Student’s Weekly Crossword Was a Hit

The weekly crossword puzzle of Margot Becker ‘20 was a fun and challenging Friday must-do for many students and adults around campus. Individuals and teams of students rushed each week to complete the challenging 15×15 published on the inside back page of The Milton Paper. Becker gave out prizes in a variety of categories and emailed out the names of all those who completed the puzzle correctly. Even after remote learning from home began after March break, Becker continued to email the puzzle to the Milton Academy community and
run lists of the winners.

“I wanted it to be that if you send it in and it’s right, you get a reward of some kind, regardless of your speed,” Becker says.
“I started a ‘beautiful completion’ prize’ for the best-looking puzzles. My whole aim was to encourage everyone to do these, have a good time, and get something out of it.”

Becker says she began making crosswords her junior year on her own, first just sketching some and then making 5×5 puzzles, or “minis.” Using a software program called Phil, she progressed to the “midi” size and then to the more difficult 15×15 format, which is the size of the New York Times weekday crossword.

Becker’s love of crosswords started early. “I’m from a crossword family,” she says.  “My grandfather did two a day until the day he died.”  Becker partners with her dad to complete the daily puzzles on the New York Times app.