Submitted PhotoGeorgia Christian School offered protective sunglasses for eclipse viewing. 

DASHER — Georgia Christian School administrators placed two values in the lead while planning for the eclipse: safety and learning more about God.

Recent chapel speakers noted the role of God in creating the universe and how astronomical events such as the solar eclipse reflect the intricacies of His plan, according to a school press release. Each day, students learned facts about the solar eclipse as they were assembled after chapel, and safety rules about viewing the solar eclipse were reviewed.

Students wrote about the solar eclipse in classes, completed science activities to learn more about them, and created artwork illustrating the sun and other celestial bodies in the days leading up to the event.

As part of the “Ultimate Eclipse Package” made available by the school, students were able to purchase eclipse-appropriate snacks for the event, Sun Chips and Capri Sun drinks. T-shirt, glasses, and snack packages were sold as part of a fundraiser for the Class of 2018, which will travel to Washington, D.C., as part of the senior trip in the spring.

The eclipse observation almost didn’t happen.

“We received an email from Amazon cancelling our order for 500 glasses because they could not guarantee that the glasses were certified,” said Connie Guthrie, dean of academics. “On Thursday morning, fortunately we found a NASA-approved website and were able to purchase certified glasses for everyone who ordered them.”

Although the administration stressed safety, some parents still expressed concerns about students observing the eclipse safely. In addition to explaining safety rules to students, some classes practiced putting on and taking off their glasses in advance, younger preschool classes developed a modified pair of special glasses that incorporated a paper plate and covered their faces more thoroughly, and everyone practiced with their glasses in the gymnasium before going out, according to the press release.

The main eclipse event kicked off Monday afternoon, when students gathered after lunch in Lacey Elrod gymnasium to watch the first totality reached in the nation in Portland, Ore., on a viewing screen. Many parents joined their children to watch the events.

Class by class, the gymnasium emptied out onto the football field, many students wearing their “I Was at GCS When the Eclipse Happened” T-shirts and ISO 12312-2 approved eclipse glasses, where they gathered together for the science teacher’s drone to capture several group photos.

Alternative viewing arrangements were available in the school gymnasium for students not wishing to purchase glasses or participate in outside activities. Streaming video was broadcast from the Weather Channel.