Two principals took it on the chin – and in the nose and eyes – on Friday when Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology (TOAST) celebrated “Pi(e) the Principals Day.”
To be exact, some 440 students earned the right to smoosh whipped-cream pies into the faces of Principal Teresa Brown and Assistant Principal Katie Stalker.
The occasion for celebration was two-fold: Thursday was Pi Day (an important holiday in a STEM-themed elementary school) and almost every student in the school had met their behavior expectations for the month.
Pi, or the Greek letter “π,” is the symbol used in math to represent a constant – the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Pi is always the same no matter what. It has an infinite number of decimal places, but it’s 3.14 for short. Pi Day is celebrated worldwide on March 14, or 3/14.
To gear up for their event, Brown and Stalker donned shower caps, goggles and plastic bags for the pi(e)-ing occasion. They poked their heads through holes in cardboard cutouts of timber wolves, TOAST’s mascot, and howled to encourage any student who might be hesitant to come forward (there weren’t many).
The school went through 31 cans of whipped cream between 9 a.m. and noon. Brown got a brief reprieve when she stood up for an interview with Spectrum News, which covered the event.
Click here to see a Facebook photo collection from the event. You don’t need a Facebook account to view the pictures. A window may display the text, “To see more from Albany Schools on Facebook, log in or create an account,” but you can dismiss the message by clicking “not now.”
As a prelude to Pi(e) the Principals Day, Dr. Sridar Chittur, a member of Albany Board of Education and a University at Albany scientist and professor, willinging took whipped-cream pies to the face for donations to TOAST. See those photos here.
The mission of the City School District of Albany is to educate and prepare all students for college and career, citizenship and life, in partnership with our diverse community. The district serves approximately 9,500 students in 18 elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood schools, the district includes several magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic opportunities for students, including four themed academies at Albany High School.
