As sophomore Maggie Yagan does her homework, there are times she finds herself overwhelmed. Whether it’s a long history reading or a complicated science question, the work or task can feel unapproachable. But sometimes all it takes to make them doable is a minute or two of the Mini Crossword or finding a few words on the day’s Spelling Bee.
Searching for a solution for the relentless stress high school students inevitably face, many students have sought refuge in their New York Times subscriptions, specifically the mindful and captivating games that come with news, opinion and sports headlines. From the charming jingle signifying the success of the Mini Crossword, to the queen bee buzzing across the screen after one finds all the words in the daily word hunt, these games can be seen and heard throughout the halls of U-High. Whether at lunch or in the minutes before a math test, students have turned to these puzzles as a momentary reprieve before plunging back into reality.
The New York Times games, including The Mini, Wordle, Connections and Spelling Bee, prove themselves to be a successful ally in a student’s daily battle against stress and feeling overwhelmed.
“It’s a nice break from all the assignments,” Maggie said. “Especially with the crossword or the Spelling Bee, you can do a little at a time, and then go back to homework.”
The games also help friends connect. While lunch can sometimes be a continuation of the stress of class, with students comparing assignments, and complaining about their next classes, some groups have started to use this time to decompress. Maggie and her friends play the New York Times games together.
“We send each other our scores every day, and it gets very competitive,” Maggie said. “A lot of the time we’ll be hanging out together as a group and someone will be like, ‘Hey does anyone want to find words for me.’”
Senior Mary Bridget Molony said the biggest appeal of the games is how they can be spread throughout the day into short time periods.
“For me the games are just a really quick and easy way to have fun throughout the day,” she said. “I can do it in chunks, and it doesn’t take a long time.”
Mary Bridget explained that especially during her senior year, it has been great to have a simple way to disconnect from all the stress. She said sometimes different activities, such as watching a movie or TV show, can be too time consuming, or other activities can quickly stop being relaxing and instead turn into an obligation.
“I think a lot of things that we as students do for fun turn into something to be put on a résumé,” Mary Bridget said, “and this is just something light and simple.”
