Diving Into the Navigator Classroom
By Alexander M.
Stack of Newspapers by Billion Photos Created in Canva
While most people may see the Navigator as simply a school newspaper, it is also an official elective class at NorthStar Academy. Inside the Navigator class, there are a variety of assignments and learning opportunities for students to learn about journalism and professional writing. From learning core principles of journalism to the specific layout of a newspaper, students can learn a variety of helpful skills that can benefit them in their future careers inside the NAVI280e class. Through completing the various activities in the Navigator class, students are able to learn a variety of valuable skills for their future endeavors.
The primary portion of the Navigator class is writing articles. This unique set of assignments provides three main skills that students can use in their future career goals. Firstly, students conduct extensive writing practice, which can help students gain a greater hold on grammar concepts. Secondly, students learn how to work fluidly with other students as a team through helping each other improve their articles. This teamwork practice is extremely helpful, since no matter which job a student might venture into, it is likely they will have to understand how to work with others. Lastly, students can gain a greater understanding of the editing and proofreading aspects of writing. This skill allows students to grow accustomed to having others analyze and revise their work, which occurs in many different occupations.
Another part of the Navigator class is learning about journalism. This can mean a variety of things, from learning about how and why newspapers are structured in certain ways to the different forms of journalism. As well as learning about the complex parts of journalism, a student will learn the fundamental roots of journalism that every journalist follows in order to provide accurate and precise information to the public.
While the assignments found in the Navigator class are informative by themselves, the Navigator also hosts a call for its staff once every two weeks to discuss the Navigator itself. These calls provide students with an excellent opportunity to interact with their peers and get used to having online meetings, which are consistently being used by countless companies and careers across the globe.
In addition to students being journalists for the Navigator, the Navigator EVP class provides other optional positions with a variety of responsibilities. For example, the Navigator currently has positions for editors, public relations representatives, image managers, and social media managers. These unique outlets allow students to delve deeper into specifically what they are interested in.
Lydia N., editor-in-chief here at the Navigator, has said that she has learned many different skills from her position. For example, she says that she has “definitely learned how to make decisions more confidently.” This skill involves talking with others and bringing everyone’s opinions into consideration. She says that this helps her personally, since “difficult decisions rarely please everyone, so finding a middle ground or compromise is a very important skill to have.” In addition to this skill, she says that she has “learned how to work as a team, balance my role with the roles of others on staff, and work through problems as one unit.”
In conclusion, the Navigator EVP class provides many great skills and learning opportunities to students interested in team building and professional writing. From learning how to structure a sentence to conducting an interview, a student will be able to learn a variety of valuable skills that can benefit him or her both in careers centered around journalism to careers not even associated with professional writing. If you are interested in joining the Navigator, feel free to come to the Navigator open house EVP meeting on March 22, 2024.
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Alexander M. lives in Georgia, USA, with his parents and younger sister. He has been a student at NorthStar for a year and is just starting to write for the Navigator. He likes to play Minecraft with his friends and plays for the different esports teams here at NorthStar Academy.