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Mr. Keller's Corner - "Circling" the Building on Pi Day
By Mr. Keller, Head of School
For those who are unaware, “Pi Day” is a very big deal at Norman Howard. It takes place on March 14th each year (as in 3/14 or 3.14 or pi) and is run by Math Department Chair, Ed Perdue. We celebrate Pi Day by learning about pi (the number) and baking pies (the dessert).
Teachers and students volunteer to bake a pie to bring in and share. Each math class samples the entries and votes for their favorite. The most exotic pie was a Lucky Charms pie made by Miss Monturo! Finally, the day is not complete without the presence of Pi Man a masked superhero who travels around the building to protect us from "evil" and share information about pi. This year the role of Pi Man was held down by Doug Wilsch and a former Pi Man, Sam Guglin, Class of 2017.
I decided to use pi as a theme and took a circle around the building. My first stop was Mr. Humphrey’s room. His class was watching a video of the “I Have a Dream Speech” that Martin Luther King gave in front of the Lincoln Memorial over 50 years ago. The Seniors did such a wonderful job understanding the context of the speech and giving their honest feedback about its relevance and importance today. He also had students read the speech beforehand and was demonstrating that special power that can only be delivered by the spoken word.
My circle continued to the 5th and 6th grade classroom. Students had just returned from the Memorial Art Gallery where they made urns in the same style that the Greeks would have centuries ago. Mrs. Vercruysse, the classroom teacher, ties history in to virtually everything her students do making her expeditionary learning program so impressive.
I finished my journey in Mr. Perdue’s room to sample some pie. Students were clearly proud of their work and it was a nice change of pace for what was a snowy March day.
My completed circle (though circles never truly end), highlighted the richness of teaching that we have in this building. It is a privilege to work with such amazing teachers and to witness our students having success on so many different levels.