2022-2023

This is my third year on the Navigator. As such, I have already written two articles about my experience at NorthStar and on the Navigator. For my 9th grade year, my first year on the Nav, I wrote about how NorthStar gives me the flexibility I need in my life, while still providing a rigid-enough structure to compensate for my busy brain. In my second story article, I wrote about how NorthStar has given me the community that I had always wanted. Since I’ve already talked about NSA’s social, spiritual, and academic aspects, I want to make sure that this article covers something different. 

Once upon a blustery November morning seven years ago, a barely 11-year-old sixth grader walked into the math classroom at her local Christian school. She had been attending this school since kindergarten and had never known anything different as far as school goes. School, at the time, meant navigating a (comparatively) small, combined middle and high school campus on the middle school side of the building, worrying about being late to class, trying to make straight A’s to avoid parents’ displeasure, and juggling changing friendships. One word can connotate a lot, right?

I have existed on this planet for fifteen years now. And though it’s been a year since I wrote my first staff story, I must admit I still don’t like doing it. What is there to say now? I don’t know, and that’s why I’m writing this extremely close to the due date. 

As a teacher, I should be excited as we come to the beginning of June–cheering for the seniors who have completed their high school journey. But this year, that celebration is mixed with a bit of reserve.

“The Quiz” is a short story written by one of NorthStar’s students who participated in a short story competition for NSA’s Creative Wiring Club. Reader discretion is advised, as the story contains some fantasy violence. The first chapter of the story is here in this article. To read the full story, click here.

My NSA story has not been a fairytale, far from it to be honest, but I have enjoyed my time at NorthStar. This is my third year at NSA, but only my second year taking classes only from NorthStar. The three-year journey until now has been full of hardships, but there are many fun memories. My tenth grade year in particular has been full of changes, yet there has been a constant, the Navigator.

You can describe me with the 4 F’s and two P’s. Faith, Family, Flag, Freedom, Protection, and Procrastination. I know, it's an underwhelming end to such a virtuous list. You may know me as the funny guy in that obscure school newspaper. You may be saying “that man is cringe” or something similar. You might even know me as the guy who was active on Teams a year ago then disappeared forever. In the case of the latter, I don’t know why you still remember me, my greatest contribution to NSA was participating in a meme war. But whether I’m remembered as King Cringe or the Chick-fil-A guy, I am leaving…for good, I’m never coming back.

For most, the Covid-19 pandemic has been nothing but trouble. The deadly disease has wreaked havoc all over the world. I, however, have gotten something positive out of the pandemic: if it hadn't been for the lockdowns, I may never have found NSA.

“Arrivederci” is a short story written by one of NorthStar’s students who participated in a short story competition for NSA’s Creative Wiring Club. Reader discretion is advised, as the story contains some fantasy violence. The prologue of the story is here in this article. To read the full story, click here.

This is an allegorical story of growing up, moving from childhood to adulthood, and being a senior. The piece is inspired by John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim Progress.” This is part of my NSA Story. 

Over the years, my school life/situation has encountered many changes. Maybe my school situation had to change more than the average person’s, but maybe not. Whatever it is, I think it’s been great that my life has changed so much and given me some odd experiences. 

On February 6, 2023, an Mw 7.8 earthquake that lasted for 80 seconds struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. About nine hours later, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred 59 miles (95 kilometers) to the southwest. To date, the earthquake has killed more than 50,000 people and injured infinitely more. 

As the time approaches to sign up for the classes you want to take next year, I realized that there are probably a lot of people who have questions about the Navigator. I figured this would be the perfect time to answer some of those questions. Keep in mind as you read that I am not an expert on all things Navigator and I don’t know the perfect answer to everything, however, I will answer each question to the best of my ability. 

For years we’ve been told that a college or university degree is necessary to succeed in life. And in the fall of 2020, about 19.5 million people attend college in the U.S. (NCES). Yet, for many, the cost of college can be immense. So, as times change, more people are looking at alternatives to college.

NorthStar Academy has students located all around the world. As such, NSA students have experienced a vast variety of wildlife. Today, let’s go on a globe-trotting safari to find out what wildlife encounters look like for NSA students.

Every student at some time or another has had to do a community service project. Some of us, including myself, try just to meet the bare minimum. Other students, however, go above and beyond the requirements to do something really special. Norah is one of those students.

All students have probably flown paper airplanes, but Noah flies real planes. Noah is an exceptional student here at NorthStar. He balances high school with flying planes which means in his downtime he flies airplanes. This is his story.

Always talk with your parents before reading/watching the material. :)

Threads of messages have been a part of NSA lore from the beginning. Creative students in FirstClass and Teams have crafted dramatic stories and role plays that have gone down in history. (In fact… there’s a whole book written about it, you can check that article out here.)

