Explore — NorthStar Navigator

The Minecraft esports at NorthStar Academy have skyrocketed over the last two school years due to the actions of NorthStar Academy’s Dean of Students, Scott Berggren. He started the first NorthStar Minecraft esports team at the start of the spring semester in 2023, after he was informed that NorthStar students had a high interest in Minecraft through a poll conducted by Chuck Deitch, who is the Administrative Director of School Programs at NorthStar Academy. This team created by Berggren would successfully get to the championship round at a CompMC tournament between multiple different schools based all over the United States.

🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSAOctober 6, 20232023-2024, October 2023 Publication

The History of the Navigator

The NorthStar Navigator, affectionately called the “Nav,” was established in 2006. Ever since then, it has continued to serve the student body by bringing stories of intrigue and interest to students across the globe. As NorthStar’s school newspaper, the Navigator shares the latest news about NorthStar happenings, student life, global issues, and so much more. However, the Navigator has evolved substantially as a school newspaper since 2006. So, the Nav Staff has decided to dig deep into old article archives to bring you the history of the Navigator.

Popular, 🌎Collaborative Articles, 🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSAMay 19, 20232022-2023

Threads of our Legacy

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.)

🔎Informational, 🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSAApril 14, 20232022-2023, April 2023 Publication

Congratulations to Our Scavenger Hunt Winners!

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…

🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSAMarch 3, 20232022-2023, March 2023 Publication

The Melody of the Mind

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.

🔎Informational, 🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSAFebruary 10, 20232022-2023, February 2023 Publication

A New Era of Teams

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.

Popular, 🔎Informational, 🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSAFebruary 10, 20232022-2023, February 2023 Publication

Goodbyes

Is it good for goodbyes to be sad? As a TCK (Third Culture Kid), goodbyes are a normal part of my life, but that does not mean they get any easier. As a Christ follower, I know that goodbyes are never final, but even a “goodbye for now” is still hard. No matter who you are, goodbyes are hard. Goodbyes never get any easier, and sometimes it is ok to just let the tears flow.

🗣️Advice, 🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSAJanuary 21, 20232022-2023, January 2023 Publication

Meet the 22-23 Student Council! - Part 2

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.

All about Navi

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.

🔎Informational, 🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSADecember 9, 20222022-2023, December 2022 Publication

The Pets of NSA

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!

Popular, 🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSADecember 9, 20222022-2023, December 2022 Publication

Dashing Through the Snow

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.

Popular, 🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSADecember 9, 20222022-2023, December 2022 Publication

Food for Thought: Christmas Edition

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!

Meet the 22-23 Student Council! - Part 3

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.

The Game is Afoot: NSA’s New Esports Team is Here!

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.

🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSADecember 9, 20222022-2023, December 2022 Publication

A Reflection on Halloween

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.

Introducing…the Alumni Association

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.

🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSAOctober 7, 20222022-2023, October 2022 Publication

Meet the 22-23 Student Council! - Part 1

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.

NorthStar’s Founding Story according to an NSA Veteran

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.

Mission Briefing, Welcome Committee

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.

Popular, 🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSAOctober 7, 20222022-2023, October 2022 Publication

The Languages of NorthStar Academy

NorthStar Academy, a unique organization that spans the globe, is based in the United States but offers schooling worldwide. With this comes some challenges that in-person schools don’t have. However, things such as the abundance of different cultures and languages present at NSA can also serve as incredible opportunities for connection and interaction.