August 12, 2025 • 42 mins
NorthStar Academy celebrates a significant milestone with the formation of its first-ever independent governing board while maintaining its 27-year commitment to Christ-centered education and discipleship. The transition marks a new chapter of growth and development while keeping the school firmly anchored in its founding mission.
• Board Secretary Katie Ahmadzai shares her transition from principal to board member to balance family needs while continuing to serve North Star's mission
• Board Chairman Danny Coyle explains how his experience with international transitions and developing short-term leaders aligns with North Star's global vision
• Both board members reflect on learning to trust God's provision through the process rather than seeking immediate solutions
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Episode Transcript
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Stephanie Shafer (00:01):
Hi, this is Stephanie Shafer and you're
listening to the NorthStarNarrative, a podcast from
NorthStar Academy.
I want to thank you for joiningus.
I hope you're encouraged,challenged and motivated by what
you learned today.
Enjoy the story.
Hey, everyone, welcome to thisepisode of the NorthStar
(00:22):
Narrative.
I'm so glad that you arelistening today because this is
going to be a very specialepisode for NorthStar and we
have a really incredibleannouncement that's been taking
place.
NorthStar is now going to beoperated by its own first ever
independent governing board, andwe have two of our new board
(00:46):
members joining me today, so I'mexcited to introduce them.
Both have been on the podcastseveral times before and so if
you've been listening, you knowthem and you know their
incredible hearts for Jesus andfor NorthStar, for the mission,
discipling kids and resting inthe Lord.
So can you guess who they areby a little bit there.
(01:07):
One is our very own KatieAmadza, who is transitioning out
of the principal role to joinus on the board as the new board
secretary.
So I love her heart, herpassion for missions and just
the work globally she has donethrough NorthStar and beyond.
(01:29):
So excited for this transitionfor you, katie, and Mr Danny
Coyle, who has lots ofconnections with NorthStar.
He is a parent of two alumni,two incredible girls, maya and
Elena.
Cole and Danny and his wife,wife Jill, have just walked
alongside NorthStar not only asparents and supervisors, but
(01:52):
also as friends andencouragement, and so I'm so
excited to announce Danny willbe taken on or is actually, as
of July 1, the chairman of ournew board and his heart for the
Lord and just resting in theLord and coaching people and so
many incredible gifts that God'sgiven him and he's just living
(02:13):
those out.
So we have two dynamic peoplehere.
We have a total of seven boardmembers, so we can talk a little
bit about that and just heartheir hearts for what is next
for NorthStar.
We're still standing firm onour mission I've never left that
after 27 years but God isshaping some new things, so it's
always exciting to have changeand see where God's moving.
(02:37):
So thank you, danny and Katie,for joining me today.
Katie Ahmadzai (02:41):
Yeah, it's great to be here.
You're so welcome, it's anhonor.
Stephanie Shafer (02:46):
All right, so let's just jump in.
Everybody might be wonderingKatie, why are you leaving the
principal role to join the board?
Let's hear it.
Katie Ahmadzai (02:58):
Oh, yes, definitely a hard decision, but
my kiddos are really at a stageof life right now where I want
to be able to be available tothem a little bit more and,
believe it or not, being theprincipal of an international
online school requires some timeand some times when, maybe in
(03:21):
the afternoons, in order to beable to, in evenings, to be able
to work with a lot of ourfamilies who live overseas.
Those are prime times that I amhoping to spend more time with
my girls and my little boy.
He's not quite as busy as myolder girls right now, but just
needing a little bit more timein my schedule but still caring
(03:43):
deeply about the mission ofNorthStar, the work that God is
doing through NorthStar inpeople's lives, in our students'
lives, our teachers' lives,families' lives and still
wanting to be a part of that,because I firmly believe in the
mission and what's going on.
So being able to transition tothe board just seemed like a
wonderful option for me to beable to, yeah, enjoy the best of
(04:06):
both worlds during the seasonand very thankful to be able to
have this opportunity.
Stephanie Shafer (04:11):
Yeah, we are so, so thankful that you are
sticking around the NorthStarcommunity and, yeah, excited to
see how God's going to continueto use you and Mr Cole, danny,
father of two NSA girls andgreat encourager.
So this board chairmancommitment is a big one and not
(04:33):
to take lightly, and I knowyou've already put in countless
number of hours helping us movein this transition and get it up
and running.
And so many more hours to come.
How are you feeling about that?
Why in the world would you giveup so much of your time and
resources?
Danny Coyle (04:51):
Yeah, yeah, Thanks for having me on the podcast
again.
And yeah, the short answer ofit is I believe in what
NorthStar is about and, morespecifically, I believe in what
God's doing through NorthStar inthis kingdom, primarily around
training our leaders, kingdomleaders and equipping them for
(05:18):
the work that is ahead for us asa kingdom.
And I believe in it so muchbecause of what NorthStar did
with my two daughters, Elena andMaya, and watching the
investment that NorthStar madeinto them and the women that
they are now in their leadershiproles.
(05:38):
I want to see NorthStar do thatagain and again, and again, and
again.
And I believe that NorthStarhas a strategic place in our
kingdom for the shaping of ourkingdom to come.
(06:00):
And so for me, as I've gottento know Stephanie and Katie and
a lot of the other staff as well, that has just continued to
grow and as we have been asNorthStar we'll talk about in a
few minutes but during thistransition time, for me
specifically, my gifting andwiring is in transition.
(06:24):
I have spent my entire life wellsince the time I was nine years
old, on the mission field inHong Kong, in transient
environments, experiencing whatit means to not have as much
(06:46):
certainty as maybe othercultures and situations might
have.
And then, when we moved toBeijing, I lived in Beijing
again another transientenvironment where everybody is
coming and going and we led achurch there for 10 years that
really specialized in short-termequipping of people.
Our theory was we had them fortwo years and we knew that God
wanted to change their lives inthose two years and equip them
(07:06):
for the next assignment afterthey left Beijing.
So this idea of people flowingthrough an organization, coming
out the other side ready tobecome and do what God has for
them to do on the other side, isa theme throughout my life, and
NorthStar also is anorganization that does that same
thing.
So when Stephanie asked me if Iwould serve as the chairman, it
(07:30):
was an easy yes, because italready aligned with so much of
what my life has been about upuntil now and the way that God's
used me in the lives oforganizations and in the lives
of individuals.
And so, yeah, it just madesense, and so that's why I'm
here and that's why I feel likeGod's brought me to this place.
Stephanie Shafer (07:52):
Yeah, and we could stop right now and give
incredible praise to the Lordfor so many friends just like
these two hearts here.
So many people are praying forNorthStar right now, people
outside of our main community.
God's bringing in morecommunity from all over, and so
everything is covered in prayerand people giving and just
(08:14):
caring for this mission.
Danny Coyle (08:17):
I'll add one surprising part to me about that
.
The Lord is talking a lot aboutNorthStar to people in both
inside it and outside it.
It is on his heart.
And you received an email lastweek from somebody who had just
seen the website and had somepartnership ideas of how they
(08:37):
could partner with us, and itwas obvious from his email that
the Lord was speaking to himvery favorably about NorthStar
and the way that we couldpartner with his organization.
So, yeah, not only are peoplepraying, you know, talking to
God about NorthStar and seekinghim, but God's talking to people
(08:57):
about NorthStar too, and it isjust so fun to hear his heart
and what he has to say about us.