This is the time when the student body gets to vote on the next round of student council (also referred to as StuCo) members! For extra information, go to the Elections Team in NorthStar Academy’s official Microsoft Teams server.

NorthStar’s Creative Writing Club recently held a short story contest! The winner was Abby H. and as part of her prize, her story has been published here on the NorthStar Navigator! Congratulations to Abby! Please enjoy her short story, “The Wielder.”

READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED - There is some minor fantasy violence present in this story. :)

For The NorthStar Navigator’s February Publication, we held a Scavenger hunt. We got a total of twelve responses, and everyone did so well! However, there can only be a few winners…

In part 1, we talked about what it means to be Christian and why it’s important to share the Good News with others. In part 2, we discussed how understanding what God teaches is the first step in telling others about Him! In this part, we’ll be talking about how to be familiar with what others think.

This year has been my first year writing for the Navigator. I’ll be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect before I decided to join. Since I didn’t know exactly what to expect, I decided not to join last year, and now I regret not joining sooner. My goal with this article is to make sure others who are hesitant to join don’t make the same mistake I did. In this article, I will tell the story of how I decided to join the Navigator, and what my experience has been like. I will also provide information about how you can experience a Navigator live session in person.

I’m sure that anyone reading this has, at some point in their lives, been trying to study and had trouble trying to focus. If this happened to you, I’m sure you were told, or maybe you found out on your own, that music helps people focus. I’d even be willing to bet that you were told classical music helps make you smarter while studying, but how much of this is true? Why does music help us when we study? Are certain types of music better or more helpful to people who are studying? Let’s make a deal: you keep reading, and I’ll answer all those questions above. 

NorthStar Academy is a Christian school. But, what exactly does it mean to be a Christian? Some treat Christianity, and perhaps religion in general, as just another aspect of one’s identity. I’m a daughter, a singer, a writer, and a Christian. But, allow me to challenge that prospect.

After an extra few responses to this year’s valentine’s day advice article, here is part two, specially for you. 

As NSA students are well aware, NorthStar offers a plethora of classes to choose from. Take Astronomy, Wisdom Literature, and Photography, for starters. What most NSA high school students aren’t familiar with, though, are the dual credit (DC) classes made possible through NSA’s partnership with Colorado Christian University, or CCU. I intend to lay out what you need to know about the dual credit program and why you should take an interest in it. Dual credit has been nothing short of a lifesaver for me, and I hope it will be greatly beneficial for you too!

I know what you’re thinking: “He ain’t a mechanic, why should I listen to him?” You’re right; you shouldn’t. I’m merely a student journalist trying to graduate with minimal brain damage. However, just  recently, I bought myself a car. And I learned many things the hard way, which prompted months of research. One thing to mention is that we will be focusing solely on gasoline powered cars here. 

So, how do we share our faith? Let’s look to Jesus for the best example of how to share Christianity with others. That seems like a good starting place! So, what WOULD Jesus do? What did Jesus START with?

*Advice and suggestions should be taken with a grain of salt and the Navigator is not liable for any personal negative consequences that may result from following our advice.

When it comes to matters of the heart, anything and everything can easily become difficult. Within a moment, you could either feel like fainting or running into someone’s arms… that is if you’re an 18th-century romantic. Nonetheless, our relationship/dating world is just becoming more and more complicated. It’s often hard to know what to do. Below is the second edition of the Navigator’s top relationship advice!

August 15th was the day when a fundamental change occurred in Afghanistan. A certain class of people conceives it as a day of independence, whereas another explains it as a day of destruction. To make things clearer, it is the point of view that matters. And it is the point of view of a specific person or group of people that will be investigated in this piece of investigative journalism. After the drastic change that shook a country to its core, many incidents and experiences supervened. The ordeal of an individual will be shared in this article. 

You have likely recently seen references to the Snapshot Project all over the NSA campus. However, how much do you really know about the Snapshot Project? Read this article to find out what the Snapshot Project is all about! You will also learn important Snapshot Project information not offered elsewhere and important photography tips.

In August of 2022, NSA changed the structure of Teams. In the months since, a couple of students have cried tears of outrage at the changes. For some, you might be wondering why Teams was changed at all. And, of course, there are probably some of you who are completely unfazed. Nonetheless, there’s a bit that can be said about the situation. 

Welcome to Part 2! If you haven’t read Part 1, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this article to see the link to the first part where we meet The StuCo Coordinator and The Leadership Team!

