Arise, crane, roast, audio. Although these may seem like random words, to members of the Puzzle Club, these could be the start to getting the daily New York Times’ Wordle in two guesses.
The Puzzle Club, originally started in 2023 by Josh Kaplan ‘24, was recently passed down to juniors Ryan Lackey and Matthew Rosales. The club provides candy and fun to anyone who needs a break from the stress of school by taking on online puzzles. They tackle all types of puzzles including the Wordle, Connections, Strands, Jeopardy, crossword puzzles and more. Members work together as a group, focusing on the puzzles being displayed on the board.
Rosalses said he uses puzzles to enhance his strategic thinking and to spark his creativity. He said the Puzzle Club is a way to decompress from the stress of everyday school.
“Our club gives people a space to come in if they want, unwind and play puzzles for 35 minutes,” Rosales said.
Lackey said he aims to share his previous puzzle experiences with new members and foster a community of puzzle enthusiasts. Lackey said he enjoys the positive environment and looks forward to doing puzzles as a group each Wednesday.
“I’ll do some of the New York Times games throughout the rest of the week, but on Wednesdays, I save those to do during X-block,” Lackey said.
In the future, the Puzzle Club plans to run a fundraiser with the goal of purchasing puzzles and games for local kids who do not have easy access to them. Rosales said the club’s goal is to spread the joy and passion they have for puzzles outside of the high school.
Catherine Wolf, a biology teacher, is the advisor of the Puzzle Club. Although Wolf was originally hesitant to advise the club because it takes place during X-block, she said that now, not only does she supervise the club, she also actively participates in solving the puzzles.
“I love my X-blocks to set up labs and collaborate with my colleagues,” Wolf said. “But I also saw there was enormous potential for having extra joy in my day and time with students in a non-academic way.”
According to Wolf, the Puzzle Club is a low stress, relaxing environment that allows students of all ages and interests to form relationships while engaging in brain games.
“I think it is an opportunity for students, like many clubs, to have a break in their academic day,” Wolf said, “and be with other kids who might not be in their classes or be the same age as them, but who enjoy a little bit of a brain teaser or a challenge.”
