David Siahaan ’27
The eclipse was great. This is the most people I’ve ever seen on the Great Lawn at once. I really liked how everyone was playing soccer, or spikeball, or throwing a frisbee. It was just a really great time when everyone in the community got together… [The All-School Meeting (ASM)] was very informative. I was able to see the eclipse in 2017, but getting to know more about eclipses and the lovely presentation with the Sun, Moon, and the Earth was really informative and well-thought-out.
Jayda Lu ’26
We went to Jackman, Maine, about a twenty-minute drive from Quebec… The eclipse quite literally looks like something that you might see in a movie. If I didn’t know it was a solar eclipse, I would have thought it was a world-ending event because it’s so different from what you normally see in the sky. When there is totality, I can look straight up into the sun, and it’s as if there’s almost a black hole up there… It was definitely worth the 17-hour drive, even though we got back at 2:00 a.m. It’s unlike any other natural event and I was so grateful to have the opportunity.
David Xie ’25
I thought it was memorable because events like this don’t happen very often. It’s so cool how, without the eclipse glasses, it seems like you can’t see anything when you’re just looking at the sky. [The changes] in the sky aren’t that noticeable without the glasses. It’s cool to see the sky with the eclipse, it looks different than it usually does with the darkening in the middle of the day… All of my friends went out on the lawn and it was really cool to experience [the eclipse] together.
Anni Juusela ’24
We have some blankets [on the lawn], and my friends and I are just spending some time together on the lawn. We had the glasses on, that’s very important, and it was very cool to see the eclipse. I think this was the first eclipse that I actually tried to come and see outside. There [were] a lot of people on the lawn, so there was a great atmosphere. I’m so glad that the weather is so good today, so we could see the sky clearly.
Margaret Tsien ’26
The eclipse was pretty cool. The first time I saw the eclipse, I was nine and it was during a day camp. We were on the playground, and they made us look through trash bags… It’s definitely a lot more fun than my first time seeing the eclipse. When I was a little kid, I wasn’t really sure what was happening. But with last week’s ASM and now that I understand what’s happening, it’s a lot more fun. This experience was pretty fun, I definitely enjoy seeing this with my friends.
Jasjit Hargun ’27
I came here from home — I’m a day student. We mostly looked at the sun while doing homework at the library. I don’t live that far away and this eclipse isn’t that common. We also had a telescope set up outside the [Paresky Commons] steps and it was cool to look through them and see the sun magnified. [It wasn’t] that different, but it was still cool. This is my first good solar eclipse [viewing], I saw a really partial one a few months ago.
Wendi Zheng ’24
All my friends sat around and tried to do homework, when in reality we couldn’t really [focus well]. We were on the lawn, and there were a lot of people. We all brought the glasses from ASM and passed them around because we didn’t have enough, but we ended up all being able to see the solar eclipse anyway. The eclipse was a lot cooler than I expected, mainly because I wasn’t expecting to be able to see much, but the sky actually dimmed. It’s also nice to see it on the Great Lawn. Everyone was looking up at the same time and I felt very connected with the Andover community.
