Months in advance of the Solar Eclipse which occurred on April 8, Dr. Karin Coiner, the principal of Sunrise Estates Elementary School (Penn-Trafford School District), created a crowdfunding campaign on DonorsChoose to raise enough money to give every student a pair of solar eclipse glasses.
“We wanted to provide a safe way for all of our students and staff to view the Solar Eclipse on April 8th,” commented Coiner. “The only way to do this is with certified glasses and we simply couldn’t afford them in our school budget.” Coiner’s campaign raised over $600 and provided 480 pairs of the eclipse glasses for the school.
On the morning of April 8, the Sunrise students enjoyed an assembly by “The Starry Messenger”, Lindsay Surmacz. Surmacz, a Penn-Trafford alum, did an astronomy / circus themed presentation and taught them about the stars and planets.
All students across the district were dismissed 2 hours and 15 minutes early - ensuring that all would arrive home before the eclipse.
Mrs. Meyers’ Kindergarten class at Sunrise Elementary School
Mrs. Ward’s 2nd-grade class at Sunrise Elementary School
Mrs. MacArthur’s 2nd-grade class shows off their solar eclipse glasses
Mrs. Lebe’s 1st-graders are eclipse-ready
Mrs. Zopf’s 3rd-grade classroom took the glasses outside to preview their usefulness!
“The Starry Messenger”, Lindsay Surmacz, captivates the students with a circus-themed assembly
Nico Kramer and Jackson Bost practice balancing their “stars” during the assembly