Becton Regional has introduced the new “Mu Theta Alpha” Math Honors Society, a nationally recognized honors society for those who show great interest and ability in the field of mathematics. The society is advised by Becton math teacher, Joseph Malyack. As their first event together, they decided to exhibit their love for mathematics by hosting their first annual “Pi Day” event. The event was celebrated on March 18th in the Wellness Center. The purpose of the celebration was to recognize the field of mathematics around the world, especially Pi. The 13 members of the society managed all of the activities for the students to participate in.

Malyack, who teaches an array of math classes at Becton spanning from Calculus to Geometry, explains how Pi Day was popular when he was in high school and how this inspired some of the activities. He reported, “During my senior year of high school, we actually celebrated ‘Ultimate Pi Day’ [on] 3/14/15” since the first few digits of Pi are 3.1415. He assures that he “cannot take all of the credit” and that, “the honors society came up with the bulk of the activities on their own.” He affirms, “I truly could not have done Pi day without their hard work and dedication.”

At Becton’s “Pi Day” celebration, there were numerous activities for all students to enjoy. First was the number scramble, where students could unscramble the 1st 10 digits of pi for a reward. Next was Buffon’s needle where students throw pencils onto a lined piece of paper where the number of times the pencil crosses, approximates pi. Then, there was a Pi Card Game where students shuffle through a deck to be the first of two to complete the first 10 digits of pi. Next, there was a Pi skyline where students used a bar graph of the digits of pi to make a skyline drawing. Lastly, there was the Pi memorization game, where students that memorized the most digits of pi, and there are a lot of them, would get a reward. There was also a coloring station and a Pi chain where every student who attended wrote their name on a piece of colored paper that corresponded to a certain number. Once completed, the chain was strung together and humbly hung in the math wing.

The Math Honors Society members were a key part of creating the celebration alongside Malyack. A few days of planning were required in order to make it perfect. Malyack commends the society on their hard work and is set out to continue their interest in mathematics. As someone who has always been passionate about mathematics, Malyack wanted to give a space for students who “truly love mathematics” so they can “explore their enthusiasm for the subject and be recognized for their abilities in a field that can lead to a brighter future.” Malyack’s main goal for the Math Honors Society is “To create a society that celebrates students with a passion for and talent in mathematics and to use our recognition to spread the joys of mathematics to our entire community.” With a hit event like Pi Day was, it is certain he will have no problem fulfilling that goal!

Valeria Drybushar, a Senior Member of the Math Honors Society, shared her excitement for the first annual Pi Day. She exclaimed, “It was nice to see students Pi Day was the start of a long journey for the Math Honors Society to share their knowledge and new approaches with the students and staff at Becton. Mathematics is one of those subjects that a lot of students do not enjoy, but with the help of Malyack and the Math Honors Society, they are changing the stigma every day.” Although the plans for next year’s Pi Day are a secret, Malyack shared, “…I hear we will be using a lot more pie in our Pi Day,” all of the Wildcat Family continues to anticipate the fresh and fun activities for next year while commending this year’s society for their fantastic work!