Sweet as Pi: How to celebrate 3.14
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
In honor of Pi Day, first-time Slice app users save $5 on any pizza order that totals $25 or more. Businesses like 7-Eleven and Speedway are also offering Pi Day deals this 3.14.
Courtesy Oksana Bratanova
There’s nothing sweeter than pie on National Pi Day March 14. Since its discovery, pi (3.14) has been calculated to more than 50 trillion digits after the decimal point.
It’s a day both mathematicians and food connoisseurs live for: Pi Day, the celebration of 3.14 for the former, a delicious excuse to indulge for the latter.
The Pythagorean theorum has been celebrated for centuries, since the late, great Archimedes discovered the most precise calculation to determine the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.
In layman’s terms, he discovered an equation for circles, symbolized by the constant p.
Archimedes’ achievement is to this day celebrated and, in 2009, Congress declared every March 14 National Pi Day.
Among those local organizations sweetening the celebrations this year is Chartiers-Houston Community Library, which is hosting its first Pi Day fundraiser.
“COVID hit everyone hard. It hit the nonprofits hard. I feel like we’re still recovering from that,” said Susan Strnisha, library director. “This was an off-the-wall idea.”
The Pi Day fundraiser kicked off at the beginning of this month, and the library aims to raise $314 by close of business today. If the library meets its goal (all proceeds benefit summer adult and children’s programming), patrons are in for a silly treat.
“If we do, I get a pie in the face,” said Strnisha.
Last week, the library passed the fundraising effort’s halfway mark, and the community has until close of business to reach its goal. The “pie-ing” of the library director will take place Tuesday during family night and video will be posted to the nonprofit’s social media channels.
“I joke with some of the patrons I would take a pie in the face every month if we could get donations coming in,” Strnisha said.
Frazier Elementary School in Fayette County, too, is using Pi Day as a fundraising opportunity. Last week, the school wrapped up its student pie sale.
“To do a little fun incentive, the teachers and staff volunteered. If kids sold at least 10 pies, then they could earn a ticket to ‘pie’ staff,” said Principal Amanda Law. “Monday is going to be very fun.”
Today, students will gather in the auditorium for an assembly on positive behaviors, as part of the district’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports programming. During that assembly, students will have the opportunity to smash whipped cream pies in the faces of teachers and staff, including Law.
“Our PTO has purchased mini pies for the students to have on Pi Day for lunch,” Law said. “Students … don’t see pi like the math symbol in elementary grades, but I do plan to let them know that it’s kind of a play on words.”
Adults, too, can enjoy the play on words in the form of unique releases and delicious deals at national chains this 3.14.
Fantastical flavors of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream will hit freezers in 3,500 Walmarts nationwide today, including Pizza, Hot Honey and Royal Wedding Cake.
If scouring the local Walmart for zany ice-cream isn’t on today’s to-do list, first-time Slice users can save $5 on any $25 pizza order through the app, using code PIDAY2022.
7-Eleven is serving up a delicious deal at participating 7-Eleven and Speedway stores. Loyalty members can take home any whole pizza for the price of $3.14, today only.
If you’re venturing beyond Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, Blaze Pizza in Bridgeville is also offering pizza pies for $3.14. New and current rewards members can snag an 11-inch pizza at that price today, and Amazon Prime members save $3.14 on any cherry and apple pie at Whole Foods today.
Whether you’re spending the day at home or work, memorizing the digits of a beautiful equation (pi = 3.14159…), indulging in pie or devouring pizza pie, there’s one thing as sure as Archimedes’ equation itself: today is a good day for pi(e).