2026-2027

As we navigated the bumpy road home from PetSmart, I cradled a plastic cup between my knees. Inside, a blue dragonscale betta swam circles in the sloshing water. Since I was eight years old, I’ve kept bettas in my bedroom aquarium. One afternoon this past August, Dad and I pulled into the driveway with a pack of frozen bloodworms, a canister of freeze-dried pellets, and Loki Laufinson (pun very much intended).

Dr. Brooke Helling has been teaching for 24 years. She is a teaching and learning specialist as well as the dean of students at NSA. Her role as a Teaching and Learning Specialist involves writing and revising courses, coaching teachers, planning professional development, and more. As dean of students, she is responsible for student safety and discipline.

Here at NorthStar there are many clubs for lots of diverse people who have different interests. We have clubs for all grades, from elementary to high school level.

At most schools, business classes often mean endless textbooks, notes, and maybe even a couple case studies. At NorthStar, the Entrepreneurship class takes a completely different route. Instead of just learning about business, students actually work to build one themselves.

The food was another insane adjustment. Meals usually consisted of rice, dal, naan, chicken, or goat. They ate with their hands and had very little variety because of cows, clean water, food, shelter, and freedom.

If you are ready for a new puzzle, check out the Navigator Search-A-Word below created by a member of the Navigator staff. Below the Search-A-Word is the list of words you can find in the puzzle, good luck Navigators!

It must be the sentinel. Navi’s eyes scoured the room in search of shelter. He knew from experience that his legs would be no match. Shaking uncontrollably, he crawled to the other side of the Zero’s dashboard and slid into a cavity underneath. He then switched his suit to refractive mode,  a light reflection inhibitor that would make him practically invisible to the naked eye—at least in the dark.

“Why am I learning this? It’s not like I’ll be using this in the real world!” This is a question I imagine that almost every student has asked at one point or another. Whether you’re solving quadratic equations or writing an essay on the food chains of the animals where you are living, it’s universal for a student to ask themselves, “What’s the point?”