The Nemaha Central Elementary and Middle School hosted their annual Pi Day celebration on Friday, March 4, 2022. Pi day consists of students making pies with the help of some adults, activities about pi in the classrooms, the penny war, and the assembly to close out the day.
Pi Day started with students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade inviting their grandparents or grand friends to attend and help make pies. There were around 55 outside helpers and together they made around 262 pies. Each student had the chance to stay for two sessions and make two pies with their grandparent or grand friend. Some pies were sold and $701.67 was raised to help Sheila Mitchell with medical expenses. Sheila was the head kitchen manager for many years at Nemaha Central Schools, so raising money was a way for students to give back to her for all her hard work of making students lunches over the years.
This year the eighth-grade students helped create, plan, and assemble some pi day projects that would be shown to elementary classes. The eighth-graders taught the students about pi and helped the elementary students create masterpieces and play pi day games. Some of the activities the eighth graders did with the elementary students were watercolor painting, bracelet making, board games, a skit, and a scavenger hunt. The seventh-grade students went around to each elementary classroom and face-painted the students with designs regarding pi day.
During the week before pi day, NCEMS had penny wars, and the money brought in was donated to Sheila Mitchell also. The way this worked was every class had a bucket and the students tried to bring in as many coins as possible to earn points for their class. Every class could also bring bills to sabotage other classes to deduct points. Towards the end of the week, all of the money was counted up and the top four classes got to choose two eighth-graders and one staff member to pie in the face. The total amount of money raised from the penny war was $2,197.
Towards the end of the day, all of the NCEMS students and staff gathered in the gym for a pi day assembly to finish off the day. The assembly started with congratulating the students for bringing in so much money for the penny war. Then eight teachers were called down to the court to get pied. The four teachers pied in the face were Mrs. Bailey Holthaus, Mrs. Heather Sullivan, Mr. Jesse Helm, and Dr. Amy Beck. All of the teachers then took their seats and eight eighth-graders were then called down. In the first round Koree Stuke and Jayden Seitz got pied. For the second round Jack Macke and Kadance Henry got pied. The two students that got pied in the third round were Regan Sloop and Carter Hajek. Lastly, in the final round Layton Thomas and Jordan Lewis were pied in the face.
Will Macke said, “Pi Day was really fun, and I loved watching my brother get pied in the face.”
“The whip cream got up my nose, and I licked it off my face,'' said Jayden Seitz.
Pi day was an exciting day to finish off the week for many students and staff. NCEMS was amazing at raising a total of $2,898.67 to help Shelia with medical expenses. Thanks to all for making this day possible!