Stephanie Shafer (09:05):
It is really a fun, fun time.
All right, Katie, what is Godplacing on your heart right now
for NorthStar?
Katie Ahmadzai (09:14):
Oh my goodness.
Right now for NorthStar, I seethe potential for continued
diverse community building.
I saw this at graduation in abeautiful kind of microscopic
scale, because about maybe 10%of our graduates each year come
(09:39):
to our live graduation.
If you were to look at the biosof our graduates on paper and
assume that they were allattending a large public school
somewhere in the US, chances arethey would never cross paths
(10:00):
based on their diverse interests, based on their cultural
backgrounds, and to watch these20 or so students walk into a
(10:29):
room, be able to carry on greatconversations and interact and
have ideas about let's do thisin the future, and I can't wait
till, you know, you come visitme at college and to know that
they've never seen each other inperson and that those are the
types of relationships that arebeing built.
And NorthStar that is what Istrongly believe God wants his
(10:51):
body to look like and the churchto look like, and so I want
that to continue to happen.
So to me, that looks likecontinuing to be able to build
(11:28):
our scholarship fund to be ableto invite Christian schools that
are predominantly onedemographic, have exposure to a
lot of different cultures thatare represented at NorthStar and
experiences that arerepresented here.
But that's really my heart isthat we just continue to be the
body of Christ and live that out.
Our kids get a taste of thatand that that's what they want.
Moving forward is they?
They want that, um, yeah,experience of the church and the
(11:49):
body of christ moving forwardin their lives.
Danny Coyle (11:51):
Yeah, love that two things about katie here that
she's voicing.
That makes me so happy.
She's on our board.
Um, this idea of community andeducation.
Um, we had a roundtable maybe ayear ago or so with me and
Stephanie and Katie and oneother member of staff and we got
(12:11):
on to this topic of the role ofcommunity in education and
Katie just was bursting withlife around this subject.
This subject and community isone of the major questions
around online school of how dowe build a community when
(12:33):
everybody is so disjointed andaway from each other and as a
board, this will be a veryimportant part of our strategic
plan is how do we continue tocultivate a kingdom culture, a
kingdom community in onlineeducation moving forward, and I
think Katie's voice will be avery important part of that
conversation moving forward.
(12:54):
The second story we were atgraduation just a couple of
months ago and we had a parentsforum where all the parents
could give feedback about whatthey enjoyed about NorthStar,
and one of the parents hadspecifically mentioned Katie and
her role in encouraging theirson, particularly in math, and
(13:18):
how just one interaction withKatie just set this kid a light
to engage more wholeheartedlyand to be more present to his
studies, and so I think on bothsides of this community
conversation, and also what,what makes our kids come alive
and how can we foster that andKatie's voice to, to propagate
(13:43):
that among all the staff and allthe teachers of how are we
building this together?
Anyway, those two stories justmade me so thankful that Katie
is a part of this.
Go forward.
Stephanie Shafer (13:54):
Yes, definitely celebrating Katie all
the time, every time she comeson the podcast.
All right, Danny, you've talkedabout boards being visionary
and supportive.
What does this look like inyour mind for NorthStar?
Danny Coyle (14:09):
The context Stephanie and I have been using
for this season for NorthStar iswe were talking about, kind of
in the Wild West, a city thathas sprung up and NorthStar,
similar to maybe a city of theWild West that had been around
for 25 years, as we have.
(14:30):
And there comes a point wherethe city goes.
You know what we need toestablish a more formal
government, probably some citylimits, some boundaries, what is
inside our city, what's notinside our city, and we would
(14:52):
call that establishing.
Not that the city didn't existbefore, but that we're growing
to the phase where we need a bitmore structure to this
situation and the kinds ofstructures that will serve the
next 20 to 30 years of growth,or 100 years of growth or
something like that.
Right now, in these months, aswe're establishing this board
(15:12):
and the associated things thatgo along with establishing the
board, yeah, we are not buildinga foundation, but I would say
establishing the foundation,kind of going.
This is what we're going tobuild on for the next 20 years.
So that's kind of the phasewe're in now, what we are
(15:34):
building and the vision forwhat's next that I alluded to
and the reason why I'm here.
But I'll say it more clearly nowthe Lord is doing amazing
things on the earth and he'susing people to do it.
He has churches and businessesand nonprofits and art and
(16:00):
performance art and visual artand musical arts that he wants
to bring to the earth, but heneeds a certain kind of leader
to do it.
He needs a certain kind ofinternationally-minded,
jesus-centered, kingdom-focusedleader to do these next things
(16:23):
that he wants to do.
And NorthStar is one of theplaces he is bringing those
leaders when they're in fifthgrade and eighth grade and
twelfth grade to train them forthese next steps.
And so we are right nowfiguring out what needs to go at
(16:44):
ground level, or maybe not whatneeds to go at ground level,
but what needs to be defined atground level.
It already exists, but give itsome better words and some
better language to the kinds ofpeople that we are developing
for kingdom growth and expansion.
Stephanie Shafer (17:08):
Okay For both of you.
We're putting together a boardfrom the ground up.
It takes a lot of prayer,thinking through, consulting,
researching, even attorneys tolook over bylaws, so so much
goes into it.
What is God teaching youthrough this process?
Katie Ahmadzai (17:31):
I'll say the nature of how I'm coming to the
process.
From coming from an everyday inNorthStar doing the work with
the teachers and the students toa board level, um, there is a
(17:54):
different perspective that Godis asking me to shift into.
I tend to be a I love to thinkbig picture, but when it comes
down to it, give me my task listand let me just get the stuff
done.
So being able to pause andthink not only about like the
(18:20):
question you asked you, what doI see is next for NorthStar but
think about, with a team ofdiverse cheerleaders for
NorthStar, then what are thosenext steps?
Prayerfully considering that,seeking God in that, but really
(18:42):
saying okay, then what are thenext steps for us to get there?
And being able to do thattogether and listen well and
understand well.
Listen well and understand well,it really is understanding at a
much bigger level than reallywhat I've experienced in just
(19:04):
day to day at NorthStar, and soI think that's probably what I'm
learning and through thatthere's a lot of me letting go
of some of my ideas and control,and there's also trusting that
God's provision is in theprocess and not necessarily in
one big poof.
(19:24):
It's just going to happen oneday, but that his provision is
that I've brought this teamtogether.
The provision is that you havethe talents and the wisdom that
I've given you to walk thisvision forward.
And what does that look like?
What does that process looklike?
So yeah, that's kind of whereI'm at and what I'm learning.
Danny Coyle (19:48):
I'd enjoy hearing a little bit more.
What is the stretch for you inthinking bigger?
If you were to put a finerpoint on a specific there, what
would it be?
Katie Ahmadzai (20:01):
Ooh, so I think in where I have operated has
been in the educational aspectof NorthStar and I've known
there's also this businessaspect.
But I've been easily able tosay but I was hired to do this
aspect and now to see it allwork together.
(20:23):
And so, yes, we want to go hereacademically.
What does that mean financially?
Or, yes, we want to move herefinancially, what's that going
to allow us to do academicallyas well and community focused
and socially, academically aswell and community focused and
socially, and so seeing maybeall those pieces webbed together
not that I didn't know theyexisted, but really how they
(20:45):
work together might be, as I'mlistening to you talk about it.
