Over 40 middle school students from St. Pius V joined Sister Josemaria and several faculty and parent chaperones on a trip to Vermont and New York State to view the recent solar eclipse in totality on April 8. The group made the five hour bus ride and slept at the church hall of the Immaculate Heart Parish in Middlebury, Vermont without the distraction of cell phones, enjoying those hours conversing and bonding with their classmates. They went to bed late and rose early, attending 7:30AM Mass in honor of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of Our Lady. The bus crossed Lake Champlain, and the group viewed the eclipse from Crown Point State historical site. The snowcapped Adirondack Mountains to the west, the Green Mountains to the east, and the ruins of old French and British forts on the embankment of Lake Champlain made the middle schoolers feel like they were in The Lord of the Rings. A total eclipse cannot be captured in words; it must be experienced. Delayed by traffic on the trek home, one 6th grader yelled out, “This trip just keeps getting better and better!” It was a memorable trip for all.
The remainder of students who did not travel to Vermont to view the eclipse were invited to a solar eclipse watch party on the blacktop at St. Pius V School. Dozens of students drank Sunny D and ate Moon Pies, then gathered with their families on the blacktop with their solar eclipse glasses to view this natural wonder.