Sept. 8, 2025
Our past three editions
May 5, 2025 Hazing • Federal funding • Conspiracy theories
April 21, 2025 National Parks • Roblox kidnapping • Blue Origin flight
April 14, 2025 REAL ID • Drivers licenses • Switch 2
THE LEAD
A majority of states restrict cell phone use in schools
Cover your school’s rules, community reactions
The new school year is in session and one thing is missing from many classrooms around the country: cell phones. According to Education Week, 31 states limit student cell phone use in schools. Schools are taking a number of approaches to locking away phones, including locked bags and leaving phones in lockers.
Not everyone is on board with the restrictions: Only 11% of students in Delaware, for example, think bans should continue, NPR reported. By contrast 83% of participating teachers thought the rules should stay in place.
What you can do—
Cell phone restrictions are not a new concept, but they are more widespread than ever before. No matter where your school falls on the scale from most restrictive to least, there is a story to tell. Do students like the current policy? What about teachers and administration? How do parents feel about not being able to contact their children during the day? Is there a phone distribution plan in case of emergencies?
Ask teachers and students how a phone ban affects their educational experiences. Is it limiting what students can do with their time? Or is it opening up more opportunities for learning?
Talk to a wide variety of people who may have different experiences. It could be interesting to compare policies across nearby districts and gauge how the reaction has been in each school. There are plenty of polls and research papers to pull statistics from in your reporting process.
Noteworthy
Regulations aim to regulate use of AI for mental health support
Talk to experts about risks, things to know before accessing AI tools
Generative artificial intelligence chatbots have sprung onto the scene in so many ways, including, for some, as a way to access cost-free counseling. But the companionship that AI bots can give some people doesn’t come without risks, CNN reports
There are reports of AI suggesting illegal substances, acts of violence and methods of self-harm. There are also reports of people using AI chatbots too much, and facing severe consequences.
Some states are starting to regulate the use of AI for therapeutic purposes, but it’s not a straightforward process. One hurdle is that not all chatbots explicitly offer mental health support, but that doesn’t stop users from turning to the products with questions about mental health. In the states that are considering legislation, that distinction can complicate matters. There is also the question of how to enforce any legislation that does go into effect.
What you can do—
AI mental health support may be appealing to some students in your school — and covering the risks, benefits and potential legislation can help inform people’s decisions. Talk to human therapists about if chatbots have a place in mental health treatment and what people should know before trying them.
Also look into any state legislation that may come into play, as well as lawsuits in your area. Talk to students about how they feel about the technology, and be sure to put it in the larger context.
What’s viral
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ isn’t necessarily over
Viral show may come back for a fourth season
Summer may be over, but the show of the summer isn’t done just yet. Amazon Prime Videos’ “The Summer I Turned Pretty” took the world, and social media, by storm. The show’s third season follows Belly the summer after her junior year of college, and takes viewers through the continually complicated relationships between the main characters.
This most recent season brings the show to the end of the book series, but author and showrunner Jenny Han has left the possibility of more seasons on the table, Entertainment Weekly reported.
The finale of season three is set to release Sept. 17.
What you can do—
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” is the top show on Prime Video right now — and odds are good people in your community are watching. Ahead of the show’s finale, talk to people about their opinions so far, and what they expect from the last episodes. Have they read the books? What are they enjoying about this season?
The show chronicles a complicated love triangle and many life changes for the characters. Talk to experts about why this sort of storyline is so engaging to audiences.
IT’S AN HONOR
Student Advisory Board applications due Sept. 19
Do you want to serve your fellow student journalists and Quill and Scroll members? Join the Student Advisory Board for 2025-26. Applications close Sept. 19.
SAB members will work on projects including establishing a regular communications channel for editors and other student journalists to discuss problems, successes, and coverage; and working on projects and activities that can aid Quill and Scroll chapters.
It’s always membership season
Don’t forget you can nominate members year round
Do you have a senior who just met the GPA requirement or a student who now wants to join Quill and Scroll? Want to avoid the spring rush? Nominate students for membership, order pins, cords and other Quill and Scroll materials and memorabilia now.
We haven’t changed the ordering process from last year. For those wanting to ditch the paper version, you just need to select the form based on how you would like to pay. We have one version for credit card and another version for check or purchase order. As usual, credit card payments are charged $4.49 per order for processing.
Suggested chapter activity
Time to plan for Constitution Day
Constitution Day is Sept. 17. Start your planning now.
This interactive First Amendment activity reviews the rights guaranteed in the First Amendment and asks students to select their favorite First Amendment freedom. This activity can be run in just media classes or expanded out to a larger school/community project.
Submit your YEC entries today
Only three weeks until contest closes, submit today
The 2025 Yearbook Excellence Contest is open for entries. The cost for each entry in all 39 categories is $8, and schools will be divided by size — Class A for 1,000 or more students, and Class B for 999 or fewer students.
The entry deadline is Oct. 1, and here is a link to complete descriptions of those 39 categories and how to pay for the entries. Please note, we’ve added six new categories in recent years — including three for beginning students and three for middle schoolers.
Judges will award first, second and third places in each category for each class, and they’ll award honorable mentions so that between 10 and 15 % of all entries are recognized in every category. All students named as award recipients will be eligible to apply for Quill and Scroll student scholarships in May of their senior year.
