ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Prom tickets to the Robertsdale High Prom, which will be held April 14, are now on sale for $20. The formal event will take place at the Baldwin County Coliseum.

Tickets are now being sold in the RHS Library before and during school. For those who wish to save money it’s recommended that they purchase their tickets in advance; even if they don’t already have a date.

Should they wait; the price will go up to $30 and then $40 per ticket, which is double what they would have initially paid for two tickets.

Prom can be expensive as it is with the purchase of gowns, shoes and flowers, the rental of tuxedoes, dinning either before or after the prom, and paying their part for a ride in either a limo or a party bus.

Of course some guys spend the morning of prom washing, waxing and detailing their car or truck so that it looks and smells as if it just rolled off the showroom floor.

Members of the Robertsdale High Naval Jr. ROTC earned a number of trophies at a recent competition that featured the unit’s skills at physical training, shooting, and orienteering. The group traveled to Milton, Fla., for the P/T and BB shooting competition, and to Ft. McDowell for the orienteering portion.

The cadets are under the command of Cmdr. Gary Watkins and Master Chief Bob Dairy. The RHS unit had a streak of 10 consecutive state titles before finishing second for the past two years. The 2011-2012 unit is determined to get back to the school’s traditional first place ways.

This past week members of the RHS Honor Band spent the day at Trojan Hall on the campus of Daphne High learning music for a concert Tuesday evening. Being selected for this performance is quite an honor.

Those being selected from RHS, include: Kelsey Chambers, Victoria Clark, Kaleigh Gilreath, Pierson Gilreath,Josh Holley, Eric Mackey, Gage McKenzie, Randa Pope, James Presley, Alex Tedder, Shawn Tedder and George Williams.

Report cards were distributed on Friday, Jan. 13. For some that day and date might not be the luckiest to receive such news, but in all probability they already knew what was coming.

This Thursday night there will be an evening pep rally, which will be followed by an open house at the school.

On Jan. 27, the students will be released at noon; however the teachers will stay for professional development.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is now available online. You can go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to register, get a password and begin the application process.

Students will need their Social Security number, their parents’ numbers, their own driver’s license number, and the family’s 2011 federal tax information if a student is providing their parents’ information.

If a student’s family hasn’t filed their taxes, the student can still apply for FAFSA by estimating the family’s income. A full list of needed items can be found at the FAFSA site.

At least once a week Marsha Flint, the counselor for the senior class, makes an announcement about which students have received scholarships, or have been accepted into a particular college or university. There have been a number of students to receive such honors, with more to come as the various colleges and universities release such announcements.

While a community college or university education is a great thing, most people graduate knowing that they are at the bottom rung of the educational process. Often times what a degree does is show you how much more there is to lean within a student’s particular field.

One of the ways to get a decent job is to work at an internship while in school. Other ways are to take the time and learn a bit more about a particular subject, even if that means getting a Master’s degree.

Of course one of the best ways is to know someone who is in charge of the hiring process, as the two most important aspects a student can learn in college are how to network, so that you gain experience through an internship, as well as know someone in human resources at a company. In essence, who you know and how much experience you have are the two most important things a student can learn in college; with who you know being the most important.

For those who enjoy working with their hands, as well as gaining practical, common sense experience then a trade might fit the bill. Experience and even schools for various trades can be found in the armed forces. Once you have completed your time in the military you can then take advantage of the Montgomery GI Bill and go on to college. Veterans are far more mature than students who are fresh out of high school.

There are also a number of trade schools in the private sector that teach needed skills. Upon passing their course the student is then certified to work in that field.

As has been mentioned before, those students with trades often make as much, or even more than those with college degrees. A student with a trade can not only find work but can already be drawing a paycheck while their friends are still slugging away in college.

Students are advised to consider all of their options as they need to not only pursue areas where their talents lay, but consider whether or not they wake up in the morning wanting to go to work.

Looking at all their options helps a student develop a Plan A, as well as a B or C. If one plan doesn’t work out, then they have others to fall back on.