Local Queensbury Elementary Students to Experience Total Solar Eclipse on Field Trip

Two third-grade classes from Queensbury Elementary School are preparing for a field trip to view the total solar eclipse on April 8. Teachers Kathy Edwards and Samantha Horowitz will guide the students to SUNY Plattsburgh, a location directly in the eclipse's path. Queensbury will only see a partial solar eclipse, but the students will see the full event at Plattsburgh.

The trip, paid for by parents, includes a charter bus ride, room rentals, a buffet lunch at the college, and matching T-shirts designed by the school's art teacher, Jen Spath. Edwards is looking forward to the trip and mentioned that 12 parents will join the students on the bus, with 13 more cars following.

Edwards sees the trip as a learning opportunity, where students can understand the causes of eclipses, the difference between solar and lunar eclipses, and how the Earth, moon, and sun interact. She also plans to demonstrate how animals react during an eclipse. The students are already excited about the trip, having watched videos of the 2017 total solar eclipse.

Besides the eclipse viewing, the trip will give the students a taste of college life. Edwards thinks this is a unique chance for the students to learn about this astronomical event and for teachers to explore astronomy.

The New York State Education Department supports this initiative, seeing it as a perfect learning opportunity. The next total solar eclipse in New York won't happen until 2079, making this a unique experience for the students. Edwards hopes the students will gain a deeper appreciation for nature through this experience.

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