One week ago today was my last day in school for the foreseeable future. Getting ready to log on to virtual classes this morning, I found myself reflecting on that final day. What I found myself thinking of first was the Math Department’s celebration of Pi Day, and how an irrational number came to be the most logical subject we discussed that week. 

The week leading up to March 13 felt like, in Coronavirus time, a whole year. Each day brought new information about COVID-19 and how the school would be handling it. This, in conjunction with normal school activities, added an extreme amount of stress and uncertainty to my everyday life. 

Finally, March 13, the glorious end of this trying week, had arrived. I remember it exactly: it was third period and I was walking on McShap Path to attend math. Midway through my walk, I remembered that today was the Math Department’s celebration of Pi Day. I could not imagine hosting a celebration amidst all of this chaos. I was prepared for the fact that this year’s Pi Day festivities would not be as cheerful and lively as those in the past due to the surrounding circumstances. However, as soon as I walked through the doors of Hartman Hall, my doubts were put to rest. 

The chatter in front of Mr. Ottman’s room between students as they were tasked with reciting the first thirty digits of Pi before entering class was a pleasant distraction from the continuous talk about the self-isolation that was to come. As I made my way upstairs, the rest of the Math Department was there to greet all incoming students. Dressed to the nines with their “Mathletics Department” sweatshirts, they were ready for a celebration. 

Before I entered class, I stopped. I looked around and realized that for the first time all week, I saw smiles and heard laughter. I was amazed by how we were able to bond over sweet treats and an infamous number. It was as though Hartman Hall had turned into a safe haven, where the stress of a COVID-19-worried world was forgotten, and the students’ only burden was deciding which slice of pie to try.

The Math Department was able to create a sense of normalcy, of familiarity, that had been lacking all week. It may have been just for a period, but Pi Day gave me the opportunity to think about Friday the 13th just as Pi Day. Not as the last day of school, but as Pi Day, which is a day that demands nothing short of celebration. 

Today, sitting in my kitchen with my dog staring at me, wondering why I am still home, I still get this bubbly feeling inside as I think about Pi Day. Because, this year, Pi Day did what the number cannot:It made me feel, even if only for a moment, that the community was once again whole.