On Monday, April 8th, Oyster River students were thanking the stars for an early dismissal as the sun and the mood aligned in totality for the first time in over a decade. The Oyster River School District had an early release on the 8th for a once in a lifetime opportunity. Many students traveled north to see the 2024 Solar Eclipse in its totality.
A few of those who went to see the global phenomenon in its totality had plenty to share with those who stayed local. Some students just enjoyed having a short day of school, while others didn’t go to school at all in order to experience this once in a lifetime event enduring traffic and crowds.
Keira Johnson (‘24) who traveled to Lancaster, NH, discussed her experience watching the total eclipse saying, “It got so dark that you could see stars in the sky and you could also see all the automatic street lights turned on. It was cool to see that and then, [when] it actually happened, it just looked like there was a white light with just a hole in the middle.”
Laura Boughton (‘26) watched the eclipse at Little River Park. “It was kind of uneventful. Everybody was so excited, but it just got a little dark.” That was the trend of many students who watched from around here though some wished they’d seen it in totality.
Totality reached New Hampshire just north of Berlin. However, some students traveled all the way to Canada to watch the eclipse, like Grace Kasper (‘25). She highlighted her experience saying, “We went to a super cute little town where we ended up watching it over a little pond, and it was super peaceful and nice.”
The eclipse was a “surreal” experience for some, including Saketh Kantipudi (‘24), who skipped school and traveled to a hill in Vermont with two of his friends. Aside from the actual scientific experience of the eclipse, which he thought was fascinating, Kantipudi had a more personal experience. “The drive up was pretty fun—we were talking—and it gave us the perspective that sometimes you have to sit through five hours of traffic for something good.”
Many other students who traveled to see the eclipse also highlighted the amount of traffic they got stuck in on the way home. “It took us like three and a half hours to get back [from Lancaster, NH], which isn’t that bad compared to other people,” Johnson said.
One of those other people she’s referring to is Kasper, who spent 13 hours in traffic. “The traffic after was the worst I’ve ever seen,” she began. “There were just so many people, it was crazy, but it was also the calmest traffic I’ve ever seen. Everyone was so sweet, and we heard not a single honk.”
Everyone who saw the eclipse in its totality thought it was an incredible experience but many of those who stayed at home, including Boughton, said “I would be fine if I didn’t [watch it].”
Addie Toye (‘24) watched the eclipse from her house in Durham and said, “I didn’t realize it wasn’t going to get fully dark here.”
A common theme from not only those who traveled to totality, but also those who stayed local, was the level of excitement and community that emerged from this shared experience. It’s not often that we, as a community, come together and all pause to look at the same thing, but that’s exactly what happened. The next total solar eclipse isn’t until August 23, 2044.
– Delaney Nadeau
Mouth of the River 
Leave a Reply