When the last opportunity to view a coast to coast solar eclipse was 1918, the administration and students of Demopolis High School simply could not waste the chance to allow students a few minutes from class time to watch the event Monday afternoon.

DHS Principal Blaine Hathcock was pleased with how the students took advantage of the moment.

“I thought our kids where well behaved and took the event pretty seriously. I hope they got something out of it,” said Hathcock. “It was certainly a neat thing to see through the glasses. It was the first one (solar eclipse) that I can remember in my lifetime, so it was a neat deal and I hope it’s something they can remember for a lifetime.”

With the peak of the solar eclipse happening around 1:30 p.m., students with signed permission slips were able to go outside and witness as the moon passed between the Earth and sun.

“We probably weren’t out 10 minutes. We tried to get out there at the peak time so they could see it,” said Hathcock. “Certainly, something that happens once every 40 to 50 years is worth 15 minutes of class time.”

The next solar eclipse visible in the United States will be on April 8, 2024 with the next total eclipse visible in this area of Alabama being on August 12, 2045.