Many students on the day of the eclipse didn’t show up to school or left during the day in order to experience the eclipse somewhere else, me being one of them.

Being a student that goes to North Tech during the day, I was able to experience the eclipse in a totally different way.

At North Tech, my cosmetology class went to Ackerman, a school next to the campus, to help younger children safely view the eclipse.

My “buddy” was only 10 years old, so once it got dark out, she kinda got scared but was also bouncing with excitement.

I know at Pattonville High School, many students took blankets with them and sat outside for about an hour watching the moon cover the sun, but at North Tech/Ackerman, we all stood around while the kids and other high schoolers played on the playground.

Everyone was in awe once it slowly became darker outside and birds and crickets started chirping.

Unlike at the high school where all students got customized Pattonville solar glasses, all the younger students got the chance to personalize theirs.

I helped the students in the class put paper plates on their glasses and cut out the nose and eye parts of the plate. There were so many decorative masks and glasses just for a 2-minute event.

Overall, it was nice to experience what may be considered a monumental moment with my friends instead of being in class and learning about it in my science textbook.