Larry Highbaugh was born on January 14, 1950 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Larry is best remembered for his blazing speed on kick returns. Highbaugh attended the University of Indiana and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1971, and began his CFL career in 1971 as a defensive back for the B.C. Lions. He played 22 games with the Lions and signed with the Edmonton Eskimos part way through the 1972 season

Larry is currently a teacher at South Gwinnett High School.

Kyle Maynard was born March 24, 1986 with a condition known as congenital amputation. His parents, Scott and Anita, had no idea their firstborn son would be born with a disability, but they made a critical decision early on to drive him to be as independent as possible — beginning what Kyle calls his “pursuit of normalcy.” And consequently, with basically two elbows he can type up to fifty words per minute on a normal keyboard, eat and write without any adaptations, drive a vehicle that has little modification, and live on his own in a three-story townhouse in Atlanta, GA.

An all-around athlete at Brookwood, Andrew Hackney was a four-year letterwinner in track and field, a two-year letterwinner in football and earned one letter in wrestling. As a senior, he finished seventh overall in the weight throw (66-04.75) and 20th in the shot put(50-04) at the Nike Indoor Nationals, was 10th in the hammer (185-01) and 18th in the discus (157-04) at the Nike Outdoor Nationals and was 10th overall in the hammer (169-00) at the Junior Nationals ... As a prep junior, he earned ninth in the weight throw (57-04.75) at the Nike Indoor Nationals and was ninth in the hammer (164-11) at the Adidas Outdoor Nationals.

Jeff Backus (born September 21, 1977) and attended Norcross High School. He was a standout in football and baseball. He spent his freshman year at Marist School in Dunwoody before returning to Norcross, where he played his middle school years. In football, as a senior, he was a USA Today All-America selection, and was chosen by the Gwinnett Touchdown Club as the Gwinnett Touchdown Club's Lineman of the Year.

Lanter was born in Massillon, Stark County, Ohio, the son of Joseph "Joe" Lanter and Jana "Jan" Burson. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1991 at age 8. Lanter graduated from Collins Hill High School in 2001. He played baseball, football, basketball, gymnastics and golf and was a batboy for the Atlanta Braves. He attended University of Georgia, majoring in sports business, but an interest in the film and television industry created a strong desire to pursue acting instead.

Brandon Coutu, born September 29, 1984, and graduated from Parkview HS. He is an American football placekicker who is currently a member of the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia. He has also been a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills.

David Bruckner is an American independent film and commercial director. He’s best known for writing and directing the first Transmission of “The Signal,” a collaborative science fiction tale that premiered at Sundance and was released theatrically by Magnolia Pictures in 2008. Originally produced for under 50,000 dollars, the film was nominated for the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award for achievements in Independent Film under 500,000 dollars.

Parham was born in Fitzpatrick Alabama, she also attended high school at Parkview High School. Parham attended college at the University of Evansville, graduating with a B.S. Degree in Theatre. Following college, she taught French for two years at T.L. Weston High School in Greenville, Mississippi as part of the Teach for America program. Lennon resides in LA with her husband who has become a high school principal in the area.

Charles Cobb Blackmon (born July 1, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball. Blackmon grew up as a fan for the Atlanta Braves and was an outstanding baseball player at North Gwinnett High School. He earned a baseball scholarship to Georgia Tech.

David M. Pollack (born June 19, 1982) is a former American college and professional football linebacker who played for just over one season in the National Football League (NFL), having suffered a career-ending injury in the second game of his second season. He played college football for the University of Georgia, was a three-time All-American, and was recognized as the top college defensive player in the nation. He was a first-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals. Pollack was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He attended Shiloh High School in Snellville, Georgia, and was a star in football, basketball and wrestling. In football, as a senior, he was a Class 5A all-state selection and the Atlanta Touchdown Club named him the Defensive Lineman of the Year.

