Lawton students take science class outside

Hundreds of students across Lawton Public Schools brought their science lessons outside Monday to witness the total solar eclipse — a celestial event that will not occur again in this country for another two decades.

At Pat Henry Elementary, Makerspace teacher Elizabeth Chestnut said her STEM students have been looking forward to the event for weeks. The Makerspace elementary classes at all LPS sites focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics projects.

“They’re really excited, especially since this is something that doesn’t happen often,” Chestnut said. “A lot of them are really interested as to why it goes so dark and what causes it. They definitely get to learn more about our solar system and how it works, as well as just how our planets align and that the Earth is constantly spinning.”

For the eclipse, the American Astronomical Society recommends wearing glasses with solar filters adhering to international standard ISO 12312-2:2015. The filters on solar glasses are significantly darker than standard sunglasses to protect the wearer’s vision.

“It’s really cool because I see the moon but I don’t see the sun as much,” Pat Henry kindergartener Angel Kirkland said. “I didn’t know that this could happen!”

According to NASA, the Lawton-Fort Sill area had an estimated 94 percent eclipse coverage as the moon passed in-between the Earth and the sun. The students witnessed the near-total coverage at around 1:40 p.m.

“It’s awesome because this only happens once in many years,” Pat Henry second grade student Travis McCollough said. “I can’t wait 20 years for the next one, and my classmates can’t wait for 20 years. This is just awesome, so awesome.”

NASA stated the next total solar eclipse that will be viewable from the contiguous United States will be in August 2044.