Students at Hampshire Regional Schools headed to Vermont for eclipse

WESTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – The total solar eclipse is just a few hours away, capturing the hearts and minds of the country on Monday.

Three charter buses full of middle schoolers and a few high schoolers from Hampshire Regional Schools are bound for the path of totality in Northern Vermont. Teachers tagging along told 22News they have been covering the eclipse in science classes for the last week and the students are excited to see it for real.

More than 150 students returned permission slips for the event, which is well above the original limit of 100 spots on the buses.

“Before the morning bell, we had 115 signed up, so we scrambled and found a third bus. It’s just amazing to see the passion of the kids and how excited they have been. The science teachers have been doing lessons with them, there’s just such a buzz about it,” said Chris Butler, a Hampshire Regional teacher.

Traffic on 91 North as they left this morning was much heavier than usual in Southern New England, and will likely make for a messy rush hour southbound on Monday with the eclipse wrapping up around 4:30 p.m. Those Hampshire Regional buses are headed for Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

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Duncan MacLean is a reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since 2019. Follow Duncan on X @DMacLeanWWLP and view his bio to see more of his work.

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