Lance Krall (born December 9, 1970 in Monterey, California) is a Vietnamese-American comedian and actor, television writer, director, and producer. He became well known after his portrayal as "Kip" in the role in faux-reality show The Joe Schmo Show. He went on to create and star in The Lance Krall Show and Free Radio. Because his father, John Krall, was a Naval aviator, and his mother Yung Krall, was a spy for the CIA, Lance spent most of his life moving from country to country and state to state. Government and military life shuffled Lance and his family to California, Hawaii, Saigon, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Washington DC and New Mexico. Lance's family finally retired from government life in 1983 and settled in Georgia. Lance attended Shiloh High School and Georgia State University.

Holt was born on born June 7, 1985 in Norcross, Georgia. She is the daughter of Cassandra Holt. Holt is joined by her two brothers, Cortez and DeMarkus Dennis. Holt attended Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, Georgia. Holt averaged 19.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a senior while leading the Lady Mustangs to a 20–7 record. Holt was a first-team All-State performer as a junior when she led Meadowcreek to a 24–6 record and a runner-up finish in the 2002 Class AAAAA State Tournament.

James Dashner is an award-winning author of books for young adult readers who is a native of Georgia now living in the Rocky Mountains of Utah. In 2010, his novel "The Maze Runner" was chosen for inclusion on the Georgia Center for the Book's list of "25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read."

While attending Georgia Southern University, Joiner was discovered in Atlanta and became a model. He then spent the next few years steadily working in Milan, Paris and South America landing exclusive campaigns for Abercrombie & Fitch, Prada, American Eagle and Levi's, just to name a few.

Named to SEC Academic Honor Roll ... Became just the 62nd American and fifth UT athlete to eclipse the 8,000-point barrier in the decathlon while winning his fourth consecutive SEC multi-events crown (May 15-16) ... His 8,010-point performance at the SEC Outdoor Championships broke Auburn's Hutsell-Rosen Track record and included a collegiate-record run of 13.70, the second-fastest time by an American, in the decathlon 110 hurdles, in addition to school-record marks of 10.58 in the decathlon 100 and 53-6 1/2 in the decathlon shot put.

One of the premier 800-meter runners to wear the purple and gold ... Wrapped up her career ranked No. 6 indoors (2:05.50) and No. 9 outdoors (2:03.68) on LSU's all-time performance list in the 800 meters ... Was an All-America performer in the 800 meters during her sophomore season in 2009 ... Earned a sixth-place finish in the 800-meter final at the 2009 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. ... Also earned two All-America honors as a member of LSU's 4x400-meter relay team outdoors in 2009 and 2010 ... A member of five SEC Championship teams with the Lady Tigers, including three SEC Outdoor titles (2008, 2010, 2011) and two SEC Indoor titles (2008, 2011) ... Also a member of LSU's national championship team in 2008 that took home the NCAA Outdoor crown in Des Moines, Iowa

Ferrin was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She attended Brookwood High where she was the lead in many high school plays and was a member of the choir. Upon her graduation from high school, Ferrin attended the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina and the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama.

Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Keppinger (born April 21, 1980 in Miami, Florida) is an American professional baseball infielder with the Tampa Bay Rays. He bats and throws right-handed. Known as a contact hitter, Keppinger has one of the lowest strikeout rates in Major League Baseball. He led the league in the "at-bats-to-strikeouts" ratio in 2008 (19.1) and 2010 (14.3). For his career (through 2011), he has only 142 strikeouts in 2,074 at-bats.

Jeffrey Braden Francoeur was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 8, 1984. Both of his parents, Karen and Dave, worked in the education field. Jeff attended his first Braves game in 1986. Jeff loved baseball, but it wasn't his only passion. He was one of those kids who was good at every sport he played. Blessed with the build of a linebacker, Jeff also possessed the speed of a sprinter and the quickness of a point guard. There was never much of a question about what he would end up doing for a living; it was just a matter of which sport he would choose.

