From Textbooks to Starlight: Witnessing a Solar and Lunar Eclipse in Person at Nichols Middle School

At Nichols Middle School in Evanston, the experience of seeing a solar and lunar eclipse for the first time was nothing short of breathtaking. The science teacher, Ben Apter, had been preparing his students for this moment for months, but nothing could have prepared them for the sheer awe they would feel as they witnessed the celestial event in person.

On the day of the eclipse, students gathered on the school lawn with their solar glasses at the ready. As they watched the eclipse peak, they could hear themselves reacting with “oohs” and “ahhs” as they took in the incredible sight before them. One student, Anna Naidech, was particularly excited to see something she had only read about in textbooks before.

The class was not just content to view the eclipse from afar; they wanted to experience it firsthand. They gathered on the school lawn and watched as shadows grew darker and cooler during the eclipse. Despite being outside of totality, students were still amazed by how much they could see and learn from this experience.

Before experiencing the eclipse, students had visited the Adler Planetarium to learn about how and why these events occur. Seeing it happen in person brought their science lessons to life in ways that no textbook or video could ever hope to achieve. Even though it wasn’t perfect, students felt grateful for having witnessed such an incredible phenomenon and were already looking forward to their next chance to see another one in person.