Chem teacher creates crosswords to inspire students

In May 2021, Nate Cardin stood before the periodic table he keeps in his classroom and hit “record” on his phone. “I’m used to being under the pressure of a lot of eyes on me in front of this board,” he said in the video, pointing to the periodic table. “So having a lot of eyes on me in front of the Wheel of Fortune board would be no problem,” he said, referring to the television game show. A year later, Cardin achieved a lifelong dream when he competed on—and won— Wheel of Fortune . He won big again in June 2024, this time on the US version of the quiz show The 1% Club . Cardin, a crossword enthusiast and high school chemistry teacher, applied to the shows after his students began coming to him with fears of failure that stopped them from trying new things. He decided to