Filling up a Toolbox for Life

By Alexander M.

Going through life requires a lot of tools for you to be successful.  You need to have perseverance when times get tough and patience when life slows down.  I believe that NorthStar Academy and more specifically the NorthStar Navigator has helped me build up this “Life Toolbox” by helping me acquire or sharpen four major tools: teamwork, patience, perseverance, and time management.

First, I have learned quite a lot about teamwork by being at the NorthStar Navigator for two years.  From working as a journalist last year to being assistant editor-in-chief this year, I have understood that working on a team presents both graces and challenges.  One amazing benefit of teamwork is that you can have someone to watch your back if you miss something.  This is so important because every person makes mistakes, but it is a lot harder for multiple people to forget something than one person individually.  Another great benefit of teamwork is that you can divide up a huge project into manageable sections, which helps the whole team get done quicker.  The NorthStar Navigator has also taught me how to handle the negatives of working on a team, such as having to fill in for another staff member when they forget an assignment.  This is certainly more work for me because it is irritating if your to-do pile keeps increasing, but I also need to realize that sometimes I mess up and others do the same for me.

Second, NorthStar Academy and the Navigator taught me to show more patience.  As I waited for teachers to get back to me for a question or waited to get something from another staff member, I learned how to have greater patience with others and my situation, which has allowed me to be much calmer than I might have been previously.

Third, the Navigator and NorthStar Academy guided me to increase my ability to persevere when challenges come my way.  Just from a school perspective, I know that a version of me from a few years ago would not be able to persevere through the course load of a high school junior, but I am managing to do it now.  Also, the Navigator’s deadlines have really helped encourage me to persevere and finish projects quickly, since I know others are waiting on my work.  This trait is super important to me personally, since I know that as I get older my life will only get more challenging and complex, requiring more perseverance each day.

Fourth, as my schedule keeps getting busier, time management is becoming more and more crucial to me.  The Navigator’s deadlines have helped me with this, and NorthStar’s course load in general has forced me to grow in this skill.  While this is not exciting to learn now, I know that it is better for me to understand it in the present than in the future,  and I also know this skill will be invaluable to me in the near future as I work through college and a career.

Overall, my journey at NorthStar Academy has granted me many tools I hope to sharpen and use more often as I continue life’s journey.  From learning the complexities of teamwork at the Navigator increasing in key skills like patience and perseverance through NorthStar’s curriculum, I truly have grown as a person through being at this school, and I am excited to see what my final year at this great school brings.

Alexander M. lives in Georgia, USA, with his parents and younger sister.  He has been a student at NorthStar Academy for two full years, and this is his second year at the Navigator.  He enjoys playing video games like Minecraft with his friends and likes talking with other students at NorthStar Academy.

👤NSA People, 🗞️Staff StoriesEIC NSA2024-2025, May 2025 Publication