Oct. 27, 2025
Our past three editions
Oct. 6, 2025 Measles • Halloween • ‘The Life of a Showgirl’
Sept. 29, 2025 Government shutdown • Test scores • Space mission
Sept. 22, 2025 First Amendment threats • Ticketmaster • WNBA playoffs
THE LEAD
Spotlight the spookiest spots in your area this spooky season
Dig into history to find haunted tales and ghost stories
As Halloween approaches and everyone gets into the Halloween mood, take some time to look into seasonal attractions in your area. Some cities — like Savannah, Georgia; New Orleans and Salem, Massachusetts — have centuries of supernatural happenings to back up their reputations as some of the best spots for Halloween, CNN reported.
In Savannah there are several allegedly haunted hotels and B&Bs scattered through downtown, as well as the Mercer-Williams House where visitors have reported seeing a young boy who is not really there through its windows.
Salem is perhaps best known for the witchhunts of the late 1600s where more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft. Of those convicted, 19 were hanged and four died in prison, according to CNN.
New Orleans is home to its own brand of voodoo, brought to the city in the 18th century by enslaved West Africans. Self-proclaimed vampires and witches also call NOLA home. Some notable ghosts can purportedly be found in the Old French Opera House and the Old Absinthe House.
What you can do —
While your city may not have the spookiest of histories, it’s worth looking into any paranormal reports in your area. If your city has archives of old newspapers or other materials, try looking through them for reports.
You can also cover Halloween events at your school and in your community. It is a good time of year to do a round-up of fall experiences — apple picking, corn mazes, haunted houses and the like. Maybe parts of your neighborhood go all out with Halloween decorations. You could make a Halloween sightseeing guide.
Halloween events are also a great opportunity for really engaging photos. Brush up your camera skills and document the costumes of the year.
Noteworthy
Government shutdown effects trickle down to communities nationwide
Cover local impacts of the three-week long shutdown
As the government shutdown stretches through its third week, federal employees are missing out on paychecks, SNAP is inching closer to running out and National Parks are closed, among other effects, NPR reported.
Republicans and Democrats do not appear to be making progress toward an agreement to end the shutdown. The shutdown started because of an argument about if and when lawmakers need to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. Nov. 1 could be a key date in the talks, NPR reported, because it is the beginning of the open enrollment period for ACA coverage.
What you can do —
The shutdown is undeniably a national story, but it is ripe with opportunities for local coverage. A good starting point is NPR’s list of state level effects of the shutdown or CNN’s guide to impacts. Use that as a jumping off point for ideas on how to localize to your community.
Talk to federal employees in your area about what weeks of missed pay means to them. Check in with WIC and SNAP benefits in your state — especially if the shutdown stretches into November.
Some states may not be able to reimburse schools for free and low-cost meals. See if this applies to your school and talk to district officials about what this would mean for their budget.
What’s viral
‘Wicked: For Good’ premier looms, advertising efforts roll out
Check with fans about their thoughts on the upcoming film
This time last year, “Wicked” fans were eagerly anticipating the release of the first part of the movie duo. It seemed every product, company and celebrity had a hand in advertising campaigns for the much-anticipated film. The same is happening this year.
“Wicked: For Good,” which tells the second half of Glinda and Elphaba’s story is set to launch in theaters Nov. 21. It will broadcast on NBC on Nov. 19, Variety reported. There will also be a two-hour musical special, “Wicked: One Wonderful Night,” featuring stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Nov. 6.
The first installation earned $473 million in the United States, making it the most successful film in the U.S. since its November 2024 release.
Dancing with the Stars had its “Wicked” night last week, with “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu appearing as a guest judge. Fans got a sneak peak of the upcoming film.
What you can do —
Though it is too early to review the movie, it is not too early to talk to fans about what they are expecting. The new film promises to have brand new musical numbers — are die-hard theater aficionados excited or anxious about the additions?
Advertising campaigns are rolling out on all sides, all with the tell tale pink and green color scheme. Ask students if those ads are making an impact on them. Talk to advertising experts about the business decisions behind tying advertising to a movie release. Why are these ads effective?
100 years of Quill & Scroll
The Society hosted its first national convention in 1926
In October 1926, Quill and Scroll held a convention jointly with the University of Iowa Institute for High School Journalists. Attendees had the chance to “cover” a mysterious crime story, attend dinners, contests, mixers and a dance — as well as learn the fundamentals of high school journalistic work.
