MVUSD students learned all about the rare celestial event dubbed, "The Great American Eclipse" using special glasses, viewers, and live feeds.
At Armada Elementary School, fourth-grade teacher Stephanie Steele provided special viewing glasses for her class. After about a week of science lessons studying the causes of eclipses, the students had the opportunity to view the event through the glasses.
Physics and engineering students at Valley View High School researched the pinhole projection method of viewing the eclipse and then created their own versions to see what worked best. The students gathered on the football field for the morning to test and adjust their viewers to make the best projection of the sun partially covered by the moon.
"This is a lifetime memory and they will want to remember where they were when 'The Great American Eclipse' happened. They want to be able to tell everyone in their lives and their future that they got to see it," said Valley View Physics and Engineering teacher Stacy Katzenstein.
At Badger Springs Middle School, students also made pinhole viewers. Science teacher Eric Palomino set up a telescope with a solar filter so students could safely see the eclipse. Students also had the chance to take turns using approved solar glasses.
All students at North Ridge Elementary School had the opportunity to see the eclipse thanks to the Roadrunner Booster Club. The club purchased solar viewers for each student.
Art students at Vista Heights Middle School took a fun approach to the pinhole viewer by making it the shape of California with a hole to project the moon on the locations of Sacramento, the capital, and Moreno Valley.
It was a day of excitement and hands-on learning that students will remember for years to come.