That was a very tasty pie chart

WENATCHEE — There’s a reason why pumpkin and pecan pies will be served at many family tables this Thanksgiving. And maybe apple too. How do you choose just one when they’re all so good?

It was a tight race between pecan and pumpkin in the annual taste test and math project by John Newbery Elementary School first-graders Tuesday.

Grace Jacobsen, 6, said she had never tried pecan before but it was her new favorite. Halle Moir thought the pumpkin was exceptional. “The stuffing inside tastes like brown sugar,” she said. Both girls are students in Laurie McLaughlin’s first-grade class at Newbery.

McLaughlin and Tami Woolsey, who teaches a first-grade class across the hall, have held the pie tasting annually for five years. Students try a small piece of each of the pies — this year they came from Costco and Albertsons — and then vote for the pie they liked best.

The process is part of the two classes’ math curriculum. Students count up the results of the taste test and turn them into a graph, a pie chart, naturally.

Tyler Piercy was biased from the start. “I already know which is best and I haven’t even tried them yet,” said the 6-year-old in a paper pilgrim’s hat. He almost had second thoughts when he sat down and tried the desserts.

“Umm, they’re all so good. I think I love all of them, but maybe the pumpkin a little more,” he said.

“I have to go with the apple,” said classmate Ivan Roth.

After the students made their tough decision, they colored a cutout picture of a pumpkin, apple or pecan pie. Pecan and pumpkin were running neck and neck.

“I’ve never had this many pecans before,” said McLaughlin. Pumpkin had always won in years past. But not this time. The final tally in her class Tuesday: pecan 10, pumpkin 9, apple 3.

It wasn’t enough to convince new pumpkin convert Erin Reed, however.

“I found out something really funny today,” said Reed, 6. “I had pumpkin bread at lunch and then I had pumpkin pie. I really like pumpkin!”