Atlanta Braves (2005–2009)

New York Mets (2009–2010)

Texas Rangers (2010)
Kansas City Royals (2011–present

On December 8, 2010, Francoeur signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals worth $2.5 Million and includes a mutual option for the 2012 season.

On August 18, 2011, Francoeur agreed to a two-year extension with the Royals worth $13.5 million.

Curran attended Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia, where he participated in multiple sports, including wrestling and track. However, it was on the Broncos’ football field where he became a player to watch.

Curran started for the varsity football team as a sophomore, playing both linebacker and fullback. While attending a football camp in Atlanta, he met former Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowl linebacker Jessie Tuggle. Tuggle played an important role in Curran’s development as a linebacker, and continues to serve as one of his mentors.

Brad Lester is the founder of the training facility Athletes Elite Performance in Suwanee and Lilburn, but made his name in Gwinnett County as a standout running back at Parkview.

#Lester played at Auburn and has spent time in both the NFL and CFL over the past few years. In this installment of "Getting to Know...," staff writer Ben Beitzel talks with Lester about starting his training business, his days at Auburn and Parkview and the difficulties of breaking into the NFL.

Conway holds the Penn State University record for 119 consecutive extra points, bounced around the NFL, playing for six teams after being drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1997.

The owners are two laidback Shiloh HS alum brothers from Snellville -- one a former prosecutor, the other a corporate data cruncher. Together they have revolutionized Atlanta's frozen treat business and helped spearhead the city's food truck movement.

The Collins Hill grad, four-time Connecticut All-American and WNBA star is a gold-medal favorite with the powerful Americans’ women’s basketball team.

Johnson, a North Gwinnett product who trains in Canada, is the best U.S. hope in the hammer throw after taking first at U.S. Olympic Trials.

The SwimAtlanta standout, who won two Olympic silver medals fresh off her Brookwood graduation in 2004, will swim relays for the Americans this year.

Sept. 2012 Taylor Heinicke topped himself.

The Old Dominion quarterback and Collins Hill grad, who threw seven touchdown passes in a blowout victory against Campbell last week, made that look like no big deal with an encore performance that earned him a place in college football history.

Heinicke threw for a NCAA Division I record 730 yards on Saturday, leading the highly ranked Monarchs back from a 23-point deficit midway through the third quarter to a 64-61 victory against New Hampshire in Norfolk, Va

Aminu, a Norcross grad and forward for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets, was born in the U.S. but will participate in the first-ever Olympic basketball appearance of Nigeria, where his parents were born.

Douglas "Clay" Cook (born April 20, 1978) is a songwriter, producer and musician who co-wrote several songs with Grammy-winner John Mayer including "No Such Thing", "Comfortable", and "Neon". Cook and Mayer's songwriting partnership was predominantly through Mayer's early career, as the songs he wrote with Mayer (with the exception of live releases) only appear on Mayer's first two releases, Inside Wants Out and Room for Squares. Cook and Mayer formed the band Lo-Fi Masters prior to Mayer recording Inside Wants Out. Cook is currently in the Zac Brown Band and was formerly in the Marshall Tucker Band and Y-O-U.

Born May 22, 1969, is an American character actor, best known for his roles in films such as Changeling, Dawn Of The Dead, Law Abiding Citizen, The Adjustment Bureau and Chronicle, the TV miniseries Generation Kill, and his starring role in the Criminal Minds spin-off series Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.

The duo, owners of the production company Life is My Movie Entertainment, have produced a number of feature-length documentary films that offer an in-depth look at U.S. systems and history.

Capt. Daniel Luckett, won the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Awards program, honoring officers who demonstrate the MacArthur ideals of “duty, honor, country.”
A 2002 graduate of Norcross High, Luckett graduated from Auburn University, where he received his ROTC commission as an officer. He served a tour of duty in Iraq, where on May 11, 2008; Luckett was wounded when his patrol came under attack in Baghdad. On that day, he would become a double amputee (lower left leg and half of right foot) but his drive to lead soldiers only grew stronger. He returned to unit in March, 2009, to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell, Ky.
Since returning to the Strike Brigade in February 2009, Luckett has taken on a great deal of responsibility, where he served as the executive officer for his company and for more than a year has helped prepare his company for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. He and his unit left for Afghanistan in May.

