Eclipse - No School

After careful consideration, Rice Memorial High School will be closed on Monday April 8th. This is an update to our previous eclipse plans which involved a late start, shortened schedule, special activities and a community viewing of the eclipse. As the picture has become clearer and the amount of visitors to the area has become more certain, we are concerned for safety on the roads due to the amount of expected traffic, road closures in downtown Burlington, along with the ability for emergency responders to be able to reach urgent situations in a timely manner. 

Public school districts in Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle Counties recently announced closings along with several of our local Catholic schools. The Burlington Free Press recently reported that “new information from Vermont Emergency Management has prompted districts to give the entire day off.” State agencies are now anticipating an influx of at least 150k visitors. Vermont Emergency Management advised municipalities in their recent newsletter to “plan for possible stress on their emergency services, injuries, increased traffic, and in some cases, extreme traffic issues.” 

We will be handing out eclipse glasses to all students on Friday April 5th. The Science Dept has assembled some educational activities and resources for viewing the eclipse with family and friends. Thank you to the parents who were planning to bring food for our celebration, we plan to host a schoolwide BBQ in May and would love your support for that event instead (details coming soon!) 

Thanks for your grace and understanding. We pray for great weather on April 8th and wonderful memory making moments with family and friends.
 
Sincerely,
Principal Andy Nagy & The Rice Leadership Team