MAS celebrated Pi Day on Thursday, the 12th of March. As the 14th fell on a weekend, the students honored Pi Day early. Pi (π) is the mathematical constant which equals 3.14 Pi Day is observed on March 14 since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π. This year is particularly special because the year 2015 allows for Pi Day to fall on “14”, “15”. This consecutive pattern of Pi Day and the year happens only once in a century!
Pi Day was first celebrated in 1988 at the San Francisco Exploratorium. The Exploratorium continues to hold Pi Day celebrations. On March 12, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing March 14 as National Pi Day. It is a great way to incorporate fun activities into education and we really enjoyed taking part in the celebration.
Everyone got in on the Pi Day action here at the Modern American School. Teachers and students not only had pie-related cuisine, but they also wore custom made Pi T-shirts with the number 3.14 on them. We even had pie eating contests and competed by reciting the digits of Pi for as far as one could go. Students explored historical facts about the number Pi, and students worked on projects such as posters and worksheets in class. These worksheets included interactive activities, such as measuring polygons to estimate pi, word searches, jumbles, and crossword puzzles that emphasize relevant words such as circle, diameter, and circumference. It was both an educational and fun experience. Modern American School students used this day as an excuse to have fun, eat pie, get called a nerd by their friends, and most importantly, enjoy the day. Thank you to the Math department for such a wonderful day of celebrations. learning, and most importantly fun.
Youseph Ibrahim (Class of 2015)
MAS Times Contributing Author