Standout Crimson Tide defensive lineman Lorenzo Washington, #97 in photo, signed with the Dallas Cowboys in April 2010. Washington graduated high school early and is called a football “smart player” by NFL recruiting sites.

Clemson tight end Michael Palmer was signed as a college free agent by the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, April 25, 2010. Palmer, 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, started all 13 games last season and caught 43 passes for 507 yards and four touchdowns.

Nominated to the newly established Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame, Georgia Tech’s all-ACC first team, 1995 inductee GA Tech Hall of Fame, second in Tech history with 508 career assists averaged 19.2 points per game and 7.1 assists as a senior in 1989.

Nominated to the newly established Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame, Matt is an All-American offensive tackle for UGA 1997-1998, 1998 William V. Campbell Winner as the top member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete, first round pick of Oakland Raiders, 2003 Super Bowl, ESPN Studio analyst, and 2010 Nominee College Hall of Fame.

Nominated to the newly established Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame, Terry was a standout at Dacula. He finished his high school career with 7,100 total yards and 82 TDs, was among the top passers in NC State history with 5,925 yards and three bowl games to his credit, also a two sport star while at NC State, named to ACC’s 50th Anniversary baseball team.

The newest cast member of NBC’s Days of Our Lives based in NYC, Norcross native Chandler Massey is remembered as the lead in many Norcross HS plays. Chandler arrived in LA to begin classes at UCLA in international business and was approached by an agent to consider reading for a key part. A multi year contract soon followed. www.daysofourlives.com,

Update: Massey received the 2012 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series.

A national standout at catcher with the Atlanta Braves, Brian bats left and throws right. At 6-foot-3 and 230lbs., Brian continues to heat up the sports pages.

In June 2009, Amy became a co-host and national correspondent on NBC's Today Show. A former Miss Gwinnett County and 4th runner-up to Miss Georgia in 1994, Amy headed to UGA where she majored in journalism and began broadcasting in Athens. After graduation she spent four years at WCBD-TV in Charleston as a reporter and then headed for Washington, DC, where she was the early morning and noon anchor for WTTG-TV and covered stories such as the aftermath of 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Amy earned local kudos by returning to Brookwood HS 2010 to film a special segment from the halls of her alma mater.

Having signed with IMG, one of the largest entertainment management companies in the nation, Dallas is now considered among the top male models in the world. Based out of NYC, Dallas travels the world and can be seen in countless publications.

While at Berkmar High School, Steve Whitmire swore to his classmates that he would one day be Kermit the Frog. In 1993, he joined the Sesame Street cast and that dream came true. Steve considers the Muppets Christmas Carol to be his first real production as Kermit. A list of impressive credits and awards can be found on the Muppet Wiki website as Steve continues to be the voice of Kermit heard in homes throughout the world.

University of Georgia punter Drew Butler earned First Team All-America, All-SEC First Team, ESPN Magazine Academic All-District Team, and received a team Most Valuable Special Team Player award. He appeared in 2009 in all 13 games punting 56 times with a national-best 48.1 yards per punt. He is on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll and was a Recipient of William C. Hartman, Jr., Scholarship.

A football standout at Central Gwinnett HS and all ACC linebacker at GA Tech (and inducted into the GA Tech Hall of Fame), Ted began his coaching career as a defensive back coach at Alabama, advancing throughout his career to a number of strong schools, among them Duke University. In 2009 Roof was named defensive coordinator for Auburn University.Update: Ted Roof was named new defensive coordinator at Penn State in Jan. 2012.

In the metro Atlanta area, Gwinnett residents can see this smooth-talking hometown weatherman on WSB-TV. Having won his third Emmy, David is considered the region’s top weatherman.

