Students on the field, glasses in hand, looking up at the sky, Lafayette experienced a total solar eclipse August 21, 2017. 

This year, students will have an opportunity to view a partial solar eclipse, as Lafayette is in the path of one happening Monday, April 8.

Math teacher Patty Mabie plans to get a better view of the eclipse this year.

“My in-laws have a lake house on Lake Perry, so we will be down there,” Mabie said. “It’s in the path of the total eclipse, so when we had the eclipse seven years ago, my in-laws were down there on the boat and they kept talking about how amazing it was.”

Mabie decided then that she would spend the next solar eclipse down in Perryville.

“My in-laws will be down there. [My husband and I] are going to bring our kids and the dog too,” Mabie said.

Because the eclipse is in early April, Mabie isn’t sure if she’ll be able to do everything she planned.

“The hope is they can get the boat out, [but] because it’s early April, I don’t know if the boat will be quite ready yet,” she said.

Although Mabie enjoyed the eclipse with her students in 2017, she’s excited to see it with her family. 

“It was really cool experiencing it with our students, being out on the field for it, but this time I’d like to do it with my family and have that side of it instead. [I’ve already] done it with my school family,” Mabie said.

Students and staff who attend school that day will still be able to view the eclipse.

AcLab will be moved to the end of the day and extended to allow students to observe the eclipse on the field and glasses will be provided to all students.