L
eaders who organize the Odyssey of the Mind after-school program
expect students from the Pittsburgh area to do well at the state and world
competitions in 2018.
Penn Hills, Moon, Mt. Lebanon, and Upper St. Clair all have strong
contingents this year. The state competition is at Pocono Mountain in the
eastern part of the state in April. The world competition is at Iowa State
University in May. Last year, three teams from Pittsburgh made it to the world
competition in Michigan, and a team from Moon placed fifth in the finals.
Susan Rosati, co-director of the western region, hopes for a repeat
performance this year.
“That would be really exciting,” she says.
The program emphasizes creative problem-solving skills and began in the
western part of the state in 1984. The first teams were from Moon, Hopewell
and Beaver Falls. Mt. Lebanon, Moon, Penn Hills and Upper St. Clair all have
Mind
Games
Odyssey of the Mind is
bigger than ever in schools,
and Penn Hills has played
a part in its popularity.
BY PAUL GLASSER
28 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Penn Hills
more than a dozen teams this year. Overall, the number of teams in the
western region has increased from 96 three years ago to more than 110.
Odyssey of the Mind has benefited from increased interest in STEAM
programs, which emphasize science, math and the arts. The popularity of
maker spaces has also sparked greater interest in Odyssey of the Mind.
“Every coach’s basement is a maker space,” laughs Bill Nimick, state director
for Odyssey of the Mind.
Although there are a lot of after-school programs, he says Odyssey is popular
because it’s very flexible. “The principles of Odyssey can be used effectively with
any aspect of the curriculum and in any school setting, including public, private,
charter or home school,” explains Nimick, who is from Penn Hills.
In addition, students gain skills that will benefit them their entire lives.
Odyssey of the Mind emphasizes creativity and problem solving as well as
teamwork, time management, budgeting and self-reflection. “They are very
effective in any real-life situation,” Nimick says. “These skills are a life-long asset.”
The students pick the problem they want to answer and then brainstorm
a solution. They’re responsible for implementing their solution without any
assistance from coaches or judges. Nimick and Rosati hope more teams