What is NSA by Cara Anderson

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What is NSA? Anybody studying with Northstar Academy has heard, or will hear, this question asked: “What do you do at an on-line school?” Or, if you live in the boondocks like I do, you might even hear: “What does ‘on-line’ mean?” In either case, we veterans find ourselves giving our two minute spiel on how Northstar Academy (and the web in general) works, being only vaguely dissatisfied when the person looks at us blankly, saying, “Oh.” This is because we know that there is no real way to explain what this academy essentially is—except to experience it for yourself. For you first timers—or newbies, as some will dub you—you’ve probably already got a pretty good hang of the Northstar ropes. Now, it’s only fair to warn you of some of the dangers or traps NSAers trip into. Many students fall into one or two categories: slackers in school work or slackers in the on-line social life. There are a few happy students who have don’t fit into either, and some quite tragic ones who fit into both. As an NSA veteran, you know which evil you lean towards, and it is wise to remind yourself to lean the other way. Those who have a tendency for procrastination, beware! Any veteran will tell you, how well you follow a time management system now, haunts you for the rest your on-line life—or at least till the end of the year. If you get behind, be it one day or one month, don’t shrug it off saying, “It’s not the end of the world.” Believe me, it WILL BE the end of the world as you know it. The days grow shorter and your mind works slower the closer you come to that final deadline. The sun does not shine as bright and the moon fades into oblivion, at least it will seem so to you who are stuck in front of a dismal computer screen. Hysterics will be common, and in a good week you suffer from just one psychological breakdown. Lol! The mirror will show you for what you have become, as you stare at the glazy-eyed, pale-faced, sickly creature in front of you. You have become desperate as various classes and lessons seem to taunt and laugh at you. You start pulling out hair, kicking cement walls, and glancing towards the aluminum baseball bat leaning temptingly against the wall. However, before you reach for that baseball bat and decide to end your computers hapless life now, know that this does not have to be your fate. In fact, because many students know what procrastination can do, they turn down chats and refuse to enter into any interest folders so that they can finish their work as fast as possible. Many times they are those faceless names we see in the Group Discussion folders about ten weeks ahead of schedule. Some don’t necessarily work hard, but they are not at all interested in knowing people through the internet. Their ghosts wander into the Student Café once in a blue moon and might post something about its futility, setting themselves against every red-blooded SCer. Then there are some students who are just shy. They shut their on-line doors and become a hermit in their secluded desktop. While these students probably have friends at their physical location, to the rest of the student body these phantoms seem cold and vague; just an unknown name in a directory of 602 students. That kind of NSA life is not wholesome either. In fact, both extremities miss out on the truly great experience this school offers to all students. For, in case you haven’t noticed, Northstar Academy is an amazing instrument, a one-of-a-kind school.	For students who really do care about learning, the classes are an exceptional chance to expand their knowledge—in not only in scholastics, but in the character of God. I’m not just talking about the Bible classes either. Just as “God invisible attributes” can be seen in every aspect of nature “so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:20)” each class presents God as existing in every aspect of our lives. Ask any teacher and they tell you this is at least one of the main reasons they teach with NSA. In fact the teachers themselves are amazing! I can’t encourage you enough to get to know your teachers. And let the teachers get to know you! From personal experience and school-hearsay, any of the teachers happily lend an ear to any student who needs one. Sometimes it’s easier and more rewarding to talk to an experienced adult 3,000 miles away—and not necessarily just about your school work. Your Northstar “social life” shouldn’t end with the teachers, though. This year, 602 students are hanging around. Doing the advanced mathematics, it comes out that there are 601 students that you could get to know this year. Now before you report to our amazing, lovable, heroic, wonderful principle Mr. Bowers that I told you to send out a mass e-mails to every student, that’s not what I mean. There are much more productive ways to get to know others. Visit the Student Cafés; it’s amazing—and scary—what you can learn in there. But, if sending and reading bizarre and random posted e-mails is not your thing, see who is in your class and invite them to chat about an issue you both are studying. If you’d rather not spend your time talking over polynomials or trigonometric identities with some prodigal freshman, join a Bible study, get into a debate, join other movie or music fanatics in their folder, offer advice during Mama Rosa’s absence, or just pick a name at random from the ‘Who’s On-line’ list and find out about a fellow student. There are so many students from so many different countries and walks of life; if you look you will probably find someone that becomes a fast friend. What a pity it would be to lose that chance. Some of us miss our senior friends from last year, some of who helped make NSA what it is this year. One of them was my brother: so far the only known 13th grader to ever have graced our halls. He was—and still is—an inspiration to me, just like so many others of last year’s seniors. I was even asked and I seriously considered writing a tribute to them all. However, it occurred to me, those of you who are new to NSA could not possibly have the same amount of appreciation for last year’s seniors, nor should it be expected of you. Rather, it is all of our responsibilities to set our example for the next “generation” and to do so we must strive for our best in every aspect of our lives. After all, school isn’t about getting “A’s” or being voted most popular in school—it’s about us pressing on and preparing ourselves for this life that God has given to us. Like the Apostle Paul, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)” So put down that aluminum baseball bat and open the door to your on-line social life at least a crack. Let’s diligently learn our lessons, learn to manage our time wisely, learn to be patient, and learn to reach out to others. Let’s press on to perfect ourselves as living sacrifices for Christ Jesus using this extraordinary tool called Northstar Academy. Cara Anderson

What is NSA?

