By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Just because schools across the region will be closed on the day the total eclipse of the sun occurs, that doesn’t mean kids won’t be learning.
And thanks to some donors, Bowling Green City School students will all be able to view the eclipse safely.
The district has been able to purchase close to 10,000 eclipse glasses, thanks to efforts of Bowling Green City Schools Foundation securing $7,500 from the Bowling Green Community Foundation’s Waggoner Family Fund, and another $1,000 from Union Bank Co.
BG Middle School science teacher Melanie Ferguson is coordinating the eclipse education and disbursement of the glasses for the district. The donations, she said, will help ensure that all students, teachers, support staff and others can safely view the eclipse on April 8.
“It was a perfect alignment,” Ferguson said. “Just like the eclipse, everything lined up perfectly.”
The glasses are necessary to view the total eclipse without damaging eyes. Though viewers may not feel it, the UV rays from the sun are just as intense during the eclipse, she said.
All the district teachers are being instructed on how to prepare students for the eclipse, with a safety slide show to be played in classrooms. A flyer is being designed for students to take home, so parents understand the importance of the eyewear.
Plans are still being formed on how to distribute the extra eclipse glasses.
“As far as I’m concerned, no pair of glasses will be sitting in a box unused on April 9,” Ferguson said.
The Waggoner Family Fund was created to honor Dr. Charles A. Waggoner and Mary Lou Waggoner, both life-long learners and teachers. The fund supports the development of scientific investigation and science literacy in students of all ages and abilities.
Waggoner, who died in 2002, taught science in local schools for 30 years, including Bowling Green, Elmwood, Grand Rapids and Cygnet. He retired in 1979, and later taught aspiring science teachers at Bowling Green State University.
Joe Edens, president of the BG City Schools Foundation, said the Waggoner family and the school foundation wanted to make sure students could view this rare event.
“Our whole idea was – it’s a big moment, perhaps the only time kids can experience it,” Edens said. “To be in the full path of totality in Bowling Green – we want to make sure every student and teacher has a pair.”
Over the weekend, Edens dropped off 3,000 of the eclipse glasses to be distributed at the Wood County District Public Library. Glasses will also be available at Union Bank.
“We want to make sure our entire community can participate,” he said.
Many schools along the eclipse path will be closed on April 8 because of the disruption expected that day. Projections have the eclipse lasting approximately four minutes – but creating hours or days of chaos in the regions sitting in the path of totality.
The Bowling Green area should expect a huge influx of those looking to experience the event, with Jeff Klein of the Wood County EMA projecting the population to triple for the event. He expects 260,000 additional people to come to Wood County, with a majority of them viewing Bowling Green and BGSU as a recognizable place to be for this experience.
The Bowling Green City School District is taking advantage of turning the eclipse into an educational experience in every class – from science and ancient myths to music and artwork.
“Every teacher in the district is doing something to bookend the event,” Ferguson said. “We’re taking all the layers and piecing them together.”
After the eclipse, the district will hold an event to show the community all its space-themed activities, on April 23, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., in the middle school.
