By Priscilla Leverett, Guest Writer
On April 8, 2024 a total solar eclipse met the town of Arkadelphia. Being in the path of totality, students gathered with awe to view this phenomenon.
“I didn’t expect it to get as dark as it did,” junior Shelby Cheek said. “It felt like twilight hour.” Cheek’s reaction was one of the many shocked reactions from students. At Cliff Harris Stadium, students looked up at the sky with that very feeling.
It was an amazing experience where the sky darkened, and the picture truly did not capture the beauty of the view on that day. That experience made everyone feel as if on that Monday afternoon, students and faculty were brought together with food, games, treats and crafts to experience the eclipse in all its glory on the football field. For a moment, we all paused with the same thing on our minds, and the moments leading up to it and after were filled with excitement,
“It was something,” junior Joseph Osbourne said. “Words cannot describe it.” It was a group experience that connected students to a broader world mindset, and it’s the sort of memory that will never be forgotten.
The last total eclipse in the United States happened in 2017, crossing in the opposite direction from Georgia and into Washington. This experience is truly a one-of-a-kind experience, not only because of the eclipse itself, but also because of the memories from the time and place you were when watching it. Current Ouachita students just so happened to experience it with some of their best friends.
The next total eclipse will happen in 2026 over Greenland, Iceland, North Atlantic and Spain. This experience over the United States will not come again until August of 2044. Until then, we have the remarkable memories to remind us of just how extensive and intricate space it. At Cliff Harris stadium, that front row view was the very spot to bask in the beauty of the sun and the moon.
