Questions About the Navigator
By John C.
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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.
Q: Can you work around time zones? I live in a different time zone so a call in the afternoon would be around midnight for me!
Q: What if I'm unable to make it due to time zone issues?
A: The majority of your work/participation in the Navigator class will be done in your own time as long as you submit everything by the due dates. The only things in this class that have a set time are the live sessions. Live sessions take place every other week on Friday unless there is a holiday or break of some sort. The live sessions will start at 11 AM CDT next school year and typically run for around one hour. Unfortunately, this time is not flexible. The live sessions are video calls with everyone in the class at once and the meetings do not get delayed for anyone. This can be annoying for students who live in different time zones. I do not live in the USA, which means the calls are at a rather unfortunate time for me as well. While this can be frustrating, it is a requirement for all students in the class to attend these calls. The only reason students are excused from the calls would be if they are sick, or if they communicate with the teacher before the class and request absence for vacation, doctor's appointments, etc. If the calls take place at an extreme time of night for you, I suggest reaching out to Mrs. Meyer on Teams or Outlook and asking her about this subject.
Q: When will older articles be available in the archive? I specifically want to know about the #SpreadTheGolden articles.
A: I do not have any information regarding the #SpreadTheGolden articles. To be honest, I don’t know what those articles are and I’ve never heard of them before. Regarding when the older articles will be available in the archive, there isn’t a specific answer to that right now. There were plans in the past to move all the older articles over to the website, and some are there now. However, busy schedules have halted that process as of right now. Hopefully, the articles will be moved to the website in the future, but there are no concrete plans to do so yet.
Q: Can any students join or is the Navigator only for high school students?
A: While the Navigator currently only consists of high school students, there is a Navigator for Middle School. As you may or may not know, the Navigator is a class here at NSA. This means it will show up with all of your other classes, and it has coursework just like every other class. Fortunately, the Navigator has both a high school and a middle school class. Both classes have the same work within, and everyone from both classes joins the same live session together. If I remember correctly, students have to be in at least 7th grade to join the middle school Navigator.
Q: If I join the Navigator do I have to write articles, or are there other jobs available?
A: At the Nav, there are many possible jobs other than simply writing articles. Writing is the most popular choice, but it’s not for everyone. Other possible jobs include the Editor-in-Chief position, editing articles that your peers have written, acting as a PR representative for the Nav, or any other positions that Mrs. Meyer approves. However, the Editor-in-Chief and PR positions are currently filled. It is worth mentioning that every staff member is required to write articles; however, by taking a different position at the Nav, you may not have to write as many as you normally would.
Q: What is Mrs. Meyer like as a teacher/advisor?
A: Usually, at least once each live session, Mrs. Meyer goes off on some long trail captivating us all with a story that sounds like it came straight out of a movie. I remember one time she started telling a story and I got distracted and stopped listening for maybe ten seconds. In that time frame the story had gone from her telling us about the time one of her students had asked her a question about how to include something in their article to some government employees showing up at her door asking her a bunch of questions. That’s just one basic example of the stories Mrs. Meyer tells us, though they do usually have some crazy, almost unbelievable aspect to them. In all seriousness though, Mrs. Meyer is a great teacher. She is very kind and energetic. She knows a lot about writing and how to make articles better or more interesting. She also does a great job of answering all my questions and helping me with whatever I need. I have had Mrs. Meyer as a teacher for two of my classes so far, and she has been one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. If you have ever had her in the past I’m sure you would say the same.
Q: Is the Navigator related to StuCo at all?
A: No, the Navigator is not related to StuCo. The Navigator is a student-run newspaper with Mrs. Meyer overseeing operations to make sure everything is as it should be. Our current Editor-in-Chief is a member of StuCo, but the Nav is totally separate from StuCo.
Q: Is the Navigator just about writing articles?
A: While the primary focus of the Navigator is to write articles for the publications, that is not the only thing you will do. The Navigator course has minimal amounts of coursework related to the rules of English and journalism. While the Navigator is similar to most other courses at NSA in the sense that it has coursework and assignments and such, the Nav allows students to build stronger relationships with peers. The live sessions allow us to get to know each other better. We all review each other’s articles to give any suggestions we have. Essentially, this class allows us to build deeper connections with our classmates, which is something that is harder to do in most other online classes.
I hope I have been able to answer any questions you may have had. If not, I suggest reaching out to Mrs. Meyer on Outlook or Teams. Hopefully next year there will be lots of new faces at the Navigator. Thanks for reading!
Columns: 🔎Informational 📓Class Spotlight
John C. has been at Northstar for three years. He lives in the Middle East and is the youngest in his family. He likes to play sports, listen to music, and play video games. He has just recently started writing with the Navigator, and this is his first time working with a newspaper.