A Word Search for Engagement

LHStoday introduces a new interactive element with their Games section.

Lorelei Wise, Editor-in-Chief of LHSToday | April 16, 2026

Students Ella Quinney (12) and Kirsten Pinkham (10) investigated ways to use the popularity of puzzles to engage site users.

Ella Quinney

Across. 10 letters: To bring about something new, or to reinvent something old in an entirely new sense.

This past week, our LHStoday student staff has brought about just that: innovation.

With the marked popularity of online games embedded in news sources, (most notably the New York Times’ remarkably successful and generationally-sweeping reinvention of brain teasers with its ubiquitous “Wordle”), the staff has taken the initiative to incorporate such into their own site.

Liberty’s student news website continually seeks to parallel the elements of professional journalism, and in the accessibility of whimsy in such games, the students are now able to access a distinct and specialized field of work.

This section allows for a continuance to progress within the program, allowing for creativity in a differing sense, encouraging the staff to hone elements of coding, graphic design, and user-friendly awareness

Ella Quinney (12), who is co editor-in-chief of the magazine and reporter for LHStoday, provided impact as to the motivation behind introducing this playful section.

“We received some feedback from the National Scholastic Press Association, and they gave us a few suggestions on how to improve our site, and how of those suggestions was how to integrate more interactive elements,” Quinney said. “So, we added those features into our site in order to get more student involvement on the site.”

Kirstin Pinkham (10) collaborated with Quinney in configuring most effective way to include games into the site. Within this new phase of media, the pair turned to external resources.

“I used the website ‘PuzzleMe’ to choose the games that I wanted to make. I chose a topic, and it generated the game,” Pinkham said. “I think eventually, maybe next year, I will start creating my own words, but for now, because it is so new, I am allowing the site to generate the words for the crossword.”

Under the “Games” section of LHStoday, students, staff, and community members alike are able to participate in Liberty-relevant puzzles, from a Word Search that reflects the Prom theme, to a Sudoku that cements a classic brain teaser.

Now, as one goes about their day checking the site as one would a major news site, they can be greeted by a familiar introduction: to stop scrolling, pause, and think divergently, just for a moment.

Elements like the word search align Liberty-relevant news into the games, adding a signature to the ubiquitous puzzle. (Kirsten Pinkham)

Donate to LHStoday

$235

$500

Contributed

Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of Liberty High School. For the 2025-26 school year, we are trying to purchase additional cameras and video equipment for our growing media program. We also plan to attend the national journalism conference in Orlando in November 2026.

About the Contributors

Lorelei Wise, Editor-in-Chief of LHStoday.org

Lorelei Wise is a senior, and is thrilled to lead the Online News staff in carving out an exciting path for LHSToday! Beyond publications, Lorelei loves writing in all facets, from literary essays to slam poetry, and has found her haven in words. She is also involved as Drum Major of the marching band, Vice President of HOSA, Vice President of Key Club, and Treasurer of Earth Club, where she has met and worked with passionate, dedicated students from around the school. Lorelei can also be seen on stage as an actress in theater, and has recently gotten into a Welsh musical artist named Ren. (If you know who this is, she asks you politely to please get in contact with her immediately.) She is excited to kick off the year!

Kirsten Pinkham, Reporter

Kirsten Pinkham is a sophomore, and is in her second year in Publications. Pinkham loves photography, and is the head photographer for the Liberty Eagles Hockey team. She is also going to be the social media manager for the team. Pinkham enjoys going to sports games and writing recap stories of the games, especially for hockey. Outside of Publications, Pinkham loves to read, listen to music, bake, and hang out with her friends. Pinkham hopes to pursue a career in photography and social media management, with the end goal hopefully being the NHL.

Ella Quinney, Editor-in-Chief of The Ledger

Ella Quinney is a senior, this is her fourth year in Publications. Quinney is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Ledger magazine, along with a reporter for the website. She can’t wait to work alongside her staff to produce the magazine, and work on the website this year. Outside of Publications, she is Key Club’s editor and a member of DECA. Quinney bakes, reads, and hangs out with her friends in her free time. She is looking forward to a great last year, in and out of the classroom.