ANS: The North Star appears to be stationary because it's located only a half a degree from the North celestical pole (NCP). This is the point in the night sky where the projection of the Earth's axis lies. In other words, a huge column extending from the geographic North Pole up into space would just miss the North Star.
Since the Earth rotates around this axis, it stands to reason that in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Star appears stationary, while other constellations revolve around it. An observer at the North Pole would see the North Star directly over head, while someone at the Equator sees Polaris at the Northern horizon, though it still appears that other stars revolve around it east to west.