The school’s psychology department helped by staging the crime, intended to test conference attendees’ “nose for news.” There were also round table discussions for advisers and editors.
High school students also had the opportunity to take charge of The Daily Iowan — “performing all the tasks which are commonly done” on the paper.
Quill and Scroll no longer hosts its own convention, but it does travel to both the fall and spring National High School Journalism Conventions. The 100th anniversary will be celebrated at the Minneapolis convention in spring 2026.
Share your Quill & Scroll story
In honor of the centennial, Quill and Scroll is collecting testimonials, memories and stories from Quill and Scroll from student members, advisers, former staff and friends.Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your experiences on this form! Your answers may be used in marketing and communications materials.
Please share with others in your network — we want to hear from everyone.
IT’S AN HONOR
It’s always membership season
Don’t forget you can nominate members year round
If you’ve thought about having a more active Quill and Scroll chapter, we suggest initiating members in the fall. (And don’t worry, if you’re worried that having chapter activities will just add another to do time to the list, we have several suggested chapter activities in “lesson plan” format so students can lead these!) While you’re ordering, don’t forget to include any cords and other Quill and Scroll materials and memorabilia.
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. (We’ve added buttons for ease of finding these.) As usual, credit card payments are charged $4.49 per order for processing.
YEC entries closed for the year
The 2025 Yearbook Excellence Contest is closed for entries.
We plan to announce the winners by mid December.
Special thanks to our sponsors this year: Picaboo, Varsity and Walsworth. We couldn’t run this program without them.
Writing, Visual, Multimedia contest open
Due date is Feb. 6
The entry form is live and we are accepting submissions. Be aware, we have added a few categories and changed a few items and descriptions. The cost is $8 for all entry types and you may submit live links. If you would rather make a PDF of the submission, you may still do this as well. Please make sure to allow anyone with the link to view. Remember, we don’t accept a Google document as an entry. We only accept published work.
Please make a note — all entries and payments will be due Feb. 6.
Make sure to include either your credit card payments or check or purchase order when you enter. The link provided on the site will take you directly to the credit card or check/purchase order page for the order. The WVM category payment option is at the bottom of the page.
Please reach out if you have any questions. We’re happy to help!
Take advantage of our advisers-only resource area
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.
Advisers-only resource area highlight
Why join Quill and Scroll
In this Bell Ringer, give students an overview of what makes Quill and Scroll valuable to them. This slideshow is specifically designed for those having a difficult time explaining Quill and Scroll to prospective members.
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.
Online registration is closed, but you can register onsite.
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 an exclusive discount.
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. Please see this link for the course catalogue.
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.
Students from schools with a Quill and Scroll Charter can receive $500 off enrollment in the Summer Academy. And, if you register by Dec. 1, the early bird discount applies, bringing your total discount to $1,000.
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 and the admission information and application portal are posted.
First Amendment Press Freedom Award entries due Dec. 15
The Journalism Education Association has opened applications for the First Amendment Press Freedom Award, sponsored by JEA, NSPA and Quill and Scroll.
This award recognized schools who actively support and honor the First Amendment through its student media programs. The award focuses on press freedom and a jury looks at the entire student media program at the school: digital and print news, yearbook and student broadcast.
Please see the link for details. Please read and respond carefully to all questions. Even if your school has received FAPFA recognition before, you must reapply each year.
Plan ahead
We will be out of the office during the weeks of 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.
Upcoming Weekly Scroll pause dates
We will pause the Weekly Scroll during the weeks of Nov. 10, 17, Dec. 1, 15, 22, 29 and Jan. 5. We will be spending the week before, when we amass these, either traveling to and from conventions or with our families. We will resume Jan. 12.
Some advisers and students have found linking to our Weekly Scroll page beneficial.
Thank you for understanding.
Just a thought
We’ve had quite a bit of activity in our members-only area.
For those of you who have ordered a membership and inducted students during the past year, you should have received an email from [email protected]. If you didn’t, please first check your spam folder. If you still don’t see it, it may have been blocked by your school’s firewall, please reach out to us at [email protected] and we will help you troubleshoot!
The email you receive contains your username and password, as well as a link to login. When you open the website to login, please accept cookies via the popup on the bottom of the page. This will limit the number of times you have to login!
For our second round, we have 12 lesson plans and 31 bell ringers. We anticipate adding to these again during the summer. If you have suggestions or ideas, please send them to [email protected].
Also, we have edited (and edited) these materials. However, we also realize mistakes do happen. If you find an error, please let us know.
— Lori Keekley
