GCMS eighth-grade students celebrate Pi Day

“Pi, Greek letter (π), is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi Day is celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world on March 14. Pi = 3.1415926535…, according to the Web site www.piday.org/.

Mandi Hudson

Grant County Middle School eighth graders Haley Spillman, Aprille Johnson, Daniel Crockett and Shayla Ashley show off bracelets they made during Pi Day. Photos submitted.

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Mandi Hudson

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The eighth grade Mayan team at Grant County Middle School joined in the celebration of Pi Day. The Mayan team teachers had several classroom activities for their classes to learn about and honor the mathematical constant, Pi.  Jennifer Litz, the team’s language arts teacher, read the class “Sir Cumference and Dragon of Pi” and had students measure the circumference, diameter and pi of Cheerios, Oreos and M&M’s.

In Kelli Lee’s class, Mayan students assigned each number, zero through nine, a color. Students made a bracelet for the first 10 decimal places of pi and then pitched in to make a paper chain. By the end of the day, her classes had taken the number out 328 digits from the decimal.

Jason West’s math classes examined a parody rap that had lyrics about pi; their problem of the day involved using pi to find circumference, area and a hidden dimension. They also had a competition to see who could memorize the most digits after the decimal points. West gave them some unique memorization tips for the competition, including PI’s birthday, phone number and locker combination.

At the end of the day, Isaiah Leonard put on a show memorizing and reciting, without hesitation, 80 consecutive digits after the decimal. Honorable mention went to: Megan Foltz with 44, Luke O’Nan with 36, Libby Gbur with 33, Corey Swofford with 32 and Jonathon Gerding with 30.

To sum the day’s focus, the team posed for Pi pictures in the gym. Overall, Mayan students spent the day in hands-on, engaging activities allowing the students to learn about Pi. Teachers hope the lessons and activities will be unforgettable in years to come, when students write the date “3-14,” they will recall a memorable day at GCMS.