Uxbridge teacher to fly with Civil Air Patrol during solar eclipse
UXBRIDGE - The total solar eclipse is almost here! Amanda Gallerani, a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) teacher from Uxbridge, has a rare opportunity to get a little closer to show in the sky.
Gallerani has been selected to fly with The Civil Air Patrol during the eclipse on Monday.
Remember Ms. Frizzle and The Magic School Bus? when she used to take her students on exciting adventures to teach them all about science?
Well, that's happening in real life in Uxbridge at the Taft Early Learning Center.
"I'm a STEAM teacher-so it's STEM with art. And I teach kindergarten through third [grade]," Gallerani said.
"Okay, so you get to teach the little ones -the ones that have all the questions and think everything is so cool?" WBZ-TV's Courtney Cole asked.
"Absolutely, and I'm still one of them! So, I fit right in!" Gallerani enthusiastically responded.
She has been teaching her students all about the total solar eclipse: from the history of it all, to the safety and of course-the science.
"We are talking about Bailey's Beads and some of the other stuff you may see with your glasses and we did some paper experiments with it. And I have some UV beads that have been up in my classroom, so it changes with the lights. So, I plan on bringing it up in the airplane with me too-to record the differences! We've been recording the temperatures in the classroom all week, to see if there's any difference when the eclipse happens," Gallerani told WBZ.
Six teachers to fly with Civil Air Patrol
Now she, and six other teachers, will get to fly with the Civil Air Patrol during the total solar eclipse.
The Civil Air Patrol is a public service organization, an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, that carries out emergency services and disaster relief missions nationwide. They're also known for their aerospace program.
"We're still in the planning stages of exactly where we're going, so we may be going to Maine - northern Maine. Or maybe going to New York, the weather, both places look really good," she said.
Gallerani-who describes herself as an adventurer who loves science-said this moment feels surreal.
"We'll go through some of the science of it. I'll take some reading of measurements of what's going on, some videos with the GoPro camera. As it goes, we're going to see if the communication changes with the airplanes and how we're able to communicate-is there temperature changes? Record it as we go and have that amazing opportunity, once in a lifetime!" she said.
But the most important part of this experience for her is the lasting impact this will have on her students.
"I just want to show them that anything is possible! You are the limit! You set your own limits!" she said.
Gallerani said she's grateful to the Civil Air Patrol for the opportunity and thankful for the support she's received from her principal Mark LaBossiere and her Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Michael Baldassarre.