Good Photography Cameras For Beginners?

I love photography. Well, I guess I should say I love the concept of photography. I love the thought of being able to capture feelings and emotions in one picture. I have a simple digital camera. It's a Sony Cybershot and I would love to upgrade. The only problem is that I'm a soon-to-be high school student, so I don't have much experience with photography. My current dream is to own a Nikon D800. However, being an amateur, I'm not sure this camera is right for me. Are there any suggestions as to what camera would be better for me?

Added (1). For the price range of the camera, I would love it if the camera was under $1, 000.

Me and my girlfriend both got the Nikon Coolpix L310 as our starting camera's it's a great starter camera, it takes awesome up close pictures and it's great for landcapes. In my opinion it's just generally a great starting camera, cheap too: D

A cheap DSLR (a Canon t2i or 550D) and a 50mm 1.8 lens.

It really depends on your budget.
I use Canon myself and the 1100D is a great entry level kit to get you started, if you have a larger budget try the 650D or a 1100D with a slightly more expensive lens as the 18-55mm kit lens is extremely standard.

You can use any camera. With a basic point-and-shoot camera like the Cybershot, you can learn about composition and a little about exposure. With a dSLR like the D800, you'll get control over exposure. The key is learning photography to be able to do what you want with the camera.

http://keerok-photography.blogspot.com/2012/10/learn-photography.html

Option 1. Cheap entry level D-SLR. Getting a decent lens is far more important than it's brand. Don't fall for the Canikon fanboy/girl nonsense.

Option 2. Used D-SLR. Check it over carefully, check the condition of the sensor. I've known them to be so fouled as to be useless on higher apertures.

Option 3. Be adventurous, buy a film scanner, Buy an old film camera - SLR, range finder, TLR or whatever. 35mm film cameras are usually high quality, and cheap as chips. A film scanner can scan a negative to equivalent resolution to a 30 megapixel DSLR. Learn about light, exposure, and cameras the old way.