Danny Coyle (20:48):
There's a you in the first description, um, put
that together with the trust andthe way I hear that is an
opening of conversation withyour heavenly father about some
bigger things.
Is that a part of this for you,or do you feel like there's an
invitation to intimacy here?
Katie Ahmadzai (21:08):
Definitely.
I would say the control pieceis a journey God has just told
me like you better get used toit.
It's going to be a lifelongthing.
So just when I'm like I've gotit, he's like let's try it in
this aspect.
So there are always pieces thatare the next step, like the
(21:28):
next push, like okay.
So you understand it in thisway.
He's very patient to just giveme what I can handle at a time.
So it's like, okay, you haven'tthought about trust in this
aspect before.
So let's look at it from thisdirection or this angle, and so
I think it's a.
That's where where I'mdepending on that trust on a
(21:52):
bigger level than I've, you know, handed off or even been even
aware of maybe before.
But being aware, okay, there'sa lot of dynamics that go in to
an organization the size ofNorthStar, working with as many
students and parents, teachersthat we have.
(22:15):
What does that look like forGod to be in all those
relationships and have a kingdommindset in all of that?
So, yeah, it's elevated it andbrought more awareness to a
bigger need.
Danny Coyle (22:33):
Yeah, the reason I'm asking I wanted to ask these
clarifying questions is becausemy hope is that everything at
Norster would bring all of us toa deeper conversation with him.
And anyways, as you weretalking about your learnings in
the board, it's like, oh, that'sit.
That is, if we were to boil itdown to one thing, it'd be a
(22:56):
deeper level of intimacy andconversation with him about
whatever it is, big or small, orseemingly inconsequential, or
you know bylaws that we're mysecret hopes and dreams for, for
us as a board, that all of uswould be drawn into intimacy
(23:23):
with him, but but for us as aschool, that that would be the
heartbeat of our school is more,more lord, more of you those
are good clarifying questionsand so so important um for
everybody to hear your heart.
Stephanie Shafer (23:35):
So what about you, danny?
Is there anything you would say?
Oh God's put his finger on thisor something I'm learning, as I
know he's challenging you andstretching you in ways.
Danny Coyle (23:46):
The grand experiment of this phase of
NorthStar.
Come to me, all you who areweary and heavy laden, and I
will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, for myyoke is easy and my burden is
light.
And working like Katie wasreferencing working with an
organization as large asNorthStar.
(24:08):
Is that true?
This is yoke really easy andhis burden really light when
dealing with 3,000 enrollmentsand a multi-million dollar
budget.
And so far in the experimentthe answer is yes, his yoke is
easy and his burden is light.
And sometimes people refer toour kingdom as the upside down
(24:29):
kingdom, and it is not.
Our kingdom is the right sideup kingdom, everything else is
upside down.
Our kingdom is the right sideup kingdom, everything else is
upside down.
And when these things becomeheavy, or when they become
burdensome, or when we startfeeling the pressure to perform
because we've got to meet somedemand and expectation, we're
(24:53):
upside down.
It's broken, and I amcontinually learning, as a human
being, the way the right sideof kingdom works, and so the
experiment will continue to be.
Can this yoke be easy and thisburden be light?
(25:17):
I know the answer is yes and Iam still figuring out that the
answer is yes, and I thinkthat's kind of the grand scheme
of what I'm approaching this asa board member.
Katie Ahmadzai (25:33):
That's good.
I love that and I will say umrecently had a mentor of mine
praying for me and shespecifically mentioned that
verse as well, and it justbrought to mind that, like the,
the, the yoke is still the yoke.
You know, it's still there.
(25:55):
It's just that it's not that Ihave to carry it alone and I I
can.
It's so easy for me to be ableto be like okay, and I got this
and what I've done is really I'mpushing against and trying to
take more than what God isactually putting on my shoulders
for that point in time.
(26:16):
He is yoked with me for apurpose, and so being able to
pause and reflect and spend timewith Him and ask Him what is
mine to carry right now and whatis yours to carry, has been a
powerful pause and reflectionfor me over the past few months,
(26:37):
because it can, like you, likeyou said, can I the more aware
of all the pieces that thatthere are NorthStar?
Um, definitely, it can becomemore overwhelming, but knowing
that, um, he's yoked with me, um, it has been a powerful image.
Stephanie Shafer (26:55):
Yeah, that's good.
And just sometimes for me it'sa a powerful image.
Yeah, that's good.
And just sometimes for me it'sa moment by moment, casting all
my anxiety on him and he says wecan do that, and that he gives
peace, perfect peace, to themind.
That's steadfast on him, on hisword and choosing to trust.
And so, yeah, moment by moment,no matter who's listening, on a
(27:19):
board running an organization,teaching, whatever we're doing,
it's literally a moment bymoment.
So, yeah, thanks for sharingthat.
All right, let's get practicalfor a moment.
For someone listening who maynot understand the role of a
board in any organization, maynot understand the role of a
board in any organizationnonprofit school but especially
(27:40):
here at NorthStar, what is thisrole going to be like?
How are you going to comealongside NorthStar?
How is it set up?
You know we're a governingboard, a missional board rooted
in prayer, but what does thatlook like practically?
Danny Coyle (27:53):
There are three objectives of the board.
The first is to uphold themission, the second is financial
stewardship of the school andthe third is executive mission,
says it should go.
So the mission for NorthStar isour commitment to Christ leads
(28:20):
us to our personal investment inyou.
Our commitment to you inspiresand motivates NorthStar
Academy's spiritual emphasis,academic excellence, personal
experience and global reach.
So these four categoriesspiritual emphasis, academic
excellence, personal experienceand global reach the board is
(28:41):
tasked with this mission ofgetting NorthStar to do these
things.
Strategic plan for whatendeavors do you want to pursue
over the next few years?
The primary thing is to upholdand support the mission.
(29:02):
The board is responsible forthe financial stewardship of the
school, which means approvingthe budget for the school for
the coming school year, and then, third, executive oversight.
So the board has one employeeand that's the head of school,
in this case Stephanie, andannually the board reviews
Stephanie's performance and hasa review process with her about
(29:27):
her performance.
And should it come in the nextfew years, if we need to find
another head of school, theboard would be the one to do the
search for a new head of schooland then hiring them and
setting up the package.
The head of school isresponsible for all the
operations of the school.
So the board has one employeeto hire the head of school and
(29:49):
the head of school is the onewho implements all the
strategies within the school.
So practically the board doesthose three things uphold the
mission, financial stewardship,executive oversight.
Stephanie Shafer (30:03):
Thanks, Danny, for sharing, yeah, the three
main functions of the board andjust giving that practicality.
Also, thinking along the samelines as we're wrapping up, how
do you see the board comingalongside the staff, the faculty
and families in the monthsahead?
Danny Coyle (30:22):
Great question.
I think the first thing thatcomes to mind and I know
Stephanie has said this in someof the staff meetings before,
but there isn't really any majorchanges coming from a.
You know, if you're a teacher atNorthStar or family at
NorthStar, you're probably notgoing to notice anything
(30:42):
different with the board for awhile, primarily because we're
doing a lot of things bylaws andsetting up our internal
committees and things that a lotof the things that go on way
behind the scenes to prepare usand establish us for the coming
years.
So you're probably not going tonotice very much change at all
(31:06):
in the next few cycles, maybe ayear or two, even Um the.
