Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 6 (December 2009). Deck the Halls By Nat (Strider) The holiday season is here! People are scrambling to string up their lights and finish their shopping, while fruit cakes and cookies bake in the oven. The tree may be up, coated and glistening with trinkets and tinsel, but how do you dress up the rest of the house? These are some fun and easy ways to deck the halls in your home. Wreaths

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 5 (November 2009). Top 10 Things to do When You're Bored by Mel Are you bored? If you are and don’t know what to do, this top 10 list is for you! Here are some things you can do in your spare time to make time fly by: 1) Go out! When there's nothing else to do, there's nothing better than getting in a little extra activity. So go for a walk, go for a run, visit your favorite coffee shop, meet up with some friends or do anything your heart...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 5 (November 2009). Recycling: Saving our planet one can at a time by Jessie and Mel We’ve all heard the phrase “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” Being green is in, but more than just popular, it’s the right thing to do. Protecting our environment and our earth’s limited resources is more important than ever. Once you get the hang of it, taking care of our planet is easy, too. Disposing of waste and recycling. Loose, dry papers (magazines,...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 5 (November 2009). Saving the Homeless Youth by Maria (Gidig) Each year, approximately 1-1.5 million youth suffer from homelessness (National Alliance to End Homelessness). Teenagers and children end up living on the street, by themselves, in unsafe conditions.This is a pressing social issue, and it is not okay to let our youth continue to live like this. Unfortunately, we currently do not have the resources to save everyone from living...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 4 (October 2009). More than a Name or a Face in the Crowd by Sabrina (Canuck) As young people in today’s society, we have a lot of opportunities available to us that we aren’t necessarily always aware of. It’s so important to realize that we have so much potential, but we won’t be able to live up to said potential if we don’t try. You must understand that giving up is not an option, no matter how difficult the task may seem. Perseverance and...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 4 (October 2009). Making It Happen: How to volunteer in your community by Nat (Strider) What do you do with your night off? Sure there are video games, movies, and other things that incorporate you lazing around the house for a few hours, but that time could really be spent getting out, getting active, and helping someone in need. Maybe you’ve thought about volunteering, or maybe you’ve done it before. Either way, this is your chance to step...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 2, Issue 12 (June 2009). Cheap Getaways for Tough Economic Times By Jessie Although “vacation” probably brings tropical beaches and ski resorts to mind, during these tough economic times we may not have the luxury of taking off for our ideal destination. That doesn’t mean your summer has to be stale! Most people are completely unaware of the multitude of attractions and vacation destinations just hours away, or even right down the road. For day...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 2, Issue 11 (May 2009). The Art of Organization By Strider (Nat) When teens talk about organization it either sounds like a fatal disease or a goal that is so far out of the spectrum of possibility that it will never be reached. Some teens proudly exclaim, “I am organized!” as though labeling boxes and drawers has the same significance as finishing first in a marathon. Others use the ‘kick-things-in-a-pile-and-hope-they-never-need-to-find-them-again’...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 1, Issue 9 (February 2008). Valentine's Day Gift Ideas by .Infinity. (Mel) That time of the year is here again! With Valentine's Day just around the corner, gift ideas for your wonderful partner are probably rushing through your minds. What should you get for your partner, though? What will he or she like? What's over the top? These are just very few of the questions that you may be asking yourself at the moment. While sometimes dazzling expensive...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 1, Issue 7 (December 2007). Internet Safety by Gidig **This article consists only of guidelines; there may be other precautions that you could take. While taking all of these precautions does NOT guarantee you'll be completely safe, doing them would be a step in the right direction and can help a great deal in keeping you safe.** We have all heard about Internet safety time and time again. We hear it from our teachers, parents, schools and friends....