The Math Club, moderated by math teachers Peter Nguyen, Eric Romin and Susan Torales, celebrated Pi Day on March 14, in conjunction with Top Chef: Loyola, moderated by theology teacher Thomas Cendejas.
Top Chef: Loyola conducted a baking contest to see which student prepared the best tasting pie or pie-inspired dish. The first-place winners were sophomore Andrew Hatch and junior Nicholas Salinas.
For the first time, the Math Club is teaming up with Top Chef Loyola in an effort to expand the event to a school-wide celebration. Participants were asked to bake a pie for the event and calculate the pi-value, which was derived by the circumference divided by the diameter of the pie.
Torales said, “I think this event is going to be beneficial because it will raise unity on campus, and it will be great to work with Top Chef: Loyola to expand this event beyond the Math Club.”
Torales said, “These events were just within the Math Club, but this time Top Chef Loyola will contribute by baking the pies for Pi Day.”
The main role of the Top Chef: Loyola club will be to provide the baked goods for the Pi Day celebration. Members of Top Chef: Loyola will bring a pie of their choosing.
Cendejas said, “This event will be the perfect way to expand the reach of our club. In the past, we have done a few major events where we shared our cooking with the whole Loyola community, but this will be the first time that we have worked with another club to showcase our passions to the whole Loyola community.”
President of Top Chef Loyola Luke Mckenna, a junior, said, “I think this is a huge step in the right direction for both of our clubs. Seeing that we are normally doing completely different things, it is good that we found a way to coordinate what we both love to do into one big celebration that the entire Loyola student body can enjoy.
Math Club member Steve Cox, a sophomore, said, “I was a judge for the baking contest, and it was really fun because some kids who you would never expect to be bakers made some fabulous pies. I hope we can continue this tradition for a long time.”
Top Chef: Loyola member Jacob Tamkin, a freshman, said, “My favorite part of the event was seeing the student body come out as a community and participate in a fun activity. I saw plenty of smiles before and after the students devoured pie. It was a fun event that everyone enjoyed, and I look forward to participating in it for all of my four years here at Loyola.”
The moderators and members of the Math Club and Top Chef Loyola plan to continue to work together for future Pi Day celebrations. Their plan is to eventually make this event a schoolwide tradition.
