PORTVILLE, N.Y. — Schools across Erie and Niagara Counties are closing for the total solar eclipse, but in Cattaraugus County, Portville Central School will be moving classes to make sure its students are in school for it.
For 7th grader Cora Warters, the total solar eclipse is something she doesn’t plan to forget.
“I know they don’t come around often, so it’s our one chance to see it,” Cora said. “I just want to hang out with my friends and make it a memory to have with each other.”
However, in Portville, which is just north of the Pennsylvania state line, the peak of the eclipse is set to happen at 3:20 p.m.
“Normally our students would be getting off the bus at that time,” Superintendent of Portville Central School Tom Simon said.
Simon feels that he couldn’t let his students miss this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Instead of closing for the day, he’s changing the school’s entire schedule, so every one of the kids can have a fun day to celebrate the eclipse and watch it happen together.
“We just thought it was a great opportunity to do something fun with the students and have them learn about something that is actually happening,” Simon said.
On April 8, school will start 3 hours later at 10:45 a.m., and rather than dismiss kids at their normal time at 2:30 p.m., school will run until 4:05 p.m.
“We wouldn’t be able to do this without the fact that our faculty and staff is so accommodating, willing, and dedicated to make something fun happen for the students,” Simon said. “They’re willing to flex their schedules.”
Portville bought 1,475 pairs of eclipse glasses, one for everybody in the school.
Then, all the students can gather and watch the eclipse together outside the building.
“It’s a cool opportunity, because some schools don’t do that,” said 6th grader Ryleigh Work.
“I like that we get to stay at school and look [at the eclipse] with the people we know,” said 6th grader Samira Muhyee.
“I don’t think I’d actually know what’s going on if I wasn’t here to see it,” said 7th grader Kyla Hendryx.
“I get to hang out with my friends to see it instead of going home early,” Warters said.
A memory just under two months away, that these kids won’t soon forget.
