Every March 13, millions gather in classrooms, at home, or at work to celebrate the math holiday known as Pi Day, even some math teachers and students at Central Kitsap High School. 

Pi (π) is the symbol used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The circumference is the distance around the whole circle and the diameter is known as the distance from one side of the circle to the other. 

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 because the first numbers are 3.14. Many individuals just know these first couple digits but it has been established that there are more than 50 trillion digits after the decimal point. 

Donna Spitzer, an AP Statistics and Geometry teacher, recalled that her students would typically go to a website and look through the first million digits on Pi Day. 

“I enjoy seeing the surprise in my students’ faces,” said Spitzer. “They are just in awe of the fact that the decimal never repeats and seeing a million places.”

Although Spitzer didn’t get the chance to celebrate this year, she typically, in addition to looking at the millions of decimal places, also enjoys teaching a discovery lesson on discovering pi with a ribbon, circles, and a ruler. 

Spitzer’s Pi Day traditions haven’t changed much, but she described access to technology and different websites about Pi have made it a bit easier and allowed for more exploration and fun. 

Spitzer isn’t the only math teacher who has continued to celebrate Pi Day at CKHS. Catherine Pitcher, another math teacher at CKHS, has found ways to celebrate with elementary, middle, and high school students as well as other adults. 

“I always bring in pies for the kids and have a lesson set up if I am teaching the subject where we are doing circumference,” said Pitcher. 

This year Pitcher brought in over 155 mini pies to share with all her students on Pi Day. 

When she taught elementary students, she would bring in full pies from Shari’s and cut them at 1:59 pm because of the three digits following 3.14

Pitcher agreed that Pi Day is a fun and unique opportunity for students to recall something they may have previously learned and be proud of digits they have memorized. 

“I think students enjoy doing anything unusual like carrying pies around,” said Pitcher. “That kind of thing is fun, to have a little buzz going on in school.”

Pitcher also wears a fun Pi shirt to go along with the celebration and is able to celebrate with her brother, a fellow math enthusiast, at night. 

“We get together and have Pie…it’s been a really fun thing that is just a brother sister thing we’ve done,” said Pitcher. 

CKHS math teacher Jessie French has also had the opportunity to celebrate Pi day with her family and class. 

French explained the Pi Day festivities began when her and her family would have some sort of Pie on Pi Day. That would be a regular sweet Pie or Chicken Pot Pie. 

Now French celebrates with her students too by sharing some slices of pie, giving them 3.14 points of extra credit if they bring in a circular food item, and learning a lesson on pi.

“Pi Day is cute and is a good day to generate interest in math. Students can tend to find math bleh and it makes it less annoying,” said French. 

French recalled one of her favorite memories from Pi Day being at the Knowledge bowl in 2015 on March 14.

“When it was 9:26, everyone just stopped and cheered because of 3.1415926… it was so neat,” said French. 

Whether a math enthusiast or night, Pi day gives a chance for all individuals to celebrate from eating a Pi to learning about the math symbol.