Lee Dewyze, one of the top three left on American Idol, tells Us Magazine some things we never knew about him. He always eats too much on Thanksgiving and he hates onions. He was a baseball player when he was younger and he doesn’t like vanilla ice cream. One of his favorite places to go is the zoo and he is a scrabble fanatic. Lee thinks clowns are very scary and he is also scared of heights. He is always forgetting birthdays and loves to play the drums. Lee does not have a girlfriend, but he wouldn’t mind one. According to Lee, he is very romantic!

          Next, Crystal Bowersox tells Us Magazine a few things you would never guess about her. She loves to travel, and she has been to six different countries. Crystal loves to cook and actually enjoys cleaning! Her favorite season is summer in the Midwest and she once lived in a 1972 Volkswagen bus. She loves fried tofu and she once raised pigs, chickens, and cows. Her favorite flower is a sunflower and she loves metal music.

          The last contestant left is the rocker, Casey James. He likes it cold when he sleeps and warm when he wakes up. He loves cooking on the grill and also reading. He hates horror films and rarely ever watches TV. Casey hates the wind and he is a huge Star Wars fan. He is a huge animal fan, and he especially loves dogs. He wants to learn at least three more languages and driving makes him very happy!

Graduation practice starts next Friday at 11 in the theater. You have to attend this practice in order to walk at graduation. At the practice you will receive your tickets, and can also pick up any extra tickets either from friends or the school if needed. At this practice you will also be able to order your final transcripts if you didn’t earlier.

Last, but of course not least, be at the Gwinnett Arena at 5 (?) 0’clock for graduation! Remember, no cell phones are allowed, so have a meeting place for your family after the ceremony. Dress nicely, and wear dark colored shoes.

Congratulations class of 2010! We’re almost there!

Now some people think that it is a huge annoyance when someone asks them to sign something special, but you should not feel this way. You should be honored if someone wants something to remember you by. You should be true to yourself in a yearbook message, and not write something completely fake. A lot of times when someone asks another to sign their yearbook, writer’s block occurs. That’s usually when people start breaking out the generic notes. To avoid doing this, try these helpful hints:

• Think of the classes that you shared with that person.
• Try and come up with a funny experience that the two of you shared, even if it seems insignificant it’s still something to remember you by.
• Talk about plans for this summer or next year.
• Say something to that person that you’ve always wanted to, as long as you won’t be embarrassed cause it will last for a long time.
• When all else fails, humor is very useful.

One last thing that everyone should remember when signing yearbooks is to be tasteful. Do not write inappropriate comments or pictures in someone’s yearbook. That is not how you want to be remembered in the future. Also, be sure to sign someone’s yearbook where they want you to sign it. Although it may seem trivial some, people are very picky about this.

So, when signing a yearbook, be sure to say something meaningful and memorable. Don’t be gross and inappropriate, and be sure to stay true to yourself.

• Shrek Forever After – The final upcoming movie featuring the family-loved character’s from the movies. This movie supposedly switches up everything that has happened in the past movies, so this is a must-see.
• The Karate Kid – This remake of everyone’s favorite classic is going to be the movie to see this summer. Featuring Will Smith’s son, Jaden Smith, and Jackie Chan, this movie will hopefully stand up to the older version.
• Eclipse – The new Twilight movie. Most people are going to want to see this, mostly because the trailer seems to have to do with werewolves killing vampires. Either way, most people during the break will see this movie.
• The Last Airbender – This movie, based on the cartoon, seems to be suited more for older teenagers. Based on the director, M. Night Shyamalan, this movie is going to have many twists, and anyone watching is going to be in for a surprise.

These movies are just some out of almost 50 movies that are going to be opening this summer. If anyone is bored and looking do something, just search for when a couple of these movies are going to be opening, and you’l be in for a treat.

This problem and form of bullying is known as cyber bullying. Cyber bullying has been on the rise because of the ease of signing up for these free services. Social networking sites have also contributed to this trend. Myspace and Facebook give these cyber bullies an easier time to victimize people because on these profiles people release information about interest and hobbies. It is very simple to create a Myspace or a Facebook account and it is also simple to conceal your identity or make a false profile.

The most recently created social networking  website that is gaining popularity is Formspring. Formspring allows you to create a web page on which other users ask questions about you. The concept is very simple and to ask a question you do not have to be a registered user. Registered users posting questions can also choose to remain anonymous when posting. This opens up a whole new frontier for cyber bullying. Formspring users are becoming easy targets for cyber bullying because of the concept behind Formspring. Users answer questions asked by others about themselves to reveal information, interest, and hobbies. This idea and mindset leaves users vulnerable to malicious questions and comments because Formspring is based on the user hoping that others are showing interest in themselves.

Many of these confrontations and attacks from cyber bullies can be prevented. Many social networking and instant messaging services provide security options for the user to alter their privacy settings on their profiles and limit the information viewed that they have published on the internet. Formspring has an option to block anonymous posts on their page. Just investigating these simple measures can prevent you from becoming a victim of harassment and prevent cyber bullying in the future.

North got three runs in the third inning to erase a 2-0 deficit. Two runs were scored on an error, and Will Bates singled in the third. After Chapel Hill tied the game in the fourth inning, the Bulldogs scored a run on a Nick Jones sacrifice fly in the fourth, and added another run on a sacrifice fly by Cole Willoughby in the fifth inning.

