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.
Read MoreUganda is a landlocked country located in eastern Africa. From the amazing culture to unique foods and beyond, Uganda has something interesting for everybody. Perhaps, you are interested to learn about what the culture is like in this wonderful country. Maybe, you would prefer to learn about the unique foods the people of Uganda eat, and some different ways these foods are prepared. If by some chance, neither of these topics have you intrigued, you might like to learn about the many activities that Ugandans enjoy taking part in.
Read MoreWelcome. 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.
Read MoreAs a teacher, I should be excited as we come to the beginning of June–cheering for the seniors who have completed their high school journey. But this year, that celebration is mixed with a bit of reserve.
Read MoreNorthStar 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.
Read MoreMy oldest son loves studying about the solar system. He continually shares facts and figures about space. Did you know that Saturn has 82 moons? I now know that thanks to my son Gabe. God has used Gabe to open my eyes to see His creation. And… if I’m ever on Jeopardy, I am going to crush any category connected to space!
Read MoreThe NorthStar Navigator is only the newspaper it is today because of Mrs. Meyer - our hilarious, generous, huge-hearted teacher advisor! As a staff, we want to make sure she knows how loved she is, and that you all know how hard she works! So without further ado, here is why we love Mrs. Meyer!
Read MoreMrs. Velasquez, or Mrs. V as most call her, is a curriculum writer for NorthStar and the Student Council advisor for this year. That means she’s not only a leader for the school, but she’s in charge of leading the student leaders! And, if teaching young, tender, and sometimes timid students how to rise up and become leaders isn’t hard enough, she has to do it completely online, across many countries around the globe.
Read MoreWould you believe me if I told you that NorthStar has a secret code name? Well, believe me or not, it’s true! NorthStar has in fact been cleverly disguised in the 2021 book Of Mages, Kings, and Polaris Academy. The book was written by a high school student and former writer on the Navigator: Tirzah!
Read MoreDear Fish,
I’ve never been a very sentimental person, but as I near the end of my senior year, I’m finding it harder and harder not to reminisce and look back over the last four years. Everyone tells you, ‘Time flies, so don’t wish it away,’ but you never realize how fast it all happens until it’s in the rear view.
Read MoreLeadership is comprised of a variety of different qualities that make a good leader, the tools that leaders use, and the roles leaders fulfill. All of these aspects work together to make up leadership. You can’t have leadership without the qualities of a leader nor can you be a leader without the essential tools needed to command.
Read MoreWhen it comes to matters of the heart, anything and everything can easily become difficult. Within a moment, you could either feel like fainting or running into someone’s arms… that is if you’re an 18th century romantic. Nonetheless, with whatever love-struck dilemma you may have encountered, there is always advice to be had. Below is some advice for people who submitted the situations where Cupid’s bow and arrow may wrought some havoc in their lives.
Read MoreWhat is a recreational activity? It's basically a hobby, something you enjoy doing to get your mind off other things. For some it's dirt biking, other it's spying on people. Some people enjoy sports, others make potatoing a hobby. This is a new year, 2022, to be exact, and if you’re looking for things to do, there is always something. In my eyes, there is no excuse to be bored all the time.
Read MoreThe best stories come from a need. When you back that need with passion, diligence, and personal experience, you just might find something worth sharing. We all could find a story about our personal experience that we could talk about, but not many have the diligence to write, illustrate, and publish such a story into a book. Regan had such a story to share. Using her talents in writing and drawing to publish a children’s book about China—a place she calls home—Regan used her unique experiences to shed new light on a misunderstood country.
Read MoreArt. It is interpretation, passion, and creativity uniquely expressed by different individuals. A multitude of art forms exist going back thousands of years, and painting is one of them.
Read MoreWe all know that feeling—the feeling of one semester finally wrapped up only to be met by another semester—and a fresh 18 weeks of work staring back at us from behind our screens. The novelty of our new classes has waned away, and the excitement of a new school year is all but depleted. We are left with what most of us would call a “new semester slump.” The holidays are gone, and spring break is still so far. If this sounds like something that is running through your mind, fear not, for we are about to find a silver lining in our new set of clouds.
Read MoreThere have been various articles written by the Navigator staff about middle school and high school kids who attend NorthStar Academy. However, there seemed to be a lack of information about the elementary students at NSA. There may be fewer elementary students active on Microsoft Teams than students in other grades, I do believe that these fourth, fifth, and sixth graders need a bit of representation in the Navigator too. So, without further ado, let us take a little peek into the lives of Elijah, Sarah, Haesol, and Allen!
Read MoreWhat would it be like as president of StuCo? How would one run a body of students like StuCo? What does one do as president? As every question has an answer, these have a multitude of answers. As of the 2021-22 school year, we here at NSA have a great StuCo leader, or, is it Stucco? StuCo is short for Student Council, which is the body of students here at NSA who not only put out a newsletter monthly, lead youth groups, and such, but also create, plan, and host many of the events you see around NSA. But back to the question, and as every good question has an answer, Caleb, the president of StuCo, said: “Well… Stucco is wall texturing, isn’t it? So I’m gonna have to go with StuCo on this one.” StuCo it is then.
Read MoreChristmas is my favorite time of year! Everyday seems to become more exciting in the midst of the holiday season. This year, a particular part of the nativity story interested me: the gifts that were given to Jesus, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It’s fascinating to think about the significance these items would have had in the past since they each have so much significance in Middle Eastern culture today. So, as we think about what gifts we might give and receive this year, let’s take a closer look at the gifts Jesus was given as well.
Read MoreKnown to most as “Stuco,” the Student Council is responsible for most of the meetings and events you see around Teams and NSA in general. Outside of NSA Connects, which are run by teachers and admin staff, you may have seen other events related to the start of a new school year. These events, for example, the Back to School Bash, are purely student-organized and run. Stuco’s setup is simple; students here on NSA take on various roles and responsibilities, and among the ranks, each member has a specific job while also helping out whenever it is needed. Dorshea, the Stuco Vice President said, “We're all like a big family and we all have our specific roles and jobs to do. “ The Stuco has most areas of NSA life covered, from special projects to ads and working with the admin staff.
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