A standout at South Gwinnett, Louis was a four time All-State designee and frequently profiled on ESPN while at the high school level. Louis is currently making news with the Atlanta Hawks, having signed professionally with the NBA out of high school.

University of Richmond Point Guard Kevin Anderson was named Second-Team Atlantic 10 All-Conference, two-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, and the fourth Spider sophomore to reach 800 points. He finished the season with 930 points, leading the team, and was seventh in the Atlantic 10 scoring at 16.6 points per game. He led the Spiders to a Top 25 National ranking with their best regular season in years, winning 26 games. Candidate for the Atlantic Ten Conference Player of the Year and led the team in scoring, assists, and steals. Named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and selected to the league's All-Rookie Team and named Virginia Collegiate Rookie of the Year by the Virginia Sports Information Directors. Kevin has declared for the NBA draft in the spring of 2010.

Jason Elam, retiring in 2010 from the Denver Broncos, also having played for the Atlanta Falcons, is remembered for among other things, making the longest field goal in NFL history. Elam was also named to the Pro Bowl three times and earned two super bowl rings. In retirement, he will continue to write novels and work in the ministry from his home in Anchorage, Alaska.

The 2007 Duluth grad is a member of Ivy Insiders, a college test prep initiatives funded at Harvard in 2003 and run by Ivy League undergraduates. Gwinnett students were the lucky recipients of his knowledge as he has returned to the district in 2009 to prepare another GCPS generation to best the SAT and ACT.

Captain Daniel Hwang graduated in the top 3 percent of his class from the United States Military Academy at West Point having served as Battalion Commander of the corp while on campus. His work at West Point and in the military earned him the rank of captain for Charlie Company while serving in Samarra, Iraq. With deep ties to Gwinnett, Captain Hwang reached out to his home community for help in providing learning materials for children. Over 520 boxes of educational supplies were shipped in 2010 from Gwinnett to re-establish schools in Iraq thanks to Captain Hwang’s efforts.

A standout at Middle Tennessee State University and two times All-American, Kodak All-American, Amber was drafted in the first round to the WNBA and currently plays for the Tulsa Shocks.

A basketball standout as a South Carolina Gamecock, Jocelyn continues to hold the SEC and USC record for number of steals, 353. Named to the US Basketball Writers Assoc. All-American Team, Jocylyn was the first woman in the NCAA in 13 yrs to score two 50+ point performances during a career.

A member of the 2008 Beijing US Olympic team, this swimmer shattered the American record twice in the 200 breaststroke twice in the national U.S. Championships. Diagnosed with testicular cancer just months for Olympic competition, Shanteau delayed treatment and went on to represent the US. Over his career, Shanteau has earned 11 All-American Honors and four NCAA championships, not to mention four team state titles while at Parkview.

University of Missouri Outfielder Rhea Taylor earned All-Midwest Region First Team, All-Big 12 Tournament Team, All-Big 12 First Team, and Big 12 Player of the Week. Notching a squad best .404 batting average in 51 starts and 52 appearances, Rhea Taylor's mark stood third best in the Big 12 Conference and 47th in the nation. In Big 12 games alone, Taylor hit .354. Missouri's starting centerfielder, Taylor led the conference in stolen bases (36), ranked 10th best in the country, and was second in hits (72), triples (three) and runs scored (54). Additionally, her 1.04 runs per game stood 15th best in the nation. Over the course of the year, Taylor managed a squad best 21 multi-hit games and recorded the longest Tiger hitting streak, 15 games, from April 19-May 24.

Auditioning as the youngest American Idol contestant at age 16, DeGarmo became nationally known for her powerful voice and charming stage presence. Never shy to give positive praise to Gwinnett or Shiloh HS in interviews, Diana signed with RCA, traveled with American Idol productions, and later performed in theatre and off Broadway productions. DeGarmo continues to work in the entertainment field.

