Editing, Leadership, & Team Building
EDITING
In the second semester of my sophomore year, I had the opportunity to become an editor intern. I learned how to provide constructive feedback and build meaningful relationships with my writers. Editing has given me new perspectives on journalistic writing through reading others' work and has taught me to be highly observant to catch all the nitty gritty mistakes. My role as an editor is to help my writers improve, thereby strengthening our entire publication.​​​
​
At the start of my junior year, I became a full-time editor. Managing seven writers felt overwhelming at first, but using an organized system helped me find my rhythm. I used Pitch Planner for approving and revising pitches and had a personalized Google Drive to store all my rubrics. This system allowed me to balance the workload and reduce stress while achieving my main goal: providing individualized and meaningful feedback to each of my writers.
INNOVATION
Playing the New York Times games became a daily routine for me and a group of four others. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to incorporate a games section into our own publication in order to increase engagement. To kick off our games section, we started creating themed weekly crosswords with around 15 hints each. We used Amuse Labs, a website that allows online game creation. After creating the crossword on the website, we used the embed code to publish it on SNO.​
When we entered our junior year, we decided to turn our fun idea into a fully developed establishment. We set concrete rules, created an organized Google Sheet, and expanded beyond crosswords into quizzes and trivia. By the end of our first semester, our games were gaining significant traction, fulfilling the goal we had from the very start.
Games Department
Look below to play all my created games!
Crossword: Red and Green Icons
This was the last crossword I made before Winter Break, meaning Christmas would be over by the time we returned to school. However, I still wanted to create a festive crossword, so I made all the words characters that were either red or green. I enjoyed making it because I could blend different franchises into one puzzle, offering a fun variety for everyone.
Quiz: Which streaming service are you?
While binge-watching a TV show, I got the idea to create a quiz based on streaming services, given the amount of services available. Many teenagers love entertainment, and watching movies and shows is one of their main pastimes. Since I created this quiz for a high school publication, I knew it would be relatable and relevant to a lot of students.
Crossword: Potayto, Potahto
I wanted to create a fun and lighthearted crossword, so I decided to focus on one of my favorite foods: potatoes. As I brainstormed, I was surprised by the many variations of potatoes, like hashbrowns, tater tots, and gnocchi. I had a great time making this crossword because it was based on a topic everyone could enjoy.
Quiz: Are you more of a Glinda or an Elphaba?
This quiz was a huge hit and provided the Games Department with valuable analytics. After watching the new Wicked movie, I became obsessed with it for an entire week, so I created this quiz to channel my passion. Given how much Wicked was trending at the time, the quiz gained more visibility in searches, leading to more clicks and views. A month after posting, it had over 2,000 views.
Quiz: Which Jellycat are you?
Jellycats were trending at the time, and I actually got inspired by one of my sophomore writers who was working on an article about them. I thought it would be a fun idea to create a quiz based on Jellycats and was thrilled to see it in the trending widget on Scot Scoop. Even though not everyone might know what a Jellycat is, the quiz is universal, with generic questions that anyone can enjoy.
Crossword: Happy Halloween!
Since this crossword was posted on Halloween day, I felt it was only fitting to create a Halloween-themed puzzle. Being a larger crossword, I included a variety of Halloween-related words like "Jack-o'-Lantern," "ghost," and "graveyard" in order to reach the 30-word limit. I was excited to post it on the actual holiday, making it even more special and relatable for everyone.
Crossword: Out of this World
This crossword idea was actually inspired by my fall play, A Wrinkle in Time. Since we hadn't done a space-themed crossword yet, I took the opportunity to incorporate a promotion for my play in one of the hints. I also referenced The Martian, our school's required summer reading, to make it more personalized. The crossword featured planets, space tools, and other cosmic elements for a well-rounded play.
Crossword: Clothed in Style
While brainstorming a crossword theme, I wanted to do something versatile that everyone could enjoy. I landed on the idea of articles of clothing, including both clothing and accessories. To make the hints more engaging than straightforward definitions, I used playful references like "required attire at Hogwarts" and "Taylor Swift's signature merch from her 'folklore' era." This let me add my own creative flair to the hints, making the crossword more enjoyable.
Quiz: What stereotypical horror character are you?
Returning back to my quiz-making phase, I stuck with spooky themes and created this quiz for horror fans. Instead of what I did for my other quizzes, which had inanimate objects and concepts as outcomes, this quiz assigned real horror stereotypes that people could identify with. I also included scenario-based questions inspired by classic horror movie situations, like "What weapon would you use?" and "Where would you hide?"
Crossword: Sweets and Treats
This was my first time creating the big crossword, which was published every Friday. Unlike the mini crosswords with 15 hints, the big one featured at least 30. Since it was the first week of October, I themed the crossword around candy in celebration of trick-or-treating. To meet the 30-word requirement, I included a wide variety of candy, from chocolates to gummies. I enjoyed creating this crossword because I discovered that emojis could be included in the hints, which was pretty cool!
Quiz: What school club are you?
I created this shorter quiz for the Clubs Fair to promote our journalism program. With only five questions, it was designed to be quick and engaging for students passing by our booth. The premise was simple: anyone who completed the quiz and showed their result earned a piece of candy. This fun interaction helped raise awareness about our program and encouraged students to get involved and support our work.
Crossword: Tuned In
As a piano player and music lover, I wanted to create a music-themed crossword focused on technical elements rather than just songs. I included words related to musical instruments and terms. However, I kept the hints accessible to the general audience, not just to expert musicians. For instance, my clue for "cello" was "stringed instrument that rhymes with a friendly greeting." That way, the crossword wasn't impossible, even if you weren't a musician.
Quiz: Which signature fall scent are you?
This being my second quiz, I developed a more efficient system. I typically included 8-10 questions with six possible outcomes, each linked to one of six answer choices per question. To help with visual appeal, I added photos from the public domain to each option. Since it was the beginning of fall, I made the quiz to match the season's general vibes.
Quiz: Which fast-food chain are you based on your tastes?
After publishing several crosswords each week, I decided to try something new. Creating five crosswords weekly felt a bit overwhelming, so I made a fast-food-themed personality quiz instead. To make it more visually appealing, I asked my cartoonist friend to create a featured photo. After publishing the quiz, the Games Department agreed to post a quiz every Wednesday as a fun break between crosswords.
Crossword: Pop Culture
With a fresh start to the school year, this was the first crossword published under the newly developed Games Department. Since pop culture is ever-changing and widely relevant, I wanted to create a crossword that anyone could enjoy. As someone passionate about pop culture, I love staying up-to-date with it. I included a mix of easy and niche hints to create a more engaging and enjoyable game. This felt like a fun and lighthearted crossword to kick off the school year after a long summer break.
Crossword: Mother's Day Trivia
This was the first crossword I published on Scot Scoop. I chose a timely and relevant theme since Mother's Day was on Sunday, and I published the crossword the following Monday. I aimed to mix easy and slightly challenging hints, with the goal of ensuring the player had fun while solving it. I wanted to avoid making it so simple that it could be solved immediately, but also not so difficult that the player would become frustrated. The hints included topics about the holiday, famous mothers in the media, and general knowledge about mothers.