News & Events

On a beautiful Monday afternoon, April 8, with hardly a cloud in the sky, students and faculty viewed the solar eclipse.

Solar eclipses happen when the moon moves between the earth and the sun, blocking the sun's rays from reaching the earth. In Norfolk on April 8, the event was a partial solar eclipse, as at the peak time of 3:20 p.m., about 78 percent of the sun was blocked from view. The eclipse started about 2:04 p.m. in Norfolk, ending about 4:32 p.m. 

Science teachers took advantage of a fun learning opportunity, explaining details of this rare occurrence in class. And as school was winding down for the day, students wandered outside, equipped with special eclipse viewing glasses, to take in the phenomenon. No one should look directly at the sun during an eclipse without special sunglasses, which Norfolk Academy provided to all students, teachers, and staff.

As most of the event was taking place during usual extracurricular hours, NA delayed the start of athletics practices and games in the interest of safety. Instead, teacher-coach Neil Duffy, who teaches Physics in the Upper School, led a lesson for almost 300 spring student-athletes. Mr. Duffy explained the science behind what was happening and pointed out to students other interesting aspects of the eclipse - for instance, the crescent shapes appearing on the ground.

Strength and Conditioning Coach Paul Carrezola then guided the student-athletes through a workout, with everyone looking away from the sun, that got them ready for post-eclipse practices.   

More eclipse photos