Behind the Scenes of the Navigator
By Brooklyn C.
If you are interested in joining the Navigator, but unsure about the nuts and bolts of the class, this article is for you. My hope for this article is to draw you a little closer to our community of writers and to help you decide if this class is for you!
Q: What does the average weekly workload look like?
Considering this course is a half-credit elective that spans a full academic year, the workload is relatively light compared to the core classes offered at NSA. Like other NSA courses, this class is split into folders for each week of work. These folders are further categorized into five days of assignments that (due to the live sessions) have set due dates for the end of each week. I often spend about two to four hours a week on this class. From personal experience, if you stay on track with writing and editing your article along with attending the live sessions, you have set yourself up for success.
Q: How many articles do you write?
This can change depending on factors like the staff size each year, the number of publications, and who holds a position on the Nav. For the 2025-2026 school year, the Navigator will publish five times, with three small publications spaced between them. For reference, I write an article about once every month or two. This time limit allows writers time to find sources for quotes and draft their articles without the stress of too many deadlines. At the end of the year, the Navigator will publish a collaborative article as well, which is often less work individually than a typical article.
Q: What do the live sessions look like?
The Navigator staff meets for one hour every fortnight. Our lovely teacher, Mrs. Meyer, will go through announcements and updates to start off the call, then ask each staff member how their article or position is going. Everyone is ready to help out one another, whether that be that a writer needs a quote for their article or prayer for an upcoming trip. One of my favorite parts of the live sessions is when I hear Mrs. Meyer go off-topic and say, “Story time!” No matter what she says next, I promise it is no less than amusing.
Q: How do positions work with writing articles?
There are several articles about the types of positions offered on the Nav, such as editor, image manager, etc. These positions are usually taken on by second-year or third-year members, but sometimes open positions are taken on by first-year members as well. Rather than an additional workload, the positions trade the spot of an article in your workload. For instance, you may write two articles a semester instead of four. Even though I hold a position this year, the average time I spent working on the Nav this year is about the same as last year.
Columns: 🔎Informational