Indiana teacher uses pizza to teach math by the slice

Why?

Because a pizza is a circle, and the area of a circle increases with the square of the radius.

Applying these math skills to real-world situations are just several reasons DeNeal was named the secondary school winner of the Max Beigh Enriching Education Award conferred on top Madison County educators by the Anderson Noon Exchange Club.

While it isn't always possible to use examples like the cost of pizza as a math teaching aid, "I try to make it as fun as I can," DeNeal, 34, said in an interview.

While a student at Purdue, however, he was director of a program called Teaching Engineering Applications to Motivate Students, or T.E.A.M.S., a program where he and others worked in classrooms teaching hands-on science and math lessons.

"When I realized I was spending more time preparing and teaching these lessons and thoroughly enjoying every minute of it, I knew I wanted to do it every day and become a teacher," DeNeal said in his nominee interview sent to the Max Beigh Award evaluating committee.

Daniel Joyce, principal of Pendleton Heights Middle School, said DeNeal enriches the lives of teachers and students as both a teacher and a leader.

Beigh dedicated his life and professional career to education, counseling, and improving the lives of children and young people beginning in 1937.