(31:42):
However, my hope is thatNorthStar feels different, that
there is a feeling of hope and afeeling of peace and the
feeling of this is a good placefor my kids or my students to
learn and to thrive and to growand to be developed and to be
challenged.
That that atmosphere comes fromthe board to the teachers, to
the students, to the parents.
And so, yeah, practically Ihope not a lot changes on the
surface, but I hope a heck of alot changes not changes, but
continues to be enhanced.
(32:03):
I will say it that way,continues to be enhanced over
these coming months and maybeeven to put a finer point on it,
the fruit of the spirit thatlove and joy and peace and
patience and kindness,gentleness, that these things
would be growing and over thesenext few months.
Katie Ahmadzai (32:26):
I completely agree and just with the every
the day-to-day operations, thequality of the education all
going to stay the same thesupport and love for our
students, our teachers we wantthat to remain the foundation of
what it is.
(32:47):
I think with any board that isfocused on one school and the
mission of that school yeah,what you described, annie, was
so good of like a deepening ofthat mission.
So whenever you think about themission of NorthStar is being
able to operate out of God'slove for us and pour that love
(33:12):
into our students so that theyunderstand the depth of God's
love for them and then throughthat, we see them flourish in
all these different areas.
Just thinking about, like witha specific board for the school
we are now thinking specificallyin our context as NorthStar, an
(33:33):
international online Christianschool what does that look like?
How does that get deeper,considering we're online?
So to me, the board is there tobe able to really kind of
anchor and maybe dig a littlebit deeper into those areas and
(33:55):
then be able to again supportthe administration, the teachers
, in the good work that they'redoing, but with like a deeper
foundation, like a deeper anchorto hold there.
And so that was just a greatdescription I thought that you
gave, and so I would say a greatdescription I thought that you
(34:19):
gave, and so I would say, yeah,just really holding tight to our
mission and being able to seeus hone in on who we are as a
unique school and how God wantsus to steward that really well
as a school community excites mea whole lot and that's what I
think you know.
It probably won't happen inmassive changes.
(34:42):
I don't anticipate that.
I anticipate it happening in,you know, the beautiful seasonal
changes that happen over timeand God fine-tuning and just
making what we have even morebeautiful and just making what
we have even more beautiful.
Danny Coyle (35:05):
One critical component I want to bring here
to where we're headed is withyou, Stephanie.
I speak for the board in ourconfidence in you in this role
as head of school.
And then I think I want to tella few stories to just help our
listeners and this familyunderstand a little bit more
about why you are sitting in theseat that you're in here and
(35:27):
why we as a board want you herein this seat and feel that God
has put you here first for areason.
One of those moments me andStephanie and Michelle Wiginton,
our business manager, was wewere at a conference a few
months ago at a training, and wehad this moment where Stephanie
(35:52):
had remembered a conversationshe had had with somebody at the
conference a day or two earlierand she goes oh, I need to get
that piece of information fromthat guy and I need to get his
contact information.
And she stands up from thetable me and Michelle and her
were sitting at and she walksover to this, talk to this guy
and get his information andnetwork with him and get the
(36:12):
contact that she needed, and soon, and she comes back and smile
on her face and got the piecethat she needed.
So on she comes back and smileon her face and, you know, got
the piece that she needed and,yeah, success.
And I remember me and Michellewere looking at each other, kind
of going.
Neither of us would do that,Neither of us would just
automatically stand up, go meetsomebody.
And you know you need to giveme the information you have on
(36:35):
behalf of this school.
And just it was a moment ofrecognizing that there are
things that this school needsout there in the world and
Stephanie is someone that Fatherhas anointed to go get those
(36:58):
things on our behalf.
That's part one of whyStephanie is in this role.
The second one, as we were atthis conference her vibe, her
demeanor with everyone we metshe exuded NorthStar is the best
(37:22):
school in the world and youneed to know about it and to
watch her talk about and tellthe story of NorthStar over and
over and over and over again.
She didn't get tired of it andshe's been telling the story for
ages.
She didn't get tired of it.
She's been telling this storyfor ages, Particularly around a
(37:53):
new endeavor, around donordevelopment, and with such
energy will be critical to ourfundraising efforts going
forward, and it's one ofStephanie's primary
responsibilities will befundraising and donor
development going forward, and Ican think of nobody better in
that role than Stephanie, and sowe are, as a board, so thankful
(38:16):
for her that the Lord hasbrought her here and has put her
in this slot.
And, yeah, that's why she'shere is because she can't stop
talking about NorthStar and sheis able to get the resources we
need and deploy them in astrategic way for us to move
(38:37):
forward as a school.
Katie Ahmadzai (38:41):
I will second that If you're in the room for
like a minute with Stephanie,you're going to hear how, not
just like the perfunctory, likehow wonderful NorthStar is, but
like you can tell, it's comingfrom our heart and we we start
with the Word of God.
How many times have we had theconversation we have to start
(39:04):
with?
NorthStar is founded on theWord of God and that is the key
point, and so there's just sucha passion for God's Word and
what he's doing in the worldthat NorthStar is a part of that
and truly believes in becauseyou know it's.
Stephanie Shafer (39:27):
I agree with you.
Katie Ahmadzai (39:28):
It's true, because NorthStar is an amazing
school and we want more and morepeople to hear about what we
have to offer.
You know, out of a service Likewe, really, I feel that coming
from Stephanie so often is likehow can we serve other schools,
(39:51):
how can we continue to serve ourfamilies, how can we continue
to serve our students, ourfamilies, how can we continue to
serve our students?
And so, just out of that heartof service, being able to share
(40:12):
the NorthStar, story is sovaluable and, yeah, I get
excited every time I hear it.
Stephanie Shafer (40:14):
So, yes, it is one of my favorite things to do
tell the story of NorthStarbecause it is so rich, and I
love the verses that talk aboutGod, how he lavishly pours out
His grace and His love, andeverything he does is lavish and
rich.
We don't even have the wordsthat can describe that beyond
that.
And so I see that at NorthStaron a daily basis, him pouring
out His grace and His mercy andHis goodness.
(40:36):
And, yeah, story after storyafter story of students, and so
it's my delight to be here toserve.
Even this morning I got to doan NSA Connects and tell kids
that they're here on purpose.
It's not an accident andnothing is greater than that.
And I'm always amazed, eventhough I tell everybody our
students are incredible, they'rebrilliant, they're doing
(40:57):
amazing things all over theworld.
We don't even have to teachthem to be leaders.
They're already leaders and wejust get to come alongside and
spur that on.
But, yeah, just the depth thatthey talked about today and how
their passions and then whatthey're brokenhearted over and
how those come together for Godto just illuminate their path,
(41:20):
and so it was really cool to getto hear their hearts, but it is
a joy to be here.
I'm so thankful.
Thank you so much board the twothat are here today, danny and
Katie, and all the other onesthat are already here and who
knows who God's going to bringto come alongside us in the
prayer journey.
Thank you for our prayerpartners, jesus, and for just
(41:42):
how people are praying andseeing things already.
I know God has told me NorthStaris going to flourish.
Don't know exactly what thatflourishing means, but we are
flourishing.
We have been and we're going tocontinue, and just in new ways
and new levels for what's neededin the world today.
So this has been a pleasure totalk now, so long that we get
(42:02):
two episodes and just reflect onwhat's coming and what has been
.
So thank you both for joiningme today.
My pleasure and honor,absolutely.
Thank you so much for listeningtoday.
