Community prepares for total solar eclipse
The History and Science
By Noah Rhea
Solar eclipses have been fascinating humanity for centuries, and Fairbanks Schools are no exception. This month will highlight what Fairbanks is doing to honor this historic April event. This eclipse is a celestial event that occurs when the moon passes between the earth and sun, casting a shadow onto Earth’s surface. Due to the varying distances of the moon and sun from Earth, the shadow is only about 300 miles wide, and it happens to be passing over Ohio for the first time since 1806. The earliest observations of a solar eclipse date back thousands of years, with the first recorded instance in 2137 BCE. The Ancient Chinese believed that the eclipse was the result of the sun being eaten by a heavenly dog or dragon and would bang on drums to ward off the celestial being. The Ancient Greeks believed that the eclipse was a punishment for the king from the gods. In the days before an eclipse, they would round up captives and execute them in hopes that their king would be spared. With the science we have today, most people know better than to blame the event on the Gods, but we still have much to learn about this fascinating phenomenon.
Fairbanks gives students learning pathways
By Wyatt Stice
Due to potential for traffic impacts and the historic nature of the eclipse, Fairbanks Schools superintendent Mr. Adham Schirg is taking steps to allow students to experience it. Through listening to other schools, Mr. Schirg came to a conclusion that students may find very exciting. On April 8, “Eclipse Day,” students will stay home and complete a project relating to the eclipse. Mr. Schirg says, “The Eclipse Planning Committee has designed several learning opportunities for students leading into the eclipse, but want student focus to be on experiencing the eclipse,” in a memo shared with the staff. There has been lots of talk about how the school should go about the day of the eclipse, especially since the best time to see it is right about the time school gets out. Panther Pathways is a system that the district has implemented previously for special situations. Students will be provided with choice activities to help guide their experience of the eclipse, while still being able to learn. Mr. Schirg is doing not only what is best for the students, but for the staff and community as well; this is a big event, and students and staff will be able to come together to experience it.
The local, statewide economic impact
By Jack Nicol
Ohio will be a hot ticket on April 8th! The estimated number of people that will visit Ohio for the eclipse is anywhere from 139,000 to 556,000. Ohio will be a popular destination because it is on the path of full totality. It is a much bigger event than many people realize. Tons of people will be visiting the state from the Saturday before through Monday just to be able to see this once-in-a-lifetime eclipse. The main parts of Ohio that will draw the most attention are north. Cedar Point said that they will open for a day for people to watch the eclipse. Joe Savarise, CEO of the Ohio Hotels and Lodging Association, said there are 700 hotels in the state that are within the path of totality in Ohio. An additional 731 hotels are in areas of the partial solar eclipse. There are also several campgrounds and other rentals, such as Airbnbs and VRBOs, open for stays. Almost 70% of these hotels are booked for the weekend of the eclipse. With all of the hotels and stores that visitors will be shopping it was projected that Ohio could make one billion dollars. This will be a very exciting event that Ohioans will not get to witness again in our current lifetime, so plan ahead and make the most of it!
Science classes dig into rare phenomenon
By Noah Endicott
To prepare for Eclipse Day, students have been working on projects in their science classes over the past month. High school biology teacher Crystal Tebbe discussed the students’ projects. Students of all grade levels will be involved in the projects by eclipse day. The younger students have been gifted books from teachers with information about the eclipse. Both freshman and sophomore students are working in groups at least one class period each week to develop a presentation for an eclipse fair for younger students. Some groups have even been working during their study hall classes. “Overall, this eclipse project is an authentic learning project. Authentic learning projects are projects in which the audience is outside of the classroom and the students are driving the information. The freshmen and sophomores have picked topics related to solar eclipses and the sun. They were separated into groups based on which topics interested them. The topics range from Viewing the Eclipse Safely to How Animals Act at Night. Topics also have to be tailored for age groups.”- Mrs. Tebbe. The eclipse projects bring all age groups together for a fun learning experience.
Seniors of the Month recognized
By Sara Hayer
One of March’s seniors of the month is Anna Lynch. She was nominated by Mr. Rob Riddle, the FFA teacher, who said, “She is a leader in our organization and is a hard-working student.” This leadership and effort is seen through Anna’s academic and extracurricular activities. Anna has participated in volleyball, basketball, FFA, Student Council, National Honor Society and 4H, with her favorite being FFA. After graduation she plans to attend Capital University to major in nursing, with the goal of becoming a travel nurse in the future. She is looking forward to finishing college, getting married and starting a family. One of Anna’s favorite things about Fairbanks has been knowing everyone due to a small class and small school, and she described her senior year as exciting, tiring, and chaotic. Some of the best advice she received that helped her through high school was to stay organized and to take College Credit Plus classes. Anna was very excited to be chosen for senior of the month, and would like to thank her parents and grandparents for being supportive and always listening.
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By Zavier Payne
This month’s second senior is Rachael Hoover. She plans to attend college at Bowling Green, where she will run track and major in exercise science with a goal to work in cardiac rehabilitation. After college, she plans to live in a colder climate and work a job in health care. She also wants to continue running, with the goal of running a marathon one day. Rachael has been in the Fairbanks community her whole life. Coming into senior year she was very excited because she was looking forward to all of the fun activities and her classes. She gets a bit sentimental when talking about it, just because she has been with these people all of her life. One of her favorite memories was the nine-day trip to Panama with the Spanish Club last summer. She said it was cool to experience different cultures with the people she is closest with. Racheal would like to thank all of her teachers and coaches throughout her whole thirteen years. She said they helped her gain confidence both academically and athletically. Racheal was nominated by government teacher Mr. Patrick Cotter and he said, “Rachael is an amazing person, student, and representative of Fairbanks. Rachael represents Fairbanks in many clubs and on athletic teams, she works very hard to be a great student along with being very successful in her extra curricular activities as well.” Congratulations Rachael Hoover!