Story by student reporter, John Maichele

Of all the unique sights I could witness, I didn’t expect to see one on a school day. On Monday, Aug. 21, both students and teachers of Thomas County Central High School observed a partial solar eclipse. Despite not being in the path of totality, it was still a sight to behold.

Students, faculty and staff dispersed to various locations across campus; since my class was placed in the media center, I was sent to the school’s front lawn. Many people kicked back and relaxed as the eclipsed sun peered out from beyond the sparse clouds. The temperature around me dropped slowly over time: cool, but not entirely cold.

Using my school-supplied, NASA approved eclipse glasses, the moon blocked out the sun just enough that it looked like an orange and cartoonish-looking crescent. I was lucky enough to get a few photos of the phenomenon by putting the protective lenses over my phone’s camera. The photo made the eclipse appear like an orange flashlight in the dark.

The event was spectacular, one that most of the school hadn’t experienced before. Expectations were pretty high for the eclipse and who could blame them? The eclipse was the highlight of my day. I saw a lot of students throwing their glasses away, but I’m keeping mine as a souvenir of the time I observed my first eclipse.

What are my thoughts about the eclipse? It is an event that doesn’t occur as often as a full moon and I’m lucky to see one for myself. As a kid, I didn’t get out much. Now that I’m older, I am overjoyed to witness something as spectacular as this. Not only is it a story I get to tell people in the future, but it’s also one more thing I was able to do in life. I thank the school for letting me add this eclipse to my life’s story.