If you have any questions forour guest or would like
information about NorthStar,please email us.
At podcast at nsaschool we lovehaving guests on our show and
(42:26):
getting to hear their stories.
If you have anyone in mind thatyou think would be a great
guest to feature, please emailus and let us know.
And don't forget to subscribeso you don't miss out on
upcoming stories.
Hi, this is Stephanie Shafer and you're
listening to the NorthStarNarrative, a podcast from
NorthStar Academy.
I want to thank you for joiningus.
I hope you're encouraged,challenged and motivated by what
you learned today.
Enjoy the story.
Hey, everyone, welcome to thisepisode of the NorthStar
(00:22):
Narrative.
I'm so glad that you arelistening today because this is
going to be a very specialepisode for NorthStar and we
have a really incredibleannouncement that's been taking
place.
NorthStar is now going to beoperated by its own first ever
independent governing board, andwe have two of our new board
(00:46):
members joining me today, so I'mexcited to introduce them.
Both have been on the podcastseveral times before and so if
you've been listening, you knowthem and you know their
incredible hearts for Jesus andfor NorthStar, for the mission,
discipling kids and resting inthe Lord.
So can you guess who they areby a little bit there.
(01:07):
One is our very own KatieAmadza, who is transitioning out
of the principal role to joinus on the board as the new board
secretary.
So I love her heart, herpassion for missions and just
the work globally she has donethrough NorthStar and beyond.
(01:29):
So excited for this transitionfor you, katie, and Mr Danny
Coyle, who has lots ofconnections with NorthStar.
He is a parent of two alumni,two incredible girls, maya and
Elena.
Cole and Danny and his wife,wife Jill, have just walked
alongside NorthStar not only asparents and supervisors, but
(01:52):
also as friends andencouragement, and so I'm so
excited to announce Danny willbe taken on or is actually, as
of July 1, the chairman of ournew board and his heart for the
Lord and just resting in theLord and coaching people and so
many incredible gifts that God'sgiven him and he's just living
(02:13):
those out.
So we have two dynamic peoplehere.
We have a total of seven boardmembers, so we can talk a little
bit about that and just heartheir hearts for what is next
for NorthStar.
We're still standing firm onour mission I've never left that
after 27 years but God isshaping some new things, so it's
always exciting to have changeand see where God's moving.
(02:37):
So thank you, danny and Katie,for joining me today.
Katie Ahmadzai (02:41):
Yeah, it's great to be here.
You're so welcome, it's anhonor.
Stephanie Shafer (02:46):
All right, so let's just jump in.
Everybody might be wonderingKatie, why are you leaving the
principal role to join the board?
Let's hear it.
Katie Ahmadzai (02:58):
Oh, yes, definitely a hard decision, but
my kiddos are really at a stageof life right now where I want
to be able to be available tothem a little bit more and,
believe it or not, being theprincipal of an international
online school requires some timeand some times when, maybe in
(03:21):
the afternoons, in order to beable to, in evenings, to be able
to work with a lot of ourfamilies who live overseas.
Those are prime times that I amhoping to spend more time with
my girls and my little boy.
He's not quite as busy as myolder girls right now, but just
needing a little bit more timein my schedule but still caring
(03:43):
deeply about the mission ofNorthStar, the work that God is
doing through NorthStar inpeople's lives, in our students'
lives, our teachers' lives,families' lives and still
wanting to be a part of that,because I firmly believe in the
mission and what's going on.
So being able to transition tothe board just seemed like a
wonderful option for me to beable to, yeah, enjoy the best of
(04:06):
both worlds during the seasonand very thankful to be able to
have this opportunity.
Stephanie Shafer (04:11):
Yeah, we are so, so thankful that you are
sticking around the NorthStarcommunity and, yeah, excited to
see how God's going to continueto use you and Mr Cole, danny,
father of two NSA girls andgreat encourager.
So this board chairmancommitment is a big one and not
(04:33):
to take lightly, and I knowyou've already put in countless
number of hours helping us movein this transition and get it up
and running.
And so many more hours to come.
How are you feeling about that?
Why in the world would you giveup so much of your time and
resources?
Danny Coyle (04:51):
Yeah, yeah, Thanks for having me on the podcast
again.
And yeah, the short answer ofit is I believe in what
NorthStar is about and, morespecifically, I believe in what
God's doing through NorthStar inthis kingdom, primarily around
training our leaders, kingdomleaders and equipping them for
(05:18):
the work that is ahead for us asa kingdom.
And I believe in it so muchbecause of what NorthStar did
with my two daughters, Elena andMaya, and watching the
investment that NorthStar madeinto them and the women that
they are now in their leadershiproles.
(05:38):
I want to see NorthStar do thatagain and again, and again, and
again.
And I believe that NorthStarhas a strategic place in our
kingdom for the shaping of ourkingdom to come.
(06:00):
And so for me, as I've gottento know Stephanie and Katie and
a lot of the other staff as well, that has just continued to
grow and as we have been asNorthStar we'll talk about in a
few minutes but during thistransition time, for me
specifically, my gifting andwiring is in transition.
(06:24):
I have spent my entire life wellsince the time I was nine years
old, on the mission field inHong Kong, in transient
environments, experiencing whatit means to not have as much
(06:46):
certainty as maybe othercultures and situations might
have.
And then, when we moved toBeijing, I lived in Beijing
again another transientenvironment where everybody is
coming and going and we led achurch there for 10 years that
really specialized in short-termequipping of people.
Our theory was we had them fortwo years and we knew that God
wanted to change their lives inthose two years and equip them
(07:06):
for the next assignment afterthey left Beijing.
So this idea of people flowingthrough an organization, coming
out the other side ready tobecome and do what God has for
them to do on the other side, isa theme throughout my life, and
NorthStar also is anorganization that does that same
thing.
So when Stephanie asked me if Iwould serve as the chairman, it
(07:30):
was an easy yes, because italready aligned with so much of
what my life has been about upuntil now and the way that God's
used me in the lives oforganizations and in the lives
of individuals.
And so, yeah, it just madesense, and so that's why I'm
here and that's why I feel likeGod's brought me to this place.
Stephanie Shafer (07:52):
Yeah, and we could stop right now and give
incredible praise to the Lordfor so many friends just like
these two hearts here.
So many people are praying forNorthStar right now, people
outside of our main community.
God's bringing in morecommunity from all over, and so
everything is covered in prayerand people giving and just
(08:14):
caring for this mission.
Danny Coyle (08:17):
I'll add one surprising part to me about that
.
The Lord is talking a lot aboutNorthStar to people in both
inside it and outside it.
It is on his heart.
And you received an email lastweek from somebody who had just
seen the website and had somepartnership ideas of how they
(08:37):
could partner with us, and itwas obvious from his email that
the Lord was speaking to himvery favorably about NorthStar
and the way that we couldpartner with his organization.
So, yeah, not only are peoplepraying, you know, talking to
God about NorthStar and seekinghim, but God's talking to people
(08:57):
about NorthStar too, and it isjust so fun to hear his heart
and what he has to say about us.
Stephanie Shafer (09:05):
It is really a fun, fun time.
All right, Katie, what is Godplacing on your heart right now
for NorthStar?
Katie Ahmadzai (09:14):
Oh my goodness.
Right now for NorthStar, I seethe potential for continued
diverse community building.