Student Council is a big group of students and mentors all working together for the good of NorthStar. As such, there are quite a few people and roles to explain. In Part 2 of this article, I’ll be talking about The Outreach Team and The Communications Team.

Northstar Academy is twenty five years old, but did you know we haven’t had a mascot until very recently? That’s right, and today we are going to learn a little bit more about him! The Navigator thanks Mrs. Armstrong for representing Navi during this interview.

We’ve written about students. We’ve written about teachers. We’ve written about administration… but somehow we’ve overlooked a very important category! The Navigator hasn’t written about pets! I have taken it upon myself to fix this grievous error and introduce some of our four legged friends to the world. World… meet the Pets of NSA!

*DISCLAIMER* This article is based strictly in the United States. Many things that are standard in the U.S. as listed here, such as legal statuses, regulations, practices, legislation, or legal ownership requirements may not exist in other countries. If you live outside the United States or U.S. Territories, research the laws and requirements according to your country of residence.

Many of you reading this article are probably looking for a car at this moment, that is why you clicked on it, right? Don’t judge, I am still honing my clickbait skills. Either way, there are a ton of things you need to consider before making a purchase. Remember, this car will be a part of you for years to come. Now, your first car probably won’t be a Tesla. I’m sorry if that is what you expected this article to be: How to get a Tesla for the first car. It probably won’t happen. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find a nice car to commute from work or school in.

I don’t know about any of you, but I’m pretty excited for what the next few months have in store – snow! I know snow brings mixed reactions from people. Some may think it’s the best thing ever and just can’t wait to go outside and play in it (like me). Others are perfectly content to stay inside and watch the flakes come spiraling down from the heavens in the comfort of the living room with a blazing fire, within-reach hot drink, and a spellbinding book. None of the above would apply to those who don’t predictably receive snow! Let’s take a closer look at what snow looks like for NSAers.

Christmas is coming quickly and this article may lengthen your Christmas list by one item: a graphics drawing tablet. Graphics drawing tablets can be immensely valuable to online students. This guide will help you decide whether or not you would benefit from one. 

We’ve all been in a situation where we’re either feeling the pressure of being behind in school or the immense desperation of trying to catch up. The best way to remedy this universal dilemma would obviously be to never get behind. For some, this might seem impossible, especially when you go along with the trend of “we’re all behind and it’s hilarious”. Being behind and staying behind can have grave consequences. Although it is possible, particularly with the help of NSA’s own Student Success coach, Mrs. Kimberly Smith. Nonetheless, some of us just need a guide on how to catch up on school, once and for all.

I haven’t heard any actual sleigh bells yet, but all around me the signs are clear that the Christmas holiday season is upon us.  Trees are up, houses are strewn with decorative lights, and Santa is hanging out at the local shopping mall.  And while it may look different elsewhere, folks in over 160 countries around the world are engaging in whatever their local Christmas holiday traditions are. 

In honor of the upcoming Christmas festivities, I thought I’d take an unconventional spin with this article. Bear with me as I become a talk show host and interview food which most definitely can speak with me. Excuse me while I grab my heels and Christmas sweater…

Happy Holidays folks, and welcome to Food for Thought, where we interview the world’s leading cuisine to learn about their finer points. Today we have some classic Christmas friends from across the globe – please welcome Gingerbread House, Cinnamon Roll, Christmas Cookie, Panettone, Stollen Bread, White Fudge, and Christmas Pudding!

Is true Christmas dead?

Christmas started in Rome in about 336 A.D. It started as a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus. Because, even if we do not know the exact day that Jesus was born, we still set out a day in the year when we especially focus on celebrating Him. Christmas, from the origin, “mass on Christ’s day,” has been celebrated for centuries throughout generations and across continents (Hillerbrand). It is a special day set out to celebrate the birth and life of Jesus Christ, who sacrificed Himself on the cross and died for our sins. It’s a day to realize who Jesus was, and what He gave us, and then to pass on that gift and kindness toward others. Yet, how many people these days are really celebrating Christmas for this reason?

Welcome to Part 3! If you haven’t read Parts 1 and 2, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this article to see the links to the first and second parts where we meet The StuCo Coordinator, The Leadership Team, The Outreach Team, and The Communications Team!

Student Council is a big group of students and mentors all working together for the good of NorthStar. As such, there are quite a few people and roles to explain. In Part 3 of this article, I’ll be talking about The Representative Team.

Now that you followed the link or just skipped the first article entirely(I would recommend reading Part I first, obviously) you can continue to read about cars:

*DISCLAIMER* This article is addressed specifically to residents of the United States. Many things that are standard in the U.S. as listed here, such as legal statuses, legislation, or legal ownership requirements may not exist in other countries. If you live outside the United States or U.S. Territories, research the laws and requirements according to your country of residence. Neither the author of his publication nor the NorthStar Navigator claim to be legal experts, nor should be taken as so. 

