Sun Chips, Star Crunch, Starburst and Sunkist typically wouldn’t be allowed in Brownstown Central Middle School classrooms.

On Monday, though, an exception was made in Lee Ann Silence’s sixth-grade science classes.

This was the students’ opportunity to witness a solar eclipse with 94 percent totality, and Silence thought it was worth celebrating.

The highlight of the solar eclipse party was “the eclipse special,” which consisted of a sampling of each of the snacks with a small cup of Sunkist.

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She decided it was OK to break the wellness rules for one day.

Her students also made paper eclipse spinners before receiving their solar eclipse viewing glasses and heading outside to see the historic event with the rest of the school.

“I want them to know the awe of it,” Silence said. “I want them to understand there are older people that have never experienced this.”

For several years leading up to Monday’s event, Silence said she had considered traveling down to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, which was known as “the point of greatest eclipse.”

As the day got closer, however, her plans changed.

“I would have liked to have seen total totality. I think that would just be amazing because they say it’s just a breathless feeling when you actually see that,” she said. “I wanted to go, but just different things led me to say, ‘You know what? I would rather be here with the students and experience that with them.’ When I found out we were going to do stuff, I wanted to be here with the kids.”

Silence said she normally teaches eclipses in the winter, but she started it earlier this year because of Monday’s solar eclipse.

It started with a seven-day countdown.

“Every day, we have spent 10 to 15 minutes going over the eclipse — what is an eclipse, unique things about an eclipse, the differences between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse and why one eclipse is more seldom seen than the other,” she said. “Every day, we’ve been talking about it.”

With Silence teaching parts of earth, physical and life sciences, the classes discussed how a solar eclipse affects animals, how the temperature drops and how the solar power companies have to get extra energy ready.

“And that it’s just a big deal and that they are a part of it,” Silence said.

After witnessing the solar eclipse Monday afternoon, the students will share their thoughts about it in their journals today.

Later in the school year, the sixth-graders will add to the paper eclipse spinners when they learn about the moon and its phases.

Sixth-grader Deven Cummings said it was interesting learning about a solar eclipse.

“How it gets dark from light this early and it actually confuses all of the animals, that just got me entertained a lot,” he said.

Classmate Casey Waskom said it was interesting to learn how the last solar eclipse to cross the United States from coast to coast was about 100 years ago.

Sixth-grader Adelynn Anderson said she thought everyone could see total darkness during a solar eclipse, not just some people.

For the most part, seeing the solar eclipse Monday lived up to their expectations.

“It was pretty cool. I actually imagined it to be darker, but it’s still really cool being able to see it,” Deven said.

“I feel very lucky. It was very fun,” Casey said.

“I thought it would be more dark than light outside, but I liked how I got to see it,” Adelynn said.

All of the middle school students who had a parent sign a waiver got to see the eclipse. The viewing glasses were free thanks to a donation from Dr. Chris Lambring with Conner-Smith Eye Center in Seymour.

Other Jackson County schools gave their students opportunities to see the solar eclipse.

Special glasses were purchased by the Crothersville High School Science Club. Following a presentation for students in preschool through 12th grade in the cafetorium, they headed out to the track behind the school to watch the eclipse.

Glasses also were purchased for Medora students to take turns going outside in groups to see the solar eclipse. Principal Austin Absher said students in first through 12th grades also did a variety of activities, including reading books about the eclipse, illustrating their own books to represent the stages of the eclipse, making a craft that demonstrates what happens during the eclipse, watching videos and reading articles.

The next U.S. eclipse will be in 2024, crossing from Texas to Maine.

Silence said her sixth-graders will be seniors then, so she hopes they celebrate again.

“I want them to say, ‘I remember in sixth grade when this eclipse happened having an eclipse party,'” she said, smiling.