MIND GAMES L
IKE A LOT OF PARENTS, DEBORAH BALDWIN FOUND HERSELF INVOLVED WITH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES THROUGH THE PARTICIPATION IN CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES BY HER KIDS. Odyssey of the Mind was one such activity. “My daughters did this activity at Holy Souls, and I was a judge in that,” Baldwin said. “When my oldest went to Mount St. Mary, there was a mom who wanted to
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THE MESSENGER
start the Odyssey of the Mind program, but she had a family problem and asked me if I would do it. I thought, ‘I can do this for a couple years.’” That was 26 years ago, and Baldwin is still going strong as one of the coaches of Mount’s program. In that time, she’s helped lead the Belles to national and international prominence in Odyssey of the Mind competitions. The program’s highest placement, third at the world finals, came in 2015.
Baldwin credits students’ loyalty to the activity as one component of its sustained success. “Over this many years, I think I only had two or three students who chose not to continue,” she said. “I think it’s the level of commitment to the program and to each other that makes the difference.” The competition revolves around problem solving. Teams are given their choice of five problems to solve with
