Celia Van De Wyer went to NSA from 2015 to 2020 and now is in her second year of Woodside High School. Celia is grateful for all her teachers and friends from North Star Academy for guiding her through elementary and middle school. 

  Celia, now a sophomore, says that she learned some of the most important traits at North Star, such as responsibility, perseverance, creativity. Celia said that going to “North Star helped me get out of my comfort zone and prepare me for high school” because it was a new school and it challenged her to do new things.

She said that some of the things that really stuck with her were “The teachers: Mrs. Vance (a 7th-8th grade teacher), Mrs. Tar (the former 3th grade teacher), Mrs. Robinson (the 5th grade math teacher), and Mrs. Baltay (another 8th grade teacher). These teachers stuck with me because they tailored classes so I never got bored and the classes were very fun,” Celia says. Her 5th grade math teacher, Mrs. Robinson, says that “she was a great friend and that she was pleasant to be around.”  

Celia says that she loved the field trips and musicals the most, but she also enjoyed pods in her first year of NSA (3rd grade) and enrichment. A specific field trip and project that Celia said she loved was the Gold Rush trip and the dream house project in 4th grade. She participated in almost all the plays, including The Little Mermaid, Anything Goes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Legally Blonde. Even though Celia is sad she missed part of her middle school experience and field trips in Yosemite and Washington due to Covid-19, she is happy that she had a great time before that and even during that time.  

Celia loves dogs, swimming, making new things, cooking, and traveling. In November 2021, she left her home to go traveling with her family in South America. She went to Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. During this trip and many others, she learned about the culture and points of view of the people. 

According to Mrs. Snyder, the 5th grade Social Studies and ELA teacher, said, “She was a very hard working student and that she was always paying attention.” Mrs. Robinson agrees, saying, “ I remember she was quiet but always paying attention and attentive, she was also a very conscious person.”  

Celia Van De Wyer loved and still does, all her teachers and friends at North Star. Celia’s advice for future and current North Star scholars is “enjoy all your time at North Star because it really prepares you for high school.”