Cardigan Mountain School A junior boarding and day school for boys in grades 6—9

Cardigan Community Experiences Solar Eclipse

Solar Eclipse
 

Time out of time–– those moments when daily events and routines are interrupted, when time takes a step sideways, expanding, bracketing itself off from the rest of our linear record. Often moments like these are personal––weddings, funerals, graduations. But on Monday afternoon over 30 million people, spread out across 15 states and three countries, were in the path of the total solar eclipse. Time stood still as the sky turned dark and millions of Americans stopped everything and looked to the heavens.

While Cardigan was not in the path of totality––the official percentage was 98.4––we were fortunate to have a cloudless sky to witness the celestial event. In the morning between classes, students heard from guest speaker Dr. Malcolm Wilkinson––an amateur astronomer and father to math teacher Morgan Wilkinson––and for lunch the community was treated to special solar eclipse-themed cookies. The sixth graders also created working models of the eclipse and used the real sun to generate their own shadows on a Play-Doh Earth.

Solar Eclipse at Cardigan

See more photos of Cardigan experiencing the 2024 Solar Eclipse
 

By 3:00 p.m., the community had gathered on the lawn outside Clark-Morgan. From faculty, staff, and students to faculty children who had the day off from school to the school’s furry four-footed residents, everyone was there. As the temperature dropped and the sunlight dimmed and turned silvery, we all put on our glasses and looked to the sun. Cameras, phones, and telescopes captured the event, which last took place in New Hampshire in 1959 and won’t take place again until 2079.

Sixth Graders Build Solar Eclipse Models

Cardigan's Sixth Graders Build Solar Eclipse Models. See more photos
 

As the sun began to return to normal shortly after 3:28 p.m., the community returned to its routine, heading off to athletic practices and back to email correspondences. But as everyone departed, science teacher Meredith Frost collected their solar eclipse glasses; she’s planning to collect as many as possible and donate them to an organization that will send them to school children in northern Africa where the next total eclipse will occur in 2027. They too will get to experience one of those once-in-a-lifetime events when time stands still.

Video: Highlights of the 2024 Solar Eclipse at Cardigan

 

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