Greene played quarterback at the University of Georgia in college. He began his career as a redshirt freshman in 2001, being named the starter before the season. His most notable freshman game occurred at #5 Tennessee, known as the "hobnail boot" game. This phrase was coined by Georgia's famous play-by-play announcer Larry Munson. Greene finished his college career as the winningest quarterback in NCAA Division I history with 42 wins in four years, eclipsing the record previously held by Peyton Manning.

Author of young adult novels, his first novel How To Get Suspended and Influence was nominated for a Cybils 2007 Young Adult Fiction award.

Actor and screenwriter, Matheny plays opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in the Clint Eastwood film J. Edgar playing J. Edgar Hoover‘s phyAcsician,Dr. Ferguson.

Eric starred opposite Pauly Perrette in a recurring role on the Fox’s Jennifer Love Hewitt series Time of Your Life, playing Pauly’s love interest.

Matheny has guest starred on numerous prime time hit shows including CSI, Without a Trace, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Major league baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals 2010 – Present.

Woods is currently performing in the National Tour of the Tony Award winning Broadway hit, Wicked.

Peachtree Ridge High School tied for the Georgia Class 5A State Championship his first year. Heyward totaled over 100 tackles and 16 sacks as a Senior. He was considered the 7th best football player in Georgia, and the 13th best defensive tackle in the nation by Scout.com. He benched 335 pounds and squatted 510 pounds, and was considered a scholar athlete at Peachtree Ridge High School with a GPA of 3.2.

As a true freshman in 2007, Heyward was named a freshman All-American by Sporting News, Rivals.com and Scout.com after recording 30 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 passes broken up. The Ohio State Buckeyes went to the BCS National Championships with Heyward as a freshman, losing to Louisiana State University 38 to 24.

On July 29, 2011, Heyward signed a four-year deal with an option of a fifth year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He wore number 95 throughout the preseason before switching to 97 prior to opening day.

A published artist and an award-winning, published poet, she continues to evolve as a true renaissance woman. She is regularly included in The Reach of Song, a yearly anthology of poetry published through the Georgia Poetry Society. The most recent publication is now available through Amazon.com. She is currently working on a collection of poetry describing life in the lowcountry of the Southeastern United States.

Roscoe Dash released a song All the Way Turnt Up! was originally recorded with Travis Porter, and released on their mixtape I’m a Differenter. Dash was only credited as a featured artist. According to Travis Porter, this was just a mistake.

Later, he recorded the song again, featuring Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em. The song turned into a club hit, and Roscoe Dash signed with Interscope. He then recorded the album Ready Set Go, but in his opinion, the album was released unfinished. So, it currently has no release date after a couple pushbacks. He therefore refers to the following EP J.U.I.C.E. as his first album.[10]

In 2012 Dash was featured on the cover of XXL as part of their annual “Top 10 Freshmen list” along with fellow rappers French Montana, Kid Ink, Machine Gun Kelly, Hopsin, Iggy Azalea and Danny Brown

Nile (2005–2007) - touring bassist and backing vocalist

Divine Heresy - bassist

Lust of Decay - bassist

A Sudden Fear - lead guitarist

Domination Through Impurity - vocalist, lead guitarist

Pain After Death - lead guitarist

Strains - rap and rhymes

As You Wish, was published in Fall 2009 by HarperCollins under the HarperTeen imprint.

Sisters Red is the second novel by Jackson Pearce and the first in a series of fairy tale.

Fathomless is the third book in the fairy tale-inspired series by Jackson Pearce.

Cold Spell is the fourth book in the fairy tale-inspired series by Jackson Pearce. It is due to be published by Little, Brown and Company in some date November 2013 (according to the stickers on ARC copies).

Purity is a contemporary novel about a girl trying to lose her virginity before her purity ball. It was released by Little, Brown and Company on April 24, 2012.

Tsarina is Jackson's first book to be published under a pen-name. In the midst of the Russian Revolution, a young noble girl must find a powerful, mystical Faberge egg in order to save Russia– and the life of Alexei Romanov. It is due to be published by Razorbill in Winter 2014.