FULL
STEAM
AHEAD
Wexford’s Sarah Ezolt brings
enrichment to children
through Odyssey of the Mind
and STEAM Studio.
BY JENNIFER BROZAK
W
hen Sarah Ezolt first moved to
Pittsburgh with her family from
Boston, she was surprised to learn
there wasn’t a local creative problem-solving
program for her young son, who was interested
in science, technology, engineering, arts and
math, or STEAM, activities.
So, she started one.
Ezolt, 37, is a parent volunteer for two PineRichland Odyssey of the Mind teams: a Primary
Division team at Wexford Elementary School,
and a Division 1 team at Eden Hall Upper
Elementary School.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international
competition program for children in
kindergarten through college. The program
teaches children how to think creatively to solve
problems while having fun with their peers. It is
run entirely by parent volunteers.
“My oldest son was little when we moved
here, so we started looking for programs for him,
similar to the Destination Imagination programs
that existed in Boston. We were shocked to learn
that one didn’t already exist in our community,”
says Ezolt, who lives in Wexford with her
44 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | North Allegheny
husband, Phil, and three boys, who are now 10,
7 and 3.
She soon learned that the Odyssey of the
Mind program was popular in Pittsburgh, so she
approached her son’s principal about starting
one at Pine-Richland. Within a short period of
time, more than 100 parents expressed interest
in the program. Eventually, 40 kids—enough for
six full teams—joined. Each team has between
five and seven members who work together to
solve long-term problems.
Ezolt’s Division 1 team took first place in the
Western PA Regional Tournament in March,
and her Primary team took second place in a
Spontaneous Fun Day tournament in February.
“As a coach, my job is only to facilitate the
learning process. The kids get complete creative
freedom on solving the problem,” Ezolt explains.
“I don’t help at all. The solution has to come 100
percent from their own minds.”
Ezolt, a former college professor, has a
bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in
community psychology. She says that children
who are exposed to team-based problem solving
have a definite advantage in today’s world.
Sarah Ezolt
“Learning is more than just memorizing facts.
It’s about mental flexibility, logical thinking and
creative problem solving. So much can come out
of collaborating with your peers,” she says.
A native of North Olmsted, Ohio, she and
her husband, a computer engineer, relocated
to Boston and then to Pittsburgh for his work.
Recognizing the need for even more STEAMbased learning in the Pine-Richland area,
they launched STEAM Studio, a children’s
enrichment center located in Wexford.
“We saw a real need for whole STEAMrelated education for kids who love building
and tinkering,” she says. “We wanted to create a