An Inside Look at the Navigator

By John R.

There are many moving parts that work together to make a machine work. Each part has a different job. And just like a machine, we are not all reporters. There are three positions that are unlike any other: Teacher-Advisor, Editor, and Editor-in-Chief. The Teacher-Advisor does exactly what you would expect one to do, except the Navigator is a peer-to-peer based course, and there aren't a whole lot of lectures or studies here. Mrs Meyer, our wonderful Teacher-Advisor said: “I love having students from all different grades and backgrounds coming together in one place to collaborate. I love listening to all their ideas and stories--that encourages me for our future generation.”

Reporters and writers often overlook things, and because of that it's always helpful to have another set of eyes. Here, we happen to have an extraordinary Editor, one that has saved my dignity many times. Her job is to go over the articles and make sure they are ready to be published. This includes last-minute edits for grammar, syntax, and suggestions! Karis, our Editor, said: “I think my absolute favorite aspect of my role on staff is the staff itself. I love that I get to interact with them more personally and get to know them as people, not just journalists. When I was a journalist on the staff, I didn’t really get to know the other students on staff because we were all always off interviewing people, doing our own things, and writing our own articles. But as editor, I get to interact one-on-one with the staff and give them precedence because they’re my main priorities.” 

Last but not least, Lydia is our Editor-in-Chief. You may know her from StuCo, and while her full StuCo title is too long to say here, she also moonlights as the Editor-in-Chief of the Navigator, a job she does very well. Her main job is to publish the articles, and to help lead and prepare her reporters for the big day. Given this is a leadership position, it is significantly more difficult to do. Lydia, talking about challenges being the leader said: “the main challenge is actually just leading. . .Being a leader is just hard in general because it means that I have to make, or help make, decisions that I know won't make everyone happy. The Navigator staff is absolutely amazing, and I always want everyone's opinion to be heard.”

After this are you ready to join? You could be part of the next Navigator staff! Mrs. Meyer said: “Join! Don't let fear stop you--you will be supported. If you say, ‘Well, I don't know exactly what I would write about,’ know that you will have a group of people around you helping you.” Keenan said: “DO IT. The Navigator honestly allows for so much personal growth. Not only do you grow in how you write and share your thoughts through words, but you also learn how to communicate with your team, share your ideas and thoughts, and collaborate. It's really such a creative space filled with regular jokes and humor.” Still afraid to write to a large audience? Ian commented: “As you write, you have the opportunity to truly weigh your words to create an impact. I suggest you use it. Writing as if you were speaking is left to comic writers. This caliber of writing is meant to instruct, inspire, and encourage, all of which can be done with the application of effective communication.”  Rebecca said: “You won't regret it! If you love to write and are a hard worker, you're going to have a great time!” But at the heart of all our writing is Jesus Christ. We take integrity and God's word very seriously. He came and died for us so that we could live a life with him one day, we respect that, and our writing reflects it. And to be honest, that is what should be the center of all that we do. Writing is a powerful tool, especially when you write to a large audience. 

John R. lives in Oregon, in the United States and this is his first year at NSA. He is in 11th grade, and enjoys pastimes such as reading, hanging out with friends, friendly debates, and speaking international affairs. He also loves studying and speaking of U.S. and Military history. Future career goals include engineer, architect, firefighter, or police officer.

📓Class SpotlightsEIC NSA2021-2022, April 2022 Issue