PHOTO BY ABBY KOCH/MARSHALLTOWN COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT - Rogers Elementary School Physical Education Teacher Steve Dreyer, left, took a pie to the face as part of a Pi Day fundraiser on Friday afternoon. Also pictured is third grade teacher Terry Eisenbarth, right.

March 14 has become known as “International Pi Day” as a tribute to the mathematical constant, approximately equal to 3.14159, that is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. The day is now celebrated in a number of unique ways, and students and staff at Rogers Elementary got an extra special treat for their recent fundraising efforts when they got to choose a staff member to take a pie to the face in the gymnasium on Friday afternoon.

“It’s been a fantastic week of competition, and we have strived really hard this year at Rogers to build a positive school culture amongst our staff and students, and this really brought us all together,” Rogers Principal Brooke Will said.

Physical education teacher Steve Dryer was the big winner — or loser, depending on one’s perspective. He emerged from a field of four staff voted finalists that included himself, Will, Third Grade Teacher Terry Eisenbarth and Reading Interventionist Kris Melde. Of the four, Dreyer, Eisenbarth and Will are all in their first year at Rogers. As he spoke to the T-R after the deed was done, Dreyer took some affectionate ribbing from students, including one who repeatedly chanted “You got pied in the face!”

After the staff chose the finalists, students had a week to bring in coins as a fundraiser for field trips and other activities inside and outside of the building — bringing in over $220 in the process. Will added that her goal for the school is to do as much in-house fundraising as possible to keep dollars within the school instead of giving them to outside corporations or organizations.

As for Dreyer, he was a great sport, which is unsurprising considering his previous career as a Major League Baseball (MLB) player.

“I’m going to take it as a compliment. There are many worse things that could happen, I suppose, and if they had fun watching me getting a pie in the face, then I’m all for it,” Dreyer said. “I am so privileged to be at this building, and I feel like I”m a real strong part of the staff and the community here inside the building. And I think I’ve made some good relationships with the kids, and they seem to smile and laugh and talk with me a lot… I don’t know if I”m the winner or the loser, but whichever one it is, I’m happy.”

Will jokingly referred to Dreyer as “Mr. Pie-er” throughout the competition, and in the end, everyone ended their school week on a high note with a bit of lighthearted fun in the gym. And rest assured, Dreyer eventually got himself cleaned up afterward.

“I ate as much as I could, and I wiped the rest off. It was quite tasty,” he said.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.