I saw this at graduation in abeautiful kind of microscopic
scale, because about maybe 10%of our graduates each year come
(09:39):
to our live graduation.
If you were to look at the biosof our graduates on paper and
assume that they were allattending a large public school
somewhere in the US, chances arethey would never cross paths
(10:00):
based on their diverse interests, based on their cultural
backgrounds, and to watch these20 or so students walk into a
(10:29):
room, be able to carry on greatconversations and interact and
have ideas about let's do thisin the future, and I can't wait
till, you know, you come visitme at college and to know that
they've never seen each other inperson and that those are the
types of relationships that arebeing built.
And NorthStar that is what Istrongly believe God wants his
(10:51):
body to look like and the churchto look like, and so I want
that to continue to happen.
So to me, that looks likecontinuing to be able to build
(11:28):
our scholarship fund to be ableto invite Christian schools that
are predominantly onedemographic, have exposure to a
lot of different cultures thatare represented at NorthStar and
experiences that arerepresented here.
But that's really my heart isthat we just continue to be the
body of Christ and live that out.
Our kids get a taste of thatand that that's what they want.
Moving forward is they?
They want that, um, yeah,experience of the church and the
(11:49):
body of christ moving forwardin their lives.
Danny Coyle (11:51):
Yeah, love that two things about katie here that
she's voicing.
That makes me so happy.
She's on our board.
Um, this idea of community andeducation.
Um, we had a roundtable maybe ayear ago or so with me and
Stephanie and Katie and oneother member of staff and we got
(12:11):
on to this topic of the role ofcommunity in education and
Katie just was bursting withlife around this subject.
This subject and community isone of the major questions
around online school of how dowe build a community when
(12:33):
everybody is so disjointed andaway from each other and as a
board, this will be a veryimportant part of our strategic
plan is how do we continue tocultivate a kingdom culture, a
kingdom community in onlineeducation moving forward, and I
think Katie's voice will be avery important part of that
conversation moving forward.
(12:54):
The second story we were atgraduation just a couple of
months ago and we had a parentsforum where all the parents
could give feedback about whatthey enjoyed about NorthStar,
and one of the parents hadspecifically mentioned Katie and
her role in encouraging theirson, particularly in math, and
(13:18):
how just one interaction withKatie just set this kid a light
to engage more wholeheartedlyand to be more present to his
studies, and so I think on bothsides of this community
conversation, and also what,what makes our kids come alive
and how can we foster that andKatie's voice to, to propagate
(13:43):
that among all the staff and allthe teachers of how are we
building this together?
Anyway, those two stories justmade me so thankful that Katie
is a part of this.
Go forward.
Stephanie Shafer (13:54):
Yes, definitely celebrating Katie all
the time, every time she comeson the podcast.
All right, Danny, you've talkedabout boards being visionary
and supportive.
What does this look like inyour mind for NorthStar?
Danny Coyle (14:09):
The context Stephanie and I have been using
for this season for NorthStar iswe were talking about, kind of
in the Wild West, a city thathas sprung up and NorthStar,
similar to maybe a city of theWild West that had been around
for 25 years, as we have.
(14:30):
And there comes a point wherethe city goes.
You know what we need toestablish a more formal
government, probably some citylimits, some boundaries, what is
inside our city, what's notinside our city, and we would
(14:52):
call that establishing.
Not that the city didn't existbefore, but that we're growing
to the phase where we need a bitmore structure to this
situation and the kinds ofstructures that will serve the
next 20 to 30 years of growth,or 100 years of growth or
something like that.
Right now, in these months, aswe're establishing this board
(15:12):
and the associated things thatgo along with establishing the
board, yeah, we are not buildinga foundation, but I would say
establishing the foundation,kind of going.
This is what we're going tobuild on for the next 20 years.
So that's kind of the phasewe're in now, what we are
(15:34):
building and the vision forwhat's next that I alluded to
and the reason why I'm here.
But I'll say it more clearly nowthe Lord is doing amazing
things on the earth and he'susing people to do it.
He has churches and businessesand nonprofits and art and
(16:00):
performance art and visual artand musical arts that he wants
to bring to the earth, but heneeds a certain kind of leader
to do it.
He needs a certain kind ofinternationally-minded,
jesus-centered, kingdom-focusedleader to do these next things
(16:23):
that he wants to do.
And NorthStar is one of theplaces he is bringing those
leaders when they're in fifthgrade and eighth grade and
twelfth grade to train them forthese next steps.
And so we are right nowfiguring out what needs to go at
(16:44):
ground level, or maybe not whatneeds to go at ground level,
but what needs to be defined atground level.
It already exists, but give itsome better words and some
better language to the kinds ofpeople that we are developing
for kingdom growth and expansion.
Stephanie Shafer (17:08):
Okay For both of you.
We're putting together a boardfrom the ground up.
It takes a lot of prayer,thinking through, consulting,
researching, even attorneys tolook over bylaws, so so much
goes into it.
What is God teaching youthrough this process?
Katie Ahmadzai (17:31):
I'll say the nature of how I'm coming to the
process.
From coming from an everyday inNorthStar doing the work with
the teachers and the students toa board level, um, there is a
(17:54):
different perspective that Godis asking me to shift into.
I tend to be a I love to thinkbig picture, but when it comes
down to it, give me my task listand let me just get the stuff
done.
So being able to pause andthink not only about like the
(18:20):
question you asked you, what doI see is next for NorthStar but
think about, with a team ofdiverse cheerleaders for
NorthStar, then what are thosenext steps?
Prayerfully considering that,seeking God in that, but really
(18:42):
saying okay, then what are thenext steps for us to get there?
And being able to do thattogether and listen well and
understand well.
Listen well and understand well,it really is understanding at a
much bigger level than reallywhat I've experienced in just
(19:04):
day to day at NorthStar, and soI think that's probably what I'm
learning and through thatthere's a lot of me letting go
of some of my ideas and control,and there's also trusting that
God's provision is in theprocess and not necessarily in
one big poof.
(19:24):
It's just going to happen oneday, but that his provision is
that I've brought this teamtogether.
The provision is that you havethe talents and the wisdom that
I've given you to walk thisvision forward.
And what does that look like?
What does that process looklike?
So yeah, that's kind of whereI'm at and what I'm learning.
Danny Coyle (19:48):
I'd enjoy hearing a little bit more.
What is the stretch for you inthinking bigger?
If you were to put a finerpoint on a specific there, what
would it be?
Katie Ahmadzai (20:01):
Ooh, so I think in where I have operated has
been in the educational aspectof NorthStar and I've known
there's also this businessaspect.
But I've been easily able tosay but I was hired to do this
aspect and now to see it allwork together.
(20:23):
And so, yes, we want to go hereacademically.
What does that mean financially?
Or, yes, we want to move herefinancially, what's that going
to allow us to do academicallyas well and community focused
and socially, academically aswell and community focused and
socially, and so seeing maybeall those pieces webbed together
not that I didn't know theyexisted, but really how they
(20:45):
work together might be, as I'mlistening to you talk about it.
Danny Coyle (20:48):
There's a you in the first description, um, put
that together with the trust andthe way I hear that is an
opening of conversation withyour heavenly father about some
bigger things.
Is that a part of this for you,or do you feel like there's an
invitation to intimacy here?
Katie Ahmadzai (21:08):
Definitely.
I would say the control pieceis a journey God has just told
me like you better get used toit.
It's going to be a lifelongthing.