What is an eSports team, and why are they so popular? That question actually has an easy answer. An eSports team is a team that plays video games competitively. The name eSports makes sense when broken down. The games are video games, hence the e is for electronic. The players form a team and play matches against other teams, thus, sports have been added to the name as well. As for the second part of the question, video games are obviously a lot of fun, so who wouldn’t want to be able to play competitively with friends? The eSports team allows players to make new friends, show off their skills in certain video games, and compete against lots of other players for a chance to lead the school to an eSports victory.

A lot of people this past Halloween season did not celebrate Halloween. According to Focus on the Family, some people believe that Halloween is a worship of the devil. So, should Christians celebrate Halloween? What do NorthStar students think about Halloween? I for one have been on both sides. For 10 years of my life, Halloween was a holiday that was never celebrated in my house. We would never give candy to people. We would turn all the lights out to make it seem like my family was not home. My family moved overseas when I was 10, and we met other Christian families who did celebrate Halloween. Their ideas influenced my parents; now, we do go trick-or-treating. So, I do not believe that celebrating Halloween is right or wrong.

If you’ve watched the sitcom Seinfeld then you’d know that one of George Costanza’s favorite phrases to yell out when it comes to human indecency and inconsideration is, “YOU KNOW, WE’RE LIVING IN A SOCIETY!!!”

You may be wondering, Why should I come to SEE this year? Students should come to SEE this year because this is a time that we at NSA become intentional about opening our hearts to God.

Anna’s senior basement is now reality – well, a pretty close version of it is. Several years ago on First Class (the old NSA social platform before Teams), Anna, then a sixth grader, did some renovating to what has come to be known as the basement, a space just to keep the much-loved seniors around, virtually speaking of course, complete with ice cream, pillows, cobwebs, and rotten food. The new alumni association may or may not have these comforts, but it certainly has members. NSA home office staff reached out to graduates back to 2013, and currently, 47 former NSAers call themselves alumni association members. Through the association, which uses a Discord server, NSA alumni have the opportunity to keep their iNSAne memories alive from their time here, take advantage of networking opportunities, and continue to grow the lifelong relationships they’ve made.

NorthStar Academy’s Student Council (also known as StuCo) is behind every event on our beautiful online campus. However, StuCo often works in the background, behind the Wizard-of-Oz-esq curtain.

Student Council is a big group of students and mentors all working together for the good of NorthStar. As such, there are quite a few people and roles to explain. In Part 1 of this article, I’ll be talking about the Leadership Team.

Uganda is a landlocked country located in eastern Africa. From the amazing culture to unique foods and beyond, Uganda has something interesting for everybody. Perhaps, you are interested to learn about what the culture is like in this wonderful country. Maybe, you would prefer to learn about the unique foods the people of Uganda eat, and some different ways these foods are prepared. If by some chance, neither of these topics have you intrigued, you might like to learn about the many activities that Ugandans enjoy taking part in.

NorthStar has been around for 25 years. For over two decades, NorthStar has been giving kids a strong foundation of education. Back in the day if you were a missionary and moved overseas, there were not many options. A lot of people had to send their kids to boarding schools. Children had to live apart from their families while they attended school. There was a problem, and one man saw a solution.

Ahh, there is nothing like the ocean. At the very least, this is the response that you would get if you were to ask Mrs. Beirne what her thoughts were about the ocean.

From 1952 to 2022, Queen Elizabeth II has been the monarch of the United Kingdom and its associates. She has been a constant for 70 years (“Queen Elizabeth II”). Where times change, countries rise and fall, presidents are elected and forgotten, and economies falter; she has been a constant. On 8 September 2022, she took her last breath. But, how will her death affect the world and why does it signal the end of an era?

Welcome. This is the mission briefing. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to aid and spread the word of the Welcome Committee in whatever way you can. Before we go any further, let's dive into the mission context and details. The Welcome committee is often overlooked. As Aragorn says in the Lord of the Rings: “Deeds will not be less valiant because they go unpraised.” They are a group within NSA dedicated to making people feel welcome. They are geared toward people new to NSA and Teams, so they are at their strongest at the beginning in the year. But by no means does that mean they simply fade after that. Far from it. This means you will be interacting with them long after the first couple months.

When I was a senior in high school back in 1995, home internet access was brand new. I remember standing in awe at my dad’s computer as I waited 10 minutes to try to access a document from a library in Israel concerning the Seige of Masada for a research project. I was thrilled to think about how I could access so much information from around the world from my little town in rural Arkansas.