MIND
GAMES
Odyssey of the Mind is bigger than ever in schools,
and Upper St. Clair has played a part in its popularity.
BY PAUL GLASSER
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.
Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon,
Penn Hills, and Moon 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.
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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 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.
“Every coach’s basement is a maker
space,” notes 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