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BONNIE DOON ARENA FUNDING APPROVED
The City of Edmonton has approved 5 million dollars for the South Central/Bonnie Doon Arena Project. This arena could be located on the Vimy Campus and will be a twin rink facility replacing the Oliver and George S. Hughes arenas. Below is the release from the City of Edmonton: During the 2012-14 Capital Budget deliberations Council approved a $5.0 million contribution from the City toward the $17.5 million South Central/Bonnie Doon Arenas project. This project will contribute funds to design and construction of a new South Central Twin Arena that will replace two old single pad arenas (Oliver and George S Hughes) as outlined in the 10-Year Arena Capital Development Strategy. The City and partners are currently planning for construction of a twin arena facility to be located on the Bonnie Doon Campus Park located at 90 Avenue and 83 Street. In keeping with the principles in the Recreation Facility Master Plan, this facility will integrate with future plans to make Bonnie Doon Leisure Centre a fully integrated multi-purpose recreation facility. Recognizing the demand for indoor ice use and taking into account future arena development plans, the Edmonton public School Board, the Academic and Athletic Institute of Edmonton (AAD), Kinsmen Club of Edmonton, Hockey Canada, Clark Builders are proposing to partner in the development of a twin arena with the City of Edmonton. Partnership funding will be required and the City is anticipating a proposal from the partner group this fall. The total project is anticipated to cost $17.5 million, the City currently allocated $5 million to contribute, therefore in order to complete the project an additional $12.5 will be required. The partner funding amounts and the City's contributions will be updated once the proposal has been submitted. Partner funds will include the demolition of Idwylde School to allow for additional park space and the construction of the twin arena. This is a huge announcement for AAD, The Hockey Program and the citizens of Edmonton and Area. It is a major leