Nate W., a 10th grader at Christel House Indianapolis describes his class assignment to capture photos of a total solar eclipse as “mesmerizing.” Michael Sullivan, Commercial Photography Instructor, prepared his students on how to safely capture the eclipse images and what to expect. “I’d say all the students thought it was very cool.”
Sullivan captured the event through his own camera lens (pictured above.) “Students were free to shoot the partial eclipse, the totality, even people looking at the eclipse,” he says. Students reviewed and shared all pictures that were submitted.
Alex Dafforn, an Apprentice Teacher in IndyTeach, a transition-to-teach Christel House program, co-teaches middle school science at Christel House Indianapolis. “As a science teacher, I felt it was especially important for me to discuss this rare scientific phenomenon with as many students as possible. This included in my regular science classes but also with students outside of the room, at lunch and between classes, in hopes of driving excitement towards the event.” The preparation worked, and the class discussion after the eclipse was fulfilling for the teacher. “This was one of the most engaging discussions we have had this year. It was wonderful to see so many of my students excited about what we all saw.”
Even the youngest Christel House students were swept up in the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Emilio, a first grader (pictured left), shared his teacher explained the eclipse to his class as the moon moving in front of the sun, while third-grade student Adrionna (right) proclaimed the total eclipse experience was “very good.”