Nav Advice - Part 1
By Zoe B.
Advice by Thinglass from Getty Images Pro Created in Canva
*Always check with your parents before following any advice or suggestions in this article. The Navigator is not responsible for any consequences resulting from following our advice.
Hello everyone! Welcome to Nav Advice, a new series where students can submit questions or situations they need advice on, and a Navigator writer will do their best to answer them! This can include advice on how to handle friendships, school, extracurriculars, college stuff, and more. I hope you enjoy!
How do you become good at texting people and stop responding with "good", "great", "ok" all the time?
Since NSA is an online school, for many students, their interactions with people their age are online. Therefore, becoming good at texting is important and is a skill that will be useful in life due to the increasingly technological world we live in.
I’ve found when texting people, you should try to imitate how your conversations would go face-to-face. When talking to people face-to-face, you don’t usually respond to something they say with one-word phrases. One usually asks questions relating to what the other person shared, talks about similar experiences, or more. I would suggest approaching texting the same way. When someone tells you something, acknowledge what they said, but also share a similar experience you have gone through. Don’t be afraid to ask follow-up or random questions - it can seem intimidating because we think we’re annoying the person, but usually, this isn’t the case. After all, a lot of us are awkward teenagers who want to keep conversations going online but do not know how.
How can I get more involved at NSA without adding to[o] much onto my plate? I already have 6 classes that are pretty taxing on my time but at the same time I still want to do more socially. Any ideas?
NSA has many ways to get involved in the community, but one has to be careful they’re not getting distracted by them. I would suggest you check the Club Connection channel to see if there are any clubs you are interested in joining. Here you can meet and discuss things with people with similar interests as you.
Apart from that, I suggest you start replying to threads in the Courtyard that you find interesting or fun. This way, people can see you are active. Often, you will find people you get along with and eventually form friendships with.
You can also always reach out to any of the students with a "Student Navigator" tag next to their name in Teams. They are all part of the Welcome Committee, who always want to chat and meet new people. Similarly, you can reach out to any Student Council member. Since I’m one myself and work closely with them, I know they are always willing to talk and can point you to any events, calls, or opportunities to socialize with others that are coming up.
Lastly, I suggest joining some calls. Whether that is NSA Connects calls, Student Hangouts (which are hosted in the Auditorium), or Club Calls. They are a great way to meet new people while having fun.
How do you get involved in the [Navigator]?
I’m happy you asked! The Navigator is an NSA Live (formerly known as EVP) class, which means it has live classes and due dates. However, it’s a little different from regular classes. This is because, by being a part of the Navigator class, you get to write and publish articles like the one you are reading right now! Being a part of the Navigator means working on a team and getting to write and publish all sorts of articles. To sign up for the Navigator, you have to register and sign up for the NSA Live class through NSA’s website before the middle of August.
If you are not sure whether the Navigator is for you, I suggest you come to our Open House on March 21st, at 10 am CST! This call will be the equivalent of what a normal class in the Nav looks like. More information on where the call will be hosted is coming soon, so make sure to reach out to any of the members of the Navigator if you have any questions!
I am excited for my little brother to start NorthStar, but I also want to have my own classes without [ ] him, what should I do?
This is a valid feeling. As much as we may love our siblings, it’s important to have spaces where we can interact with people our own age. If your brother is younger than you, then I do not think you will be in the same classes (unless he takes some advanced classes), but I still recommend you have a group of friends or people you can interact with separately from him. If he is in the same classes as you, this is probably not something you will notice! There are only a few discussion boards in classes where you could interact with him. But if it is important to you to be in separate classes, you can choose to take higher level classes or different electives than him.
That’s all the advice I have for today! But fear not, part 2 with even more advice is coming in April!
Columns: 🗣️Advice
Zoe B. lives in Argentina with her parents, dog, and one of two brothers. She is an eleventh grader, and this is her third year at NorthStar but first in the Navigator. In addition to being a writer for the Navigator, she is also one of two Club Coordinators for Student Council and a tutor for High School students. She has been playing sports all her life and is currently a competitive tennis player who dedicates a lot of hours to training and competing around South America.