Central Catholic High School students break
Pi Day record

On Friday, March 14, Central Catholic High School celebrated “Pi Day” by attempting to construct the longest “pi chain” on record. Pi is the infinite number that represents the circumference of a circle divided by the circle’s diameter. Since the number sequence begins with the digits 3.14, Pi Day is celebrated on March 14, or 3-14. Students at Central Catholic spent much of the day building a pi chain by putting together links of construction paper. Each color of the paper represents a different digit of pi, from 0 to 9. The previous record for the longest pi chain was 31,415 links, according to the Web site at http://teach pi.org. That record was set by Pontiac Junior High in Pontiac, Illinois, in 2007. Central Catholic built a pi chain of 66,000 digits, which measured approximately three miles in length when completed. More than 30 teachers volunteered to have their students participate in classes throughout the day, and the links came together in the front gymnasium at the end of the school day. The Central Catholic math department began planning this Pi Day event last fall. Faculty members decided this activity would be an exercise in teamwork and provide a memorable experience for their students.