When I look back on my time at NSA, a string of mundane decisions truly changed my time as a high school student. Today, I am beyond honored to be the Editor-in-Chief of the NorthStar Navigator for the 2020-2021 school year.
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I’ve always been one of those weird kids who loved school and (almost) everything about it. I love learning, asking questions, writing essays, completing assignments, and having the general productivity of working. I have never been more aware of that fact than I have been since starting NSA. As a big extrovert, I greatly miss the social aspects of a brick and mortar school, but my competitive nature is satisfied by still having classmates, my desire to go at my own pace has been fulfilled, and the flexible schedule that NorthStar provides is the best option I could have ever found for the number of dance classes and rehearsals that I have to work around during the day.
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Have you ever been afraid to step out of your comfort zone and venture into something new? Have you ever felt the Lord nudging you in a direction you have never gone before? Maybe He is calling you to join a club/organization, start a Bible study, reach out to a new friend or neighbor, or apply to a certain university.
At NorthStar, I felt the Lord moving us to start a podcast. Fear began welling up inside me, and I began thinking through the “what if” questions. However, I truly believed this was the path we were supposed to walk down, and I deeply desired to be obedient. We took the leap!
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“I can’t wait until I’m in high school!” I remember saying to my parents after a long and tiring day of second grade reading. “I’ll get to stay up later and do so much more!” As I was reminiscing, I began to wonder if I was the only one who felt this way. I decided to reach out to my fellow NorthStar students to get to the bottom of this memory-riddled mystery.
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A day in life looks different for every single person, and that could not be truer than it is here at NSA. Every student is different and holds a unique place in the diverse and very special student body we have. To demonstrate the sheer uniqueness of the students here at NSA, one student from each section of NSA’s student body: two high schoolers, a middle schooler, and an elementary student, were asked questions about what they feel their place is at NSA as well as general inquiries about their daily life.
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In my last article, “One Student Two experiences,” I learned about a student’s perspective of both high school and middle school, as Elizabeth is in BOTH 8th and 9th grades at once! This article is going to focus on the teacher’s perspective of teaching students in both middle school and high school. Give it up for Mrs. Anderson!
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Ever since students first came together in FirstClass, adventures and role plays have been a prominent part in the lives of NorthStar students. In the beginning, it almost all consisted of knights, pirates, swords, magic, and dragons, but recently those adventures have evolved into more modern things, to mafia organization, federations, communists, light-brigades, and full-blown war between student-led factions, with bombs, guns, tanks, missiles, and other modern weapons. Some people still cling to the old ways of magery and knighthood, but those students are few and far between, and they are clinging on to the old ways by their tips of their fingers, loathing to let go but knowing the doom of ancient places such as the Mages Guild and the Noble and Ancient Thread is at hand.
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Northstar Academy houses many students of all different grade levels. Some students have been with NSA since they were in elementary school, and others have only experienced the high school or middle school version of Northstar. Today I’m going to be telling you the story of an NSAer who is experiencing both middle school at NSA and high school… at the same time!
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My family has been at North Star for a long time. When I started, Brainhoney and First Class were the platforms that I used. A few years after I started, my younger brothers joined NSA. At that time, I was in my junior year. My brothers were in eighth and seventh grade. I was the NSA veteran, the one who knew what to do and how the system worked.
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There is a great difference between high schoolers and elementary schoolers. Speaking as a high schooler, I know that elementary kids seem so young to me. When I was an elementary schooler, I know that high schoolers seemed so much older and bigger. So much happens in between those times. One of NSA’s teachers, Mrs. Katie Dunlap, experiences this every day. Mrs. Dunlap teaches both high school and elementary classes.
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Student Council is something that everyone can be apart of. They are there for you. They want to be there for you. They are your voice. It can be hard to get the attention of thousands of students, but they want your opinion to be heard. You can text them anytime and about anything. They are for you.
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When talking about big families who are homeschooled, a lot of people ask how my mom manages to teach all the kids the different grades. Well, she’s not the only one who teaches the kids - my dad is actually the one who’s in charge of our older kid’s schooling. But it is interesting to have seven kids who are currently of “schooling age” in the same house, not to mention the younger ones who have to be taken care of. Even though the oldest three are moved out, there are still ten kids left to raise - the job’s nowhere near done.
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In March 2021, NorthStar Academy hosted its second annual Career Fair, which showcased a diverse roster of leaders from a variety of career fields and opportunities. Live session presenters covered topics ranging from film production, to architecture, and even military. The event also included a live panel from the Student Council. While “student leader” may not be a future career path, this student-led session offered a unique view into a leadership opportunity at NSA: proving how leadership can come- and start- from anywhere..
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As a middle schooler, I know how difficult it can be to feel disconnected, especially as a new student at NSA. It can be hard to find people who share your same interests and sense of humor. There are a few tips and tricks that will help you.
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A recent media trend which has begun to make a comeback in 2020 is the podcast, a popular media where creators post episodes as a way to communicate with their listeners. The best part? A podcast can be on just about anything, as long as the host has an understanding of the topic. NorthStar Academy is certainly no stranger to podcasts. Over the years, NorthStar students have had the opportunity to listen in on the real-life stories of their peers.
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It’s been a year full of good, bad, and… well… just 2020 in general. Watching the world experience fires, murder hornets, riots, and a world pandemic wasn’t exactly on my bucket list! However, good has come out of this year as well, whether we choose to see it or not. So, just for a moment, let’s not be afraid of our past. Before the ink has dried on our newly written New Year’s resolutions, and before we wave goodbye to this strange year once and for all, let’s take a look at what this year has told us about ourselves. Let’s see what wonderful things God can make out of our poor, sinful, and pandemic-ridden world.
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This is the second year that the Navigator as a class has been open on NSA as a class. As an extracurricular, the Navigator pushes you to meet deadlines and work on a schedule that works for more than just yourself.
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In the summer of 2020, NorthStar Academy introduced a new opportunity for students to get involved in leadership. This program, otherwise known as the Student Ambassadors Program (or SAP), was created to help students connect with prospective families considering joining NSA.
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Hello, faithful readers! The NorthStar Navigator is proud to announce its newest section - Letters to the Editor! Let’s explain how this works.
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As someone who has first-hand experience with traditional homeschool, public school, private school, and online school, it is safe to say that I’m hyper-aware of the differences between them all. There is close to nothing more annoying than someone not understanding the method of school you are doing. And I could be being dramatic, but I’d like to think I’m being reasonable.
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