Quill and Scroll administrators will then tally points (5 for first place, 4 for second, 3 for third and 1 for Honorable Mention) to determine a Blue and Gold Sweepstakes Award winner for each class. Last year’s overall winners were Wando High School of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and Shawnee Mission South High School of Overland Park, Kansas (Class A) and Christ Presbyterian Academy of Nashville, Tennessee (Class B).
Here’s a complete list of last year’s winners.
Take advantage of our advisers-only resource
Quill and Scroll has expanded its advisers-only area, which includes bellringers and lesson plans for advisers who have initiated members within the past school year. We will be highlighting a helpful resource in each Weekly and Month Scroll.
Advisers, if you inducted members in the 2024-25 or the 2025-26 school year, check your email (and your spam!) for a message from [email protected]. That email should contain your login information. Please be sure to accept cookies when you log in! If you have trouble, you can contact us at [email protected]. If you have inducted members this school year, we update access every few weeks, so keep an eye on your email.
We will be highlighting specific content from the advisers-only area in each Monthly Scroll, so keep reading for some ideas.
News Media Evaluation results released last Thursday
The Quill and Scroll News Media Evaluation results were announced through Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter.
The News Media Evaluations provides news media staffs a one-of-a-kind assessment of your publication(s) with constructive comments and suggestions for improvement from qualified evaluators. Judges provide a thorough analysis and rating to schools, and the evaluation exercise and feedback are instructive and developmental.
We have updated our Adviser’s only area to include this year’s Gallup winners.
We will open this service again in February for 2026 news and online student media.
National High School Journalism Convention travels to Nashville
This fall the nation’s largest gathering of high school journalists, advisers and journalism teachers will be Nov. 13-16 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center.
The JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention offers hundreds of instructional sessions, keynote speakers from national newsmakers, dozens of media critiques, JEA’s popular on-site media contests and the announcement of the NSPA Broadcast and Newspaper/Newsmagazine and Specialty Magazine Pacemakers. The winners in the NSPA Individual Awards will also be announced.
NSPA also offers a convention Best of Show competition that celebrates current student media from the current school year. The deadline for submitting Individual Achievement entries is Oct. 29. Staff Achievement entries are due at the convention on Nov. 14.
Registration is open now. The early bird discount ends Oct. 3 and online registration will close Oct. 24.
School of the New York Times Summer Academy opportunity
We know it’s early, but for those looking for a 2026 journalism learning opportunity, it’s not too early to begin planning. The School of the New York Times Summer Academy is one of the nation’s most competitive journalism programs — and Quill and Scroll members get exclusive early access.
Summer Academy is open to high school students (grades 10-12 and Graduating Seniors based on the grade the student is entering in the Fall 2026 school year). Students must be 15-years old by the first day of their session. Program graduates have been recruited from some of the top journalism schools in the nation.
All students applying to Summer Academy for the first time are required to complete an online application. Returning students do not need to reapply. As a member school, Quill and Scroll chapter members will have access to pre-registration, which is now open. Last year this program received more than 14,000 applications for 1,700 seats. By going through pre-registration, your chance of being an attendee increases.
Also, don’t forget that students from schools with a Quill and Scroll Charter can receive $500 off enrollment in the Summer Academy in addition to early enrollment incentives.
Additionally, the winning entries from our News Writer of the Year (Category 16 in Quill and Scroll’s Writing, Visual, Multimedia Contest) are eligible to compete for a School of the New York Times scholarship to its Summer Academy. This scholarship (valued at $7,500) includes room and board but not transportation to New York City. Student entries will be evaluated by faculty from the New York Times.
The School of the New York Times will host a Virtual Admissions Information Session later this fall.
The round 1 deadline will be in mid December. The application in mid-September.
Plan ahead
We will be out of the office during the weeks of Oct. 13-17 and Nov. 10-14. We will not be able to send or process orders during this time — including overnight orders. Please remember we need at least three weeks from the time we receive your purchase order or payment to the time you need the materials. We will process all orders as they are received.
Just a thought
Welcome back!
I hope you have all returned rested and ready for the year. We are excited to be back!
Quill and Scroll will turn 100 on April 10, 2026. We will be celebrating all year long. We will also have an event at the Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Minneapolis. You’ll also see historical highlights published almost every Tuesday starting next week.
A few housekeeping tidbits:
We keep our calendar up-to-date with important Quill and Scroll deadlines, so please make sure to note upcoming dates, such as contests and important experiences such as the Student Advisory Board membership and offerings.
The Student Advisory Board application deadline is Sept. 19. Please encourage at least one student to apply. These students will meet once a month from September to March. They will help develop some Quill and Scroll offerings and provide insight to improve the organization. We also have time in the meeting for the students to talk among themselves.
We’ve been busy this summer and can’t wait to show you what we’ve done. Last year, we launched a new member benefit, which is a new advisers-only area. Only those who have initiated members within the past calendar year receive access. We hope this helps you and your students in the student media classrooms.
We have added 10 bell ringers and four lesson plans for a total of 31 and 12 offered on the site,respectively. We have also updated the Gallup Gallery to include this year’s top award winners. We again will be highlighting either a chapter activity idea, bell ringer or lesson plan in each Weekly and Monthly Scroll.
As a reminder, we also published a Membership Guide last year to take you through the entire membership process. This should be your go-to area if you need help in finding members, planning an induction or other initiation-related items. We’ve added a video on ordering as well.
We still have our chapter activity ideas, which are written in lesson plan format, so anyone can lead these. Student leaders can use this with their fellow chapter members.
When you think of something we are missing, please let us know via email. We’d love to help you better!
Have a great start to your year!
— Lori Keekley
