Dec. 8, 2025
Our past three editions
Nov. 24, 2025 Polar vortex • Scams • ‘Wicked: For Good’
Nov. 3, 2025 SNAP • AI chatbots • Word of the year
Oct. 27, 2025 Halloween • Government shutdown • ‘Wicked’
THE LEAD
Some colleges begin using AI in their admissions processes
Gather student reactions, gauge AI use in your school
Virginia Tech is unveiling an AI-powered essay reader to inform admissions decisions, potentially speeding up the decision timeline, Associated Press reported.
Colleges emphasize that AI is not being used to make decisions, rather schools are giving it tasks like transcript review and data entry. Some schools are using AI to weed through the packages students submit. For example, the California Institute of Technology is launching a tool to vet student research projects — an AI chatbot will interview the students on video, which will then be passed to faculty.
The National Association for College Admission Counseling added a section to its ethics guide about artificial intelligence, calling on colleges to use AI in a way that respects student dignity.
What you can do —
Talk to students about their reactions to the potential use of AI in their college admissions process. If a popular university for students at your school announces it is using AI in any way, there may be people with strong opinions about it.
This story is also a way into reporting on varied uses of AI in education. Do any teachers in your school use it in lessons? Do students use it responsibly in doing homework? AI has infiltrated virtually every corner of life, and education is no exception.
Some college newspapers have written on this topic — for example the Daily Tar Heel and The Phoenix. Their work could be a source of inspiration.
Noteworthy
College newspapers are stepping up in news deserts
Take time as a staff to discuss how your coverage serves community
In a small city in Vermont, the local newsroom staff is recruited from the University of Vermont as part of the school’s Community News Service initiative. The goal is to train students to fill gaps in local news as local newspapers continue to vanish quickly.
According to the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism’s State of Local News Report, news deserts across the country have hit a new high, with 50 million people having limited access to local news. In the last 20 years, close to 40% of newspapers have closed, and many of the remaining have been consolidated, the Columbia Journalism Review reports.
“I think that this is the place where student journalists are really important, because even in local newspapers that remain, those newsrooms might have shrunk so drastically that you lose a lot of the traditional beats of a local paper,” Zach Metzger, the director of Medill’s State of Local News Project, told CJR.
What you can do —
There are a growing number of university-supported local news initiatives filling gaps across the country, CJR reports. Take some time this winter to consider where your student media fits into the local news ecosystem. Is there a newspaper, magazine, radio station or broadcast show dedicated to your town?
If there isn’t, consider that your student media might fill a void. Think about how your coverage can serve people in your school and in your wider community. Don’t feel pressured to cover everything happening in your community, but make sure your coverage is serving your readers.
If there is a local news source, interrogate how your media can supplement, not necessarily compete, with that outlet. Consider how the angles to your reporting are different from the professional outlet, or how you pick stories prioritizes different topics.
This could be fodder for a staff editorial or a staff-wide conversation going into the next semester. Check out this Quill & Scroll activity about the mission of journalism to supplement your conversation.
What’s viral
For the first time, Pantone has named a shade of white as its Color of the Year
Use the new announcement as a hook for a retrospective on past selections
For more than 25 years, Pantone has picked a shade to represent the year ahead. This year’s selection is Cloud Dancer, “a lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection,” the company said in an announcement Thursday.
Pantone’s color of the year is displayed on any number of products every year, including smartphones, Post-it Notes and Play-Doh, NPR reports.
This is the first time Pantone has selected a shade of white for the Color of the Year.
“Similar to a blank canvas, Cloud Dancer signifies our desire for a fresh start. Peeling away layers of outmoded thinking, we open the door to new approaches,” Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute wrote on the launch page. “An airy white hue, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer opens up space for creativity, allowing our imagination to drift so that new insights and bold ideas can emerge and take shape.”
What you can do —
The color selection has been met with mixed reactions on social media — take stock of what your classmates think of the color? Do they think it bodes well for 2026?
Beyond a reaction story, there could be a fun opportunity to look at past Color of the Years and see how they matched the vibe of each year. You could do this for relevant years in students’ and staff’s lives.
100 years of Quill & Scroll
A century of recognizing excellent scholastic journalism
Awards aren’t the driving force behind student journalism, but it is nice to recognize the outstanding work happening in schools everywhere. Quill and Scroll has been presenting awards for excellence since its inception in 1926.
At the time, there were 25 “fields of creative work” recognized by awards. These fields ran the gamut — everything from book reviews to cartoons “dealing with some phase of high school life” to most column inches of advertising sold was represented. The contests were open to any high schooler in the country.
“Originality in treating the subject, forcefulness and artistry of expression will be given most weight in deciding the state and national winners,” the magazine article read in 1926.
Quill and Scroll still recognizes top-notch work from student journalists. Last week, Quill and Scroll announced the winners in the 2025 Yearbook Excellence Contest — congratulations to all! Entries are currently being accepted in the 2026 Writing, Visual, Multimedia contest. Submissions are due Feb. 6.
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
Why not have an end-of-semester Quill and Scroll initiation? Not only will you beat the ordering rush, you could also have Quill and Scroll function as a journalism club or volunteer organization. (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.
Writing, Visual, Multimedia contest open
Due date is Feb. 6
The entry form is live and we are accepting submissions. 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
Policy/guideline checkin
This bell ringer will guide students through common policies and guidelines, so they can consider them before they are needed. The slideshow is intended to be used over two weeks and is a good activity to do before the change of semester.
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.
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.
Opportunity from the Freedom Forum
The Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference June 21-26, 2026, provides 51 students (one high school junior from each state plus the District of Columbia) with an all-expenses-paid program that includes panel conversations with journalists and multimedia storytellers, newsroom visits, networking events, a chance to meet students and industry leaders who share a passion for news, and a unique Washington, D.C., experience.
Participants receive a $1,000 college scholarship and ongoing support from a community of more than 1,700 alumni. Students build their skills, grow their network and get a head start on their future.
The due date is March 15.
Upcoming Weekly Scroll pause dates
We will pause the Weekly Scroll during the weeks of Dec. 15, 22, 29 and Jan. 5. We will be spending the week before, when we amass these, either traveling or with our families. We will resume publishing Jan. 12.
Some advisers and students have found linking to our Weekly Scroll page beneficial.
Thank you for understanding.
Just a thought
As a reminder, we don’t publish the Weekly Scrolls for the weeks after we are out of the office.
Because the Weekly Scroll includes information highlighting how you could cover national — and sometimes international — news, we want to make sure we find the best content for doing just that. We even have weeks in which we update items as they occur.
Teachers who have inducted students within the past year could also use the lesson plan that addresses our winner slideshows as well.
This will be the final Weekly Scroll until we resume Jan. 12 since our office is closed during New Year’s.
For those of you who would still like to have a version of the Weekly Scroll, we have a lesson plan in our members-only area that could substitute when we are away.
We wish you all some quiet time and calm during the next few weeks. And for those of you celebrating, happy holidays — and Happy New Year! Have a great winter break and a wonderful 2026!
— Lori Keekley