Anybody studying with Northstar Academy has heard, or will hear, this question asked: “What do you do at an on-line school?” Or, if you live in the boondocks like I do, you might even hear: “What does ‘on-line’ mean?”
In either case, we veterans find ourselves giving our two minute spiel on how Northstar Academy (and the web in general) works, being only vaguely dissatisfied when the person looks at us blankly, saying, “Oh.” This is because we know that there is no real way to explain what this academy essentially is—except to experience it for yourself.

For you first timers—or newbies, as some will dub you—you’ve probably already got a pretty good hang of the Northstar ropes. Now, it’s only fair to warn you of some of the dangers or traps NSAers trip into. Many students fall into one or two categories: slackers in school work or slackers in the on-line social life. There are a few happy students who have don’t fit into either, and some quite tragic ones who fit into both. As an NSA veteran, you know which evil you lean towards, and it is wise to remind yourself to lean the other way.

Those who have a tendency for procrastination, beware! Any veteran will tell you, how well you follow a time management system now, haunts you for the rest your on-line life—or at least till the end of the year. If you get behind, be it one day or one month, don’t shrug it off saying, “It’s not the end of the world.” Believe me, it WILL BE the end of the world as you know it. The days grow shorter and your mind works slower the closer you come to that final deadline. The sun does not shine as bright and the moon fades into oblivion, at least it will seem so to you who are stuck in front of a dismal computer screen. Hysterics will be common, and in a good week you suffer from just one psychological breakdown. Lol! The mirror will show you for what you have become, as you stare at the glazy-eyed, pale-faced, sickly creature in front of you. You have become desperate as various classes and lessons seem to taunt and laugh at you. You start pulling out hair, kicking cement walls, and glancing towards the aluminum baseball bat leaning temptingly against the wall.

However, before you reach for that baseball bat and decide to end your computers hapless life now, know that this does not have to be your fate. In fact, because many students know what procrastination can do, they turn down chats and refuse to enter into any interest folders so that they can finish their work as fast as possible. Many times they are those faceless names we see in the Group Discussion folders about ten weeks ahead of schedule. Some don’t necessarily work hard, but they are not at all interested in knowing people through the internet. Their ghosts wander into the Student Café once in a blue moon and might post something about its futility, setting themselves against every red-blooded SCer. Then there are some students who are just shy. They shut their on-line doors and become a hermit in their secluded desktop. While these students probably have friends at their physical location, to the rest of the student body these phantoms seem cold and vague; just an unknown name in a directory of 602 students.
That kind of NSA life is not wholesome either. In fact, both extremities miss out on the truly great experience this school offers to all students. For, in case you haven’t noticed, Northstar Academy is an amazing instrument, a one-of-a-kind school.

For students who really do care about learning, the classes are an exceptional chance to expand their knowledge—in not only in scholastics, but in the character of God. I’m not just talking about the Bible classes either. Just as “God invisible attributes” can be seen in every aspect of nature “so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:20)” each class presents God as existing in every aspect of our lives. Ask any teacher and they tell you this is at least one of the main reasons they teach with NSA. In fact the teachers themselves are amazing! I can’t encourage you enough to get to know your teachers. And let the teachers get to know you! From personal experience and school-hearsay, any of the teachers happily lend an ear to any student who needs one. Sometimes it’s easier and more rewarding to talk to an experienced adult 3,000 miles away—and not necessarily just about your school work.

Your Northstar “social life” shouldn’t end with the teachers, though. This year, 602 students are hanging around. Doing the advanced mathematics, it comes out that there are 601 students that you could get to know this year. Now before you report to our amazing, lovable, heroic, wonderful principle Mr. Bowers that I told you to send out a mass e-mails to every student, that’s not what I mean. There are much more productive ways to get to know others. Visit the Student Cafés; it’s amazing—and scary—what you can learn in there. But, if sending and reading bizarre and random posted e-mails is not your thing, see who is in your class and invite them to chat about an issue you both are studying. If you’d rather not spend your time talking over polynomials or trigonometric identities with some prodigal freshman, join a Bible study, get into a debate, join other movie or music fanatics in their folder, offer advice during Mama Rosa’s absence, or just pick a name at random from the ‘Who’s On-line’ list and find out about a fellow student. There are so many students from so many different countries and walks of life; if you look you will probably find someone that becomes a fast friend. What a pity it would be to lose that chance.

Some of us miss our senior friends from last year, some of who helped make NSA what it is this year. One of them was my brother: so far the only known 13th grader to ever have graced our halls. He was—and still is—an inspiration to me, just like so many others of last year’s seniors. I was even asked and I seriously considered writing a tribute to them all. However, it occurred to me, those of you who are new to NSA could not possibly have the same amount of appreciation for last year’s seniors, nor should it be expected of you. Rather, it is all of our responsibilities to set our example for the next “generation” and to do so we must strive for our best in every aspect of our lives.

After all, school isn’t about getting “A’s” or being voted most popular in school—it’s about us pressing on and preparing ourselves for this life that God has given to us. Like the Apostle Paul, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)”

So put down that aluminum baseball bat and open the door to your on-line social life at least a crack. Let’s diligently learn our lessons, learn to manage our time wisely, learn to be patient, and learn to reach out to others. Let’s press on to perfect ourselves as living sacrifices for Christ Jesus using this extraordinary tool called Northstar Academy.

Cara Anderson