This semester I have only been a part of one class, the special “Covering the Eclipse” class. The class has centered around the now passed total solar eclipse on April 8. We have spent the entire semester up until this point creating a fully functioning newsroom and broadcast to display our skills as journalists and broadcasters.

The class was full of junior and senior media students with experience in creating and sharing news across different mediums. 

I was a part of a team of journalists writing stories for the website, Oswego Now, and creating content specifically for the eclipse. With Oswego being right in the path of totality, there was a ton of content that needed to be posted in order to make sure our audience was informed leading up to the big day. I wrote stories about the eclipse glasses and their importance and the Oswego City Police and University Police’s plans for the influx of people coming to the city and the campus.

On the other side, the broadcasters spent a lot of time preparing themselves for the hour-plus broadcast that would capture the full scope of totality around Oswego as it happened. They spent a lot of time crafting broadcast packages, creating scripts and preparing for the unexpected.

After all of the hard work that was put into the big day, I think it is safe to say that it was a huge success. There were some issues that created obstacles, but I think the entire team did a great job avoiding them and making sure they did not put the broadcast into a tailspin. 

It was such an amazing experience. There was no shortage of communication between the different teams and I enjoyed the stories I was writing. I felt all of the stories were important and needed to be shared.

That includes my story on the eclipse watch party at the Marano Campus Center. This event was a lot of fun. So many students and people who traveled to Oswego enjoyed the games and crafts presented by the school. 

Even though there was a lot of cloud cover, it was still such an awesome experience watching the eclipse itself. The sky becoming as dark as night and then back to day-time was such a weird but amazing experience. I was also able to see the eclipse itself a little bit but certainly not as much as I would have liked to.

This once-in-a-lifetime class led to a once-in-a- lifetime experience. I will always remember these last few months and the work that went into making April 8 a great day.

Photo by: Cottonbro Studio via Pexels