The solar eclipse last Monday- a natural phenomenon the U.S. has not seen since 1979 and will not see again until 2024- awed most FUHS students. Some even left their classrooms promptly at 10:21 am to get a quick glimpse, eagerly passing pairs of protective glasses around huddled groups.

However, while most students saw the eclipse through glasses, strips of film, or cardboard cutout reflections, senior Sam Cafferty traveled 31 hours total to and back from Oregon, determined to see the eclipse in its full glory. Cafferty and his dad stayed in Eugene, Oregon the night before the eclipse, then drove an hour to Salem the next day to view it.

“As the moon covered more of the sun, it looked like the area around us had been covered in some orange instagram filter,” Cafferty said, describing the anticipation he felt as the moon began moving into place.

“When the sun fully eclipsed, there were cheers from all around and I stared at the spectacle for the entire 2 minutes and twenty seconds,” Cafferty said. His long-held dream to see the solar eclipse, driven by hours of research and readings, had been transformed into a reality, literally right before his eyes.

“While the sun was eclipsed, the area around us was dark as if the sun was about to set, and no matter which direction you looked there was a sunset. When the sun finally peeked back out, I felt a twinge of sadness because that is a once in a lifetime thing that I’ll most likely never see again.”

Cafferty says that he wouldn’t change his experience for the world, despite missing school and spending over a day driving through traffic.

“Being the space-science nut I am, I wanted to see it more than anything,” Cafferty said. “It was an incredible experience, and given the chance, I would duplicate it in an instant.”