So just when I'm like I've gotit, he's like let's try it in
this aspect.
So there are always pieces thatare the next step, like the
(21:28):
next push, like okay.
So you understand it in thisway.
He's very patient to just giveme what I can handle at a time.
So it's like, okay, you haven'tthought about trust in this
aspect before.
So let's look at it from thisdirection or this angle, and so
I think it's a.
That's where where I'mdepending on that trust on a
(21:52):
bigger level than I've, you know, handed off or even been even
aware of maybe before.
But being aware, okay, there'sa lot of dynamics that go in to
an organization the size ofNorthStar, working with as many
students and parents, teachersthat we have.
(22:15):
What does that look like forGod to be in all those
relationships and have a kingdommindset in all of that?
So, yeah, it's elevated it andbrought more awareness to a
bigger need.
Danny Coyle (22:33):
Yeah, the reason I'm asking I wanted to ask these
clarifying questions is becausemy hope is that everything at
Norster would bring all of us toa deeper conversation with him.
And anyways, as you weretalking about your learnings in
the board, it's like, oh, that'sit.
That is, if we were to boil itdown to one thing, it'd be a
(22:56):
deeper level of intimacy andconversation with him about
whatever it is, big or small, orseemingly inconsequential, or
you know bylaws that we're mysecret hopes and dreams for, for
us as a board, that all of uswould be drawn into intimacy
(23:23):
with him, but but for us as aschool, that that would be the
heartbeat of our school is more,more lord, more of you those
are good clarifying questionsand so so important um for
everybody to hear your heart.
Stephanie Shafer (23:35):
So what about you, danny?
Is there anything you would say?
Oh God's put his finger on thisor something I'm learning, as I
know he's challenging you andstretching you in ways.
Danny Coyle (23:46):
The grand experiment of this phase of
NorthStar.
Come to me, all you who areweary and heavy laden, and I
will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, for myyoke is easy and my burden is
light.
And working like Katie wasreferencing working with an
organization as large asNorthStar.
(24:08):
Is that true?
This is yoke really easy andhis burden really light when
dealing with 3,000 enrollmentsand a multi-million dollar
budget.
And so far in the experimentthe answer is yes, his yoke is
easy and his burden is light.
And sometimes people refer toour kingdom as the upside down
(24:29):
kingdom, and it is not.
Our kingdom is the right sideup kingdom, everything else is
upside down.
Our kingdom is the right sideup kingdom, everything else is
upside down.
And when these things becomeheavy, or when they become
burdensome, or when we startfeeling the pressure to perform
because we've got to meet somedemand and expectation, we're
(24:53):
upside down.
It's broken, and I amcontinually learning, as a human
being, the way the right sideof kingdom works, and so the
experiment will continue to be.
Can this yoke be easy and thisburden be light?
(25:17):
I know the answer is yes and Iam still figuring out that the
answer is yes, and I thinkthat's kind of the grand scheme
of what I'm approaching this asa board member.
Katie Ahmadzai (25:33):
That's good.
I love that and I will say umrecently had a mentor of mine
praying for me and shespecifically mentioned that
verse as well, and it justbrought to mind that, like the,
the, the yoke is still the yoke.
You know, it's still there.
(25:55):
It's just that it's not that Ihave to carry it alone and I I
can.
It's so easy for me to be ableto be like okay, and I got this
and what I've done is really I'mpushing against and trying to
take more than what God isactually putting on my shoulders
for that point in time.
(26:16):
He is yoked with me for apurpose, and so being able to
pause and reflect and spend timewith Him and ask Him what is
mine to carry right now and whatis yours to carry, has been a
powerful pause and reflectionfor me over the past few months,
(26:37):
because it can, like you, likeyou said, can I the more aware
of all the pieces that thatthere are NorthStar?
Um, definitely, it can becomemore overwhelming, but knowing
that, um, he's yoked with me, um, it has been a powerful image.
Stephanie Shafer (26:55):
Yeah, that's good.
And just sometimes for me it'sa a powerful image.
Yeah, that's good.
And just sometimes for me it'sa moment by moment, casting all
my anxiety on him and he says wecan do that, and that he gives
peace, perfect peace, to themind.
That's steadfast on him, on hisword and choosing to trust.
And so, yeah, moment by moment,no matter who's listening, on a
(27:19):
board running an organization,teaching, whatever we're doing,
it's literally a moment bymoment.
So, yeah, thanks for sharingthat.
All right, let's get practicalfor a moment.
For someone listening who maynot understand the role of a
board in any organization, maynot understand the role of a
board in any organizationnonprofit school but especially
(27:40):
here at NorthStar, what is thisrole going to be like?
How are you going to comealongside NorthStar?
How is it set up?
You know we're a governingboard, a missional board rooted
in prayer, but what does thatlook like practically?
Danny Coyle (27:53):
There are three objectives of the board.
The first is to uphold themission, the second is financial
stewardship of the school andthe third is executive mission,
says it should go.
So the mission for NorthStar isour commitment to Christ leads
(28:20):
us to our personal investment inyou.
Our commitment to you inspiresand motivates NorthStar
Academy's spiritual emphasis,academic excellence, personal
experience and global reach.
So these four categoriesspiritual emphasis, academic
excellence, personal experienceand global reach the board is
(28:41):
tasked with this mission ofgetting NorthStar to do these
things.
Strategic plan for whatendeavors do you want to pursue
over the next few years?
The primary thing is to upholdand support the mission.
(29:02):
The board is responsible forthe financial stewardship of the
school, which means approvingthe budget for the school for
the coming school year, and then, third, executive oversight.
So the board has one employeeand that's the head of school,
in this case Stephanie, andannually the board reviews
Stephanie's performance and hasa review process with her about
(29:27):
her performance.
And should it come in the nextfew years, if we need to find
another head of school, theboard would be the one to do the
search for a new head of schooland then hiring them and
setting up the package.
The head of school isresponsible for all the
operations of the school.
So the board has one employeeto hire the head of school and
(29:49):
the head of school is the onewho implements all the
strategies within the school.
So practically the board doesthose three things uphold the
mission, financial stewardship,executive oversight.
Stephanie Shafer (30:03):
Thanks, Danny, for sharing, yeah, the three
main functions of the board andjust giving that practicality.
Also, thinking along the samelines as we're wrapping up, how
do you see the board comingalongside the staff, the faculty
and families in the monthsahead?
Danny Coyle (30:22):
Great question.
I think the first thing thatcomes to mind and I know
Stephanie has said this in someof the staff meetings before,
but there isn't really any majorchanges coming from a.
You know, if you're a teacher atNorthStar or family at
NorthStar, you're probably notgoing to notice anything
(30:42):
different with the board for awhile, primarily because we're
doing a lot of things bylaws andsetting up our internal
committees and things that a lotof the things that go on way
behind the scenes to prepare usand establish us for the coming
years.
So you're probably not going tonotice very much change at all
(31:06):
in the next few cycles, maybe ayear or two, even Um the.
(31:42):
However, my hope is thatNorthStar feels different, that
there is a feeling of hope and afeeling of peace and the
feeling of this is a good placefor my kids or my students to
learn and to thrive and to growand to be developed and to be
challenged.
That that atmosphere comes fromthe board to the teachers, to
the students, to the parents.
And so, yeah, practically Ihope not a lot changes on the
surface, but I hope a heck of alot changes not changes, but
continues to be enhanced.
