The San Saba County Stock Show will be Friday, January 20th. There will be an early release at 12:55 on Thursday, January 19, 2012, with no school on the 20th. Everyone is invited to the Youth Fair at the Civic Center to view student academic entries in this year’s event. The Buyers Club is seeking donations to help benefit stock show student participants at the annual sale. Please contact Gerald McKee if you are interested in donating monies to the Buyers Club.One Act Play director Patsy Hall has chosen Steel Magnolias for the 2012 competition. Cast members include Brooke Vaughn, DeAnna Grady, Melanie Hedley, Katelynn Teel, Sara Hedley, and Brooklyn McGinty.The Lady Coyotes basketball team is 9-10 on the season and 0-6 in district play. The varsity boys are 1-4 on the season and 1-4 in district play. Both teams played Eden at Eden gym on Jan. 17th at 6:30 p.m. Both varsity teams are open on Jan. 20th and will not play. The junior high teams hosted Rochelle junior high at Richland Springs gym this past Monday. The Lady junior high Coyotes are coached by Candi Lewis. Student athletes are Robbi Bennett, Adrienne Benson, Courtney Grady, Paige Sloan, Jordan Gossett, Brittany Bush, Bralei Lewis, and Antonia Valdez. The boys’ junior high team is coached by Jerry Burkhart. Student athletes are Reid Blodgett, Jordan Burkhart, Brice Davis, Hutton Lusty, Michael McElvaine, Brandon Tharp, Brandon Ferguson, Justin Hallmark, Jeremy Martin, Cody Pardy, Jonathan Salinas, Peyton Sloan, Jacob Coleman, and Bryan Salinas. Come to the games and watch the action. Many seniors are currently making plans for college or work after graduation. Here is some food for thought. Studies show that foregoing postsecondary training and education can mean a tremendous loss of income over a life-time. A student who earns an associate degree, for example, will earn an average of $340,000 more over a working lifetime than someone with just a high school diploma — and nearly $600,000 more than a worker with no diploma. Four years of college is not for everyone. More parents and students need to be aware of all postsecondary educational options, including career and technical education (CTE), and the availability of financial assistance. The number of jobs requiring technical training, certifications or associate degrees is outpacing the number of people available to fill them despite the fact that many pay above-average salaries. Many high-paying and rapidly growing professions in Texas are open to persons with technical training. Texas has a number of community and technical colleges that can offer our children affordable, state-of-the-art training for jobs with a future after just one or two years. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that about 80 percent of the fastest-growing job categories in the near future will require some post-secondary training, but not a bachelor’s degree. Employers in and near the cities of Corpus Christi, Port Arthur, Beaumont and Texas City report that they cannot find enough welders. One large petrochemical company representative said that they have needed more welders than they can hire for the past two years. Post-secondary education, whether at a two-year technical school or a four-year college, will give you more opportunities in Texas’ future workforce.We have a great community, students, teachers and staff. It looks to be a great year at Richland Springs.Community Involvement is the Key to Our Success.