BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the students at Buffalo's PS 17 have been hard at work learning all about April's total solar eclipse.
"We've been writing essays about the solar eclipse," says Ava Rodriguez, a fourth grader at PS 17. "I know that the solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the sun and earth casting a shadow over parts of the earth," she added.
Ava also knows that to safely look at the upcoming celestial event you need protective glasses.
That's why Friday was a big day, as Ava and her classmates had a chance to try on eclipse glasses for the first time.
"It's the sun and you can see nothing else but the blackness and the sun when you look at it,' said 4th grader Alice Jarmusz pulling her eclipse glasses down over her eyes. "It's going to be really cool."
And it's not only PS 17 students that will have the opportunity to safely experience the eclipse. Every student in Buffalo Public Schools will now receive solar eclipse glasses.
Buffalo State University and M&T Bank were on hand at PS 17 on Friday to announce a donation of 50,000 pairs.
"This really gives our children in our community, who really are our future, an opportunity to explore more around STEM, dig into what it's like to have an eclipse, what science and exploration really looks like," said Eric Feldstein, President of M&T Bank Western New York.
"We do a lot of work with STEM in the Buffalo Public Schools, and we start in kindergarten, so this fits right into that," said Dr. Tonja Williams, Superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools.
Equally as important as the eclipse glasses themselves is the education on how to use them correctly.
"You should wear eclipse glasses for the full time you are going to look at the sun that's not in totality," said Andrew Reynolds, Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at UB's Jacobs School of Medicine.
Reynolds says parents should make sure the eclipse glasses they and their kids are using meet ISO 12312-2 standards, like the ones that were donated Friday, to prevent eye damage.
"It's an international standard that filters over 99 percent, filters 99.9 percent of light from the sun. Those are the only safe glasses for the eclipse," said Reynolds.
Another tip for parents is to make sure the glasses fit your child correctly as most eclipse glasses come in only one size.
"What we are telling young kids to do either the parent or the child can actually hold them at the temples and brace the glasses so they are not sliding off," said Reynolds.
Reynolds says planning ahead and making sure you have the right glasses is key.
All across Western New York, there are several eclipse-related events planned and 7 News has compiled the events we are aware of which you can find here.