(32:03):
I will say it that way,continues to be enhanced over
these coming months and maybeeven to put a finer point on it,
the fruit of the spirit thatlove and joy and peace and
patience and kindness,gentleness, that these things
would be growing and over thesenext few months.
Katie Ahmadzai (32:26):
I completely agree and just with the every
the day-to-day operations, thequality of the education all
going to stay the same thesupport and love for our
students, our teachers we wantthat to remain the foundation of
what it is.
(32:47):
I think with any board that isfocused on one school and the
mission of that school yeah,what you described, annie, was
so good of like a deepening ofthat mission.
So whenever you think about themission of NorthStar is being
able to operate out of God'slove for us and pour that love
(33:12):
into our students so that theyunderstand the depth of God's
love for them and then throughthat, we see them flourish in
all these different areas.
Just thinking about, like witha specific board for the school
we are now thinking specificallyin our context as NorthStar, an
(33:33):
international online Christianschool what does that look like?
How does that get deeper,considering we're online?
So to me, the board is there tobe able to really kind of
anchor and maybe dig a littlebit deeper into those areas and
(33:55):
then be able to again supportthe administration, the teachers
, in the good work that they'redoing, but with like a deeper
foundation, like a deeper anchorto hold there.
And so that was just a greatdescription I thought that you
gave, and so I would say a greatdescription I thought that you
(34:19):
gave, and so I would say, yeah,just really holding tight to our
mission and being able to seeus hone in on who we are as a
unique school and how God wantsus to steward that really well
as a school community excites mea whole lot and that's what I
think you know.
It probably won't happen inmassive changes.
(34:42):
I don't anticipate that.
I anticipate it happening in,you know, the beautiful seasonal
changes that happen over timeand God fine-tuning and just
making what we have even morebeautiful and just making what
we have even more beautiful.
Danny Coyle (35:05):
One critical component I want to bring here
to where we're headed is withyou, Stephanie.
I speak for the board in ourconfidence in you in this role
as head of school.
And then I think I want to tella few stories to just help our
listeners and this familyunderstand a little bit more
about why you are sitting in theseat that you're in here and
(35:27):
why we as a board want you herein this seat and feel that God
has put you here first for areason.
One of those moments me andStephanie and Michelle Wiginton,
our business manager, was wewere at a conference a few
months ago at a training, and wehad this moment where Stephanie
(35:52):
had remembered a conversationshe had had with somebody at the
conference a day or two earlierand she goes oh, I need to get
that piece of information fromthat guy and I need to get his
contact information.
And she stands up from thetable me and Michelle and her
were sitting at and she walksover to this, talk to this guy
and get his information andnetwork with him and get the
(36:12):
contact that she needed, and soon, and she comes back and smile
on her face and got the piecethat she needed.
So on she comes back and smileon her face and, you know, got
the piece that she needed and,yeah, success.
And I remember me and Michellewere looking at each other, kind
of going.
Neither of us would do that,Neither of us would just
automatically stand up, go meetsomebody.
And you know you need to giveme the information you have on
(36:35):
behalf of this school.
And just it was a moment ofrecognizing that there are
things that this school needsout there in the world and
Stephanie is someone that Fatherhas anointed to go get those
(36:58):
things on our behalf.
That's part one of whyStephanie is in this role.
The second one, as we were atthis conference her vibe, her
demeanor with everyone we metshe exuded NorthStar is the best
(37:22):
school in the world and youneed to know about it and to
watch her talk about and tellthe story of NorthStar over and
over and over and over again.
She didn't get tired of it andshe's been telling the story for
ages.
She didn't get tired of it.
She's been telling this storyfor ages, Particularly around a
(37:53):
new endeavor, around donordevelopment, and with such
energy will be critical to ourfundraising efforts going
forward, and it's one ofStephanie's primary
responsibilities will befundraising and donor
development going forward, and Ican think of nobody better in
that role than Stephanie, and sowe are, as a board, so thankful
(38:16):
for her that the Lord hasbrought her here and has put her
in this slot.
And, yeah, that's why she'shere is because she can't stop
talking about NorthStar and sheis able to get the resources we
need and deploy them in astrategic way for us to move
(38:37):
forward as a school.
Katie Ahmadzai (38:41):
I will second that If you're in the room for
like a minute with Stephanie,you're going to hear how, not
just like the perfunctory, likehow wonderful NorthStar is, but
like you can tell, it's comingfrom our heart and we we start
with the Word of God.
How many times have we had theconversation we have to start
(39:04):
with?
NorthStar is founded on theWord of God and that is the key
point, and so there's just sucha passion for God's Word and
what he's doing in the worldthat NorthStar is a part of that
and truly believes in becauseyou know it's.
Stephanie Shafer (39:27):
I agree with you.
Katie Ahmadzai (39:28):
It's true, because NorthStar is an amazing
school and we want more and morepeople to hear about what we
have to offer.
You know, out of a service Likewe, really, I feel that coming
from Stephanie so often is likehow can we serve other schools,
(39:51):
how can we continue to serve ourfamilies, how can we continue
to serve our students, ourfamilies, how can we continue to
serve our students?
And so, just out of that heartof service, being able to share
(40:12):
the NorthStar, story is sovaluable and, yeah, I get
excited every time I hear it.
Stephanie Shafer (40:14):
So, yes, it is one of my favorite things to do
tell the story of NorthStarbecause it is so rich, and I
love the verses that talk aboutGod, how he lavishly pours out
His grace and His love, andeverything he does is lavish and
rich.
We don't even have the wordsthat can describe that beyond
that.
And so I see that at NorthStaron a daily basis, him pouring
out His grace and His mercy andHis goodness.
(40:36):
And, yeah, story after storyafter story of students, and so
it's my delight to be here toserve.
Even this morning I got to doan NSA Connects and tell kids
that they're here on purpose.
It's not an accident andnothing is greater than that.
And I'm always amazed, eventhough I tell everybody our
students are incredible, they'rebrilliant, they're doing
(40:57):
amazing things all over theworld.
We don't even have to teachthem to be leaders.
They're already leaders and wejust get to come alongside and
spur that on.
But, yeah, just the depth thatthey talked about today and how
their passions and then whatthey're brokenhearted over and
how those come together for Godto just illuminate their path,
(41:20):
and so it was really cool to getto hear their hearts, but it is
a joy to be here.
I'm so thankful.
Thank you so much board the twothat are here today, danny and
Katie, and all the other onesthat are already here and who
knows who God's going to bringto come alongside us in the
prayer journey.
Thank you for our prayerpartners, jesus, and for just
(41:42):
how people are praying andseeing things already.
I know God has told me NorthStaris going to flourish.
Don't know exactly what thatflourishing means, but we are
flourishing.
We have been and we're going tocontinue, and just in new ways
and new levels for what's neededin the world today.
So this has been a pleasure totalk now, so long that we get
(42:02):
two episodes and just reflect onwhat's coming and what has been
.
So thank you both for joiningme today.
My pleasure and honor,absolutely.
Thank you so much for listeningtoday.
If you have any questions forour guest or would like
information about NorthStar,please email us.
At podcast at nsaschool we lovehaving guests on our show and
(42:26):
getting to hear their stories.
If you have anyone in mind thatyou think would be a great
guest to feature, please emailus and let us know.
And don't forget to subscribeso you don't miss out on
upcoming stories.
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