Every time the sun peeked through the clouds, North East ISD fourth and fifth graders stomped their feet on the bleachers at Comalander Stadium. The cadence of stomping almost sounded like a drum roll every time the students got a clear view of the once-in-a-lifetime event. But that cloud cover only added to the darkness as the moon fully eclipsed the sun for nearly a minute, resulting in excited screams, oohs, and ahhs.
But it wasn’t just a spectacular spectacle but an incredible learning opportunity. NEISD’s Space and Engineering Technologies Academy (SETA) and NASA hosted the event. Through our partnership with NASA, students got a message from an astronaut, learned about UV rays from a University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Professor, and got a visual lesson from our very own NASA Instructional Coach Izaak De Leon.
“It was really cool despite the clouds,” said ninth-grade SETA student James Ennis. “It was great to bring all these elementary schoolers here to experience this with us. I feel honored we got to help them out here.”
Ninth-grade SETA students worked with the elementary students to make UV bracelets so they could understand what was happening to the sunlight during the eclipse.
An unforgettable learning experience #theNEISDway
The SETA magnet school program offers students curriculum focused on in-demand, high-paying engineering and aerospace careers. SETA’s historic Space Act Agreement with NASA provides a NASA employee on site to provide our students access to NASA-created lessons, activities and exclusive access to event not available to the public. Learn more about SETA.
