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March 18, 2024 7 mins

Prepare for an astronomical spectacle as Jen Mahar, director of special programs at Olean City Schools, shares her wealth of knowledge on the upcoming total eclipse. In our latest Husky Huddle podcast, Jen, with over two decades of educational expertise, outlines how the community and schools are buzzing with preparations for this rare event. She discusses the expected timeline of the eclipse, vital safety measures to protect our eyes, and the educational opportunities that will bring science to life for students.

As the moon prepares to perform its grand celestial dance on April 8th, our schools are aligning with early dismissal times, ensuring all students are equipped with safety glasses and informed on how to use them. Jen lays out the logistical framework for accommodating this extraordinary day, from traffic considerations to partnerships with local organizations like the YMCA for extended care. This episode is your go-to guide for experiencing the eclipse safely and making it a memorable educational moment for the whole family. Join us and transform this cosmic event into a communal celebration with Jen's insightful tips.

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to our newest episode of the Husky Huddle,
where we talk about all theawesome stuff that is happening
in Olean, new York, and ourpublic school system.
I have the pleasure of joiningme today, jen Maher, who's going

(00:25):
to talk about the eclipse thatwe're going to experience on
April 8th.
So, jen, tell us a little bitabout yourself.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Good afternoon.
I am Jen.
I have been with the Olean CitySchools for over 20 years.
I began with the district as apre-K teacher and have been
working in grant programs, andI'm currently the director of
special programs in our district.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
Fantastic.
Thank you so much so you wantedto come on here to inform our
families and our staff about theeclipse on April 8th, so let us
know what's important to knowabout the eclipse.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Sure.
So first and basics.
On April 8th we'll experience atotal eclipse in our area and
it's expected to draw crowdsfrom all over the country to
Western New York.
In our area, the total eclipsewill be where the moon is
passing between the sun and theearth and it will be completely
blocking the face of the sun fora short time.

(01:31):
In the areas just to thenorthwest of us, the National
Weather Service predicts thatthere will be a partial eclipse
in the Olean area, which willbegin around 2.04 pm, with the
eclipse at 3.18, lasting aboutthree minutes and concluding at
4.45.
So important things for us toknow, for the school district,

(01:52):
is that this experience issomething that's very uncommon
for us to have in our area, andwe want to make sure that
families are aware of someimportant factors in terms of
being safe and making plans sothat they can experience it with
proper eye protection andenjoying the other experiences
that may come from the eclipse,as they're viewing it with

(02:14):
families and loved ones.
Because of this event, we dohave early dismissal planned for
this day, where students willbe leaving just before the
lunchtime, so at school they'llreceive breakfast, we'll send
them with a packed lunch andduring that time we'll also be
distributing the safety glassesfor students to be able to view

(02:36):
the event safely.
So dismissals for April 8th areEastview and Washington West
elementaries at 11 am, theintermediate middle school at
11.25 am and the only in highschool at 11.20 am.
Also noted if there's any afterschool activities, such as

(02:56):
sports, those will not beginuntil after 5 pm in order to
make sure that the event hasconcluded.
Any traffic or travel thatpeople may be making has
subsided.
It's important to make a plan,so one of the things that we
want to be able to do is, asfamilies go home and have
students with them, that theyhave eye protection for all
members of the family.

(03:17):
Whether you're traveling towhere the total path of totality
may be or experiencing it inonly in, there's important
safety considerations for youreyes to make sure that you're
not looking directly at the sunduring any point of the partial
eclipse.
We're also working with theYMCA for families who may need
that extended care after thehalf day, and so those families

(03:40):
will be letting us know if theyare needing care during that
time so that we can help planaccordingly.
Most importantly, this isplanning ahead.
So not only the eye safety, butgetting to your location where
you'll be viewing the eclipse.
We want to make sure that,again, all phases partial phases
of the eclipse have eyeprotection.

(04:01):
In addition to the glasses thatwe'll be sending home for
families, there are some glassesavailable throughout the
community and for purchase, andthere's also ways to make safe
viewing glasses or viewers thathave links available online.
So we're going to put a bunchof these together and be able to
have those available throughParent Square as we lead up to

(04:24):
the eclipse, so that familiescan get more information,
including the full path, the mapof exactly where the eclipse
will be most completely intotality, and that travel
planning and activities that mayhelp families plan for where
they want to view the eclipse.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
Are we going to be able to support students in
learning how to use the eye wear?

Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yes.
So one of the things that we'vedone is we have glasses again
that are safety protectioncertified so that students can
use those during the partialeclipse.
They are important.
It is important to have thoseon during that whole time unless
they're in the middle oftotality.
So some of those keyconsiderations we want students
to be able to practice and tolearn about through their

(05:14):
lessons at school.
One of the cool things we haveplanned is a couple of our
science teachers, mr Freeman andMr Woliband, and some high
school students, along with aSTEM coordinator, kelly Gorowski
from CA-Bosies, will be helpingto do some simulation
experiences with ourkindergarten through sixth grade
students using a star lab or aninflatable planetarium, which

(05:35):
will be very cool becausethey'll get to simulate the
eclipse itself and talk aboutwhat might be some of the things
that will experience, whetherit's the temperature change,
certainly the lighting effects,when and where to put on your
glasses, and then otherenvironmental changes that may
occur as well.
So they'll be traveling toEastview, washington West and

(05:56):
the intermediate middle schoolto be doing the planetarium
experiences, as well as somehands-on activities to help them
think about what the eclipsemeans and what that will
experience will be like.

Speaker 1 (06:10):
That's a little great opportunity and it's great that
we're showing students just howto use that safely before the
eclipse and not just giving itto them in the morning and
hoping that they'll figure itout.
It's great to kind of build upthat excitement and learn a
little bit more about theeclipse.
So that's great.

Speaker 2 (06:29):
There are a ton of great resources out there, so
we'll be posting those out onParrot Square in the weeks to
come, everything from theEnchanted Mountains sites to the
only on public libraries eventshappening.
The New York State I Love NewYork site lots of different
places that help you see, aswell as national places like the
NASA site and others that willlet you real in an exactly see,

(06:49):
not only the path right down tothe street map, but also a
simulation and other informationabout how to be safe when
you're experiencing an eclipse.

Speaker 1 (07:01):
Thank you so much.
Is there anything else ourcommunity or our families need
to know about the eclipse?

Speaker 2 (07:07):
state.
I think it's important to makeyour plan on where you're going
to view early so that you canget there safely.
There is reported to be lots ofplans for travel in our area or
through our area to observe theeclipse.
So planning where you'll beviewing in advance and making
sure everyone that is in yourfamily or your friend groups are
able to work on that plan, andhaving the proper eyewear, those

(07:30):
are the most important pieces.

Speaker 1 (07:33):
Thank you so much for joining me and telling us all
about the eclipse and all thethings that we have planned and
all the ways to stay safe, and Ireally appreciate you coming on
and I can't wait to have you onagain Absolutely Thank you
Thank you Thanks so much.
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