Depression is “a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest” (Mayo Health Clinic). “Approximately 280 million people in the world have depression” (World Health Organization). Anyone can get depression. It can come after the death of a loved one, anxiety from school, or other external circumstances. However, depression is not the end of the road. It can be battled with hope and resilience.
Read MoreDuring the month of October, a group of NSA students and staff traveled to Panama for a week of missions and ministry. This week would prove to be life-changing for many, including the people we served and the team members themselves.
Read MoreDo you and your family have specific traditions you do every year around Christmas? For me, my family and I always go to the tree lighting on our square and go look at Christmas lights. Just like this tradition is unique to my family, so are other traditions to other countries. For example, France, Germany, and Australia all have different practices. Those countries will be our main focus. All of these countries have unique customs surrounding Christmas. Some of these practices are unique to one country or shared by many.
Read MoreNorthStar Academy's Visual Arts Club provides students with hands-on art experiences through hands-on activities and artist sharing. It promotes diverse creative genres such as pottery, painting, illustration, digital art, charcoal, chalk, sculpture, and printing by encouraging innovation and competition participation. Students interested in the visual arts make up the Visual Arts Club. The Visual Arts Club's mission is to promote the arts by participating in different art contests, meetings, and events.
Read MoreIn ancient Egypt, Egyptians used a form of writing known as hieroglyphics - carved pictures and images that represented things or ideas. In the Western world, we do not often think of pictures as a form of writing. While some Eastern languages use symbols to indicate words, Western languages use a series of letters to make words, each of which has a unique meaning. But, as technology has continued to develop, we can now communicate with people worldwide electronically. With the rise of texting, instant messaging, and social media, it seems that a new form of modern hieroglyphics has surfaced - emojis!
Read MoreHave you ever been curious as to how you start a Minecraft server or ever wanted to know more about maintaining one? This article contains the answers to both questions. The owner and manager of NorthStar's very own Minecraft SMP (Survival Multi Player) Server, Alexander M., has advice and information regarding his server and the skills and resources needed to create and maintain it.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreFor 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…
Read MoreI’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.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreIs 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.
Read MoreWelcome 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.
Read MoreNorthstar 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.
Read MoreWe’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!
Read MoreI 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.
Read MoreIn 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!
Read MoreWelcome 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.
Read MoreWhat 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.
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