JACKSONVILLE, Ark. — We're just six months away from witnessing history as Arkansans prepare their eyes to witness a Total Solar Eclipse.
"For all of us [it's] a once-in-a-lifetime experience and so we definitely want to take advantage of that," said Jeremy Owoh the Superintendent of Jacksonville North Pulaski School District.
This major event has sparked interest among all ages and that's why Owoh said they decided to not have school on April 8, 2024.
"When we have these real-life experiences happening around us, it's definitely an educational moment, a time where we can take and to educate our kids and tell them what to expect, how they can learn from it and what it exactly is," Owoh explained.
Another reason for allowing school to be out was due to a safety concern, the eclipse is set to draw millions of people to the state and Owoh said traffic is a big concern.
"We always prefer to be proactive instead of being reactive, I did not want to have all of our kids in school, our students in school and then dismissed and we couldn't get them home," Owoh added.
According to the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism (ADPHT), two-thirds of the state will be in the path of totality which will run through the center of Arkansas from southwest to northeast.
"The 2017 eclipse proved to be a historical event for nearly all the states that were in the path of totality. Communities within the totality path experienced as much as triple their population, Arkansas is more centrally located than many other states in the path of totality, so we expect large visitation in 2024," a Spokesperson for ADPHT said.
The department explained that they're trying to keep track of how many reservations have been booked for the eclipse because many of the state parks in the line of the eclipse are sold out.
"As of this date, 20 of the 21 totality parks are sold out for the required 4-night stay, Historic Washington is the only park with no reservations. There is plenty of availability in other parks outside of totality," a Spokesperson for ADPHT said.
As you can expect the excitement is real and to Arkansans the Total Solar Eclipse making its 4-minute debut in the Natural State is a moment many won't forget.
"We're coordinating efforts with the other local school districts to actually make this a teachable moment for the entire Central Arkansas area and so we're collaborating on activities as well," Owoh added.