocking Technology (glasses) and engineered pinhole viewers, appreciated in the context of an Artistic masterpiece created by God, measured mathematically to determine our degree of totality! What a fantastic way to kick off the school year!"
- Mrs. Diane Wepking, Principal

"I think the students had a great time observing the eclipse. They seemed to take wearing the solar glasses seriously and understood the importance of taking breaks from looking up into the sky. I overheard several comment that when they looked up at the sky it wasn't what they had expected to see. I think the eclipse fair gave them good background information going into the actual eclipse on Monday. One of my students even thanked me for bringing the class outside. That was pretty cool."
- Mrs. Kirsten Tucker, Junior High Science Teacher

"I'm glad I got to watch the Solar Eclipse with my class. It was much cooler than I thought it would be, and it got dark enough for the street lights to come on and crickets to start chirping. We even saw a star!"
- Drew Villhard, 6th Grader

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