In April of 2016 the Saber reported on things to expect from the then coming eclipse of 2017. Much like the year, however, the eclipse has come and gone. But with its appearance many impressions were left among the people of Columbia.

Nasir Greter, 10th grader, was simply at him home preparing for dinner when it happened. “I’d say it was completely magical and it was pretty cool, because it was my first time [seeing an eclipse],” said Greter. Greter added that due to the impact of the eclipse, he would make an attempt to see the coming eclipse of 2024 in New York. “[I saw it] with my dad, mom, step mom and step sister,” said Greter.

It seems that there are many people who opted to see the eclipse with their family. Hannah Cross, 9th grader, was in her backyard with some close family and friends. “It was a new thing for everyone,” said Cross. “It was great being there with them [grandparents] especially. I don’t see them too often since they live far away,” said Greter. When she saw the eclipse, she recounted that she was “awestruck.” “It was beautiful and way better than anything I could’ve ever imagined.”

“I think it was just like a peaceful time, and it was a time where everyone just stood back and kinda marveled at the beauty of the earth we have,”

While plenty felt fond of the experience, Amanda Stiglbauer, Government and Economics teacher at RNE, admitted that her first impression wasn’t too highly. “I think I realized what all the hype was about. I thought that it was ridiculous like everyone else that it was so highly publicized, I felt like it was just a publicity stunt or a way for businesses to earn a lot of money,” said Stiglbauer. “It was just the economist in me.” However, as the eclipse occurred she slowly began to grasp how special the moment was. “I think it was just like a peaceful time, and it was a time where everyone just stood back and kinda marveled at the beauty of the earth we have,” said Stiglbauer. “And the people I was with, they weren’t on their cell phones, y’know, we weren’t hooked into technology and we were just with each other. It was really neat.”

The eclipse may have disappeared for a while, however, the impression is left was one to last a lifetime. “It makes me wanna see another if there’s an opportunity again, see another one because it was just really cool,” Stiglbauer said. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long. In 2024, another eclipse is scheduled to occur with a path from Maine to Mazatlan, Mexico.