Chapel Hill rallied to tie the game in the sixth inning against Bulldog starter Will Bates. Bates was relieved by Daniel Szathmary, who was able to keep the game tied at 5-5.

In the bottom of the sixth inning (North was the home team), an error put runners at second and third base with one out. Luke Tindol scored on a wild pitch to give North a 6-5 lead, and Chad White added some insurance with a two-single to make the score 7-5. White then went out and worked a scoreless seventh inning to earn his first save of the season. Szathmary was the winning pitcher. Coty Nash and Will Bates each had three hits for the night.

The Bulldogs (21-12) will travel to Harrison High School (25-8) on May 24, for game #1 and #2 of the GHSA AAAAA State Semi-Finals. Game #1 begins at 5:00 with game #2 beginning 30 minutes after. Game #3 (if necessary) will be played May 25 at 5:00. Make plans to come support the Bulldogs!

The defense limited Northview to one shot on goal. Additionally, with the shut-out, the 2010 team set the record for most shutouts in a single season, and Danielle Au set the school record for number of goals scored in a season.

Congratulations to Coach Karen, his staff and all the players for an amazing season. Coach Karen and much of his staff won their second State Championship of the 2009-2010 school year (his girls cross country team won state as well) making this a truly magical year at North Gwinnett High School.

The most stressful week of this semester was the week of performance finals, because on top of p-finals, we had scheduled tests and quizzes. That week was exponentially stressful. From there we’ve been coasting through school. Even the week of EOCTs was a waste of our natural-born life. What can you do in a class for two hours, besides watch a movie or sleep? Some of us made it a point to go to bed late because we knew we would have two extra hours to sleep in class. Many students didn’t even come to school, taking whole days off, especially if they had lunch on those specific days. Why waste our time? We can sleep and watch movies in the comfort of our own homes.

This week is Senior Week for the top dogs, and what are we doing? Nothing! In every class, everyday, students are watching movies and completing the occasional busy work. Teachers prolong the school year because they have to, not because it is necessary.

We’re tired, we’re beat and we have senioritis… why must we waste our time sitting and staring at the clock for the day to end? This final full week of school will continue to drag on due to the emptiness of our agendas. A suggestion: hang out with as many friends as possible and stay busy with fun. We might as well start getting into summer mode. However, don’t fully neglect studying for finals.

Using a Weak Password
Avoid using simple word passwords, even if they have numbers on the end. Instead, use a variety of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. To be extra safe, your password should have at least eight characters.

Leaving Your Full Birth Date on Your Profile
Using your full birth date could be a major target for identity thieves. They could use your birth date to obtain more information about you and potentially gain access to a bank or credit card account, so make sure to only show the month and day of your birthday.

Overlooking Useful Privacy Controls
The beauty of Facebook is the privacy control. As a precaution, you should restrict access to photos, birth date, religious views, family information and other important information to only certain people. Also, it might be best to leave out contact information such as phone numbers and addresses.

Mentioning That You’ll Be Away From Home
Avoid posting on your status that the family is going on vacation. Also, make sure to never post the dates of the vacation. Instead, wait until you get home from the trip to update your status on how awesome the trip may have been to avoid potential house break-ins.

Letting Search Engines Find You
In order to avoid strangers accessing your profile or potentially stalking you, make sure to change the privacy controls so that only your friends can view important profile information.

1. MYTH: Clean is better.
Germs help your immune system become more strong and resistant so there’s no need to be cleaning constantly. However, experts do say that there are some general guidelines that should be followed. For example, try to vacuum once or twice a week with a model that has a HEPA filter. The filter will trap pollen particles inside the vacuum instead of releasing them back into the house. Also make sure to leave your shoes at the door to avoid bringing allergens into your room. Wash bedding once a week in hot water and try to shower at the end of the day since it’ll cut down on the pollen particles brought into bed.

2. MYTH:You don’t have to take medication until you experience the symptoms.
Most allergy medicines work best if you take them before the symptoms kick in. When you come in contact with allergens such as pollen, grasses or weeds, the cells in the respiratory tract release chemicals such as histamine and leukotrienes that trigger most allergy symptoms. If you already have a drug in your body, then you’ll prevent the chemicals from triggering that allergic reaction.

3. MYTH: Allergy shots are only for kids.
Allergy shots are a mixture of small amounts of various allergens that people can react to. The theory behind allergy shots is that by exposing yourself to allergies gradually, you’ll develop a tolerance to the allergens. When you come across them naturally, you won’t have any allergic reactions. Therefore, shots can work at any age.

4. MYTH: If you didn’t have allergies as a kid, you won’t as an adult.
Adults tend to diagnose their itchy throat and sneezing as a cold if they believe in this particular myth. Although allergies usually develop before age 30, it is very common for people to get them later in life. Some people’s allergies go away at a young age but then appear later on in life as well.

5. MYTH: An allergy to one element means you will react only to that one element.
Certain allergies can make you prone to developing others. For example, those who are sensitive to specific pollens can react to plant-based foods and beverages with similar proteins. Let’s say that you’re allergic to ragweed. The allergic symptoms caused by ragweed could also be triggered by an exposure to cantaloupe, bananas, cucumber, zucchini, sunflower seeds or chamomile tea.