1001 Consecutive Digits of Pi!

March 15, 2021 (since Pi (π) day or March 14 – 3.14 falls on a Sunday) marked the 9^th consecutive year that Oak Hill Academy Math Teacher, Mrs. Rita Cotterell, and her students shared in the school’s tradition of celebrating this special day for math at Oak Hill Academy and around the world.  Not only did all upper school students create their own digit of Pi plate, while listening to what Pi sounds like, students learned where Pi came from, as well as their own exploration of this very famous irrational number.

This year was unique as our world changed immediately after last year’s contest on March 13 when school went virtual for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. There was a pleasant repeat as we again had a lower school student participate in this traditionally Upper School (grades 5-8) event. First Grader, Joshua P. (Holmdel), joined our Zoom contest and recited 101 digits of Pi beating his record of 72 set last year.  Not to be outdone, 6^th grader Dimitrios G. (Colts Neck), blew away his own school record of 866 digits when he recited 1001 consecutive digits of Pi (π) without error!

Mrs. Cotterell’s idea emerged in 2012 when Oak Hill Alum, Michael Zhang (’16), recited about 125 digits of Pi and truly amazed everyone with his performance.  That was only the tip of the iceberg as he passed his torch to another alum, Mason Garber (’17) the following year. Then it 2018 graduate, Justin Weber, (Oak Hill’s Got π) who set new records for three consecutive years before he graduated. It has grown each year from there when we now have a record of 1001!