NOTE: For a video of the event, click here
By John Rohlf
The Message assistant editor
Prior to the April 8 total solar eclipse in the Evansville area, students at Corpus Christi School in Evansville were provided information on the eclipse from a professor at the University of Southern Indiana.
Dr. Kent Scheller, professor of physics at USI, educated students at Corpus Christi during a presentation April 5, three days before the total solar eclipse.
Scheller’s presentation continued Corpus Christi’s efforts to educate students leading up to the anticipated April 8 total solar eclipse, according to principal Andrea Greaney. She said Corpus Christi did lessons in their science classes at all grade levels prior to April 8.
“They get to hear from another perspective, an expert in the field about this event that’s once in a lifetime obviously for all of us,” Greaney said.
Scheller noted the Evansville area had a partial solar eclipse in 2017. He said total solar eclipses occur every 18 months on the Earth, but we do not see most of the total solar eclipses because we do not live on water.
Scheller stressed to the students the importance for the students and anyone viewing the solar eclipse to wear the special solar eclipse glasses. He said if those viewing the solar eclipse did not wear the special solar eclipse glasses, it had the potential to burn their retina.
“So if Archie (USI mascot) here is not wearing these glasses, looking straight at the sun, that really, really bright light is going to get focused on your retina,” Scheller said. “And what can it do to your retina? It can burn it. We don’t want that to happen.”
All the schools in the Diocese of Evansville were closed April 8 to allow students and their families the opportunity to view the total solar eclipse. Some schools were closed for the day, while some schools, including Corpus Christi School, utilized a virtual learning day.
All students at schools in the diocese received glasses to view the total solar eclipse. The glasses were donated to the diocesan schools by WFIE-TV Channel 14 News.
“They’re really excited. We’ve been talking about it for a long time. So they’re just ready to see it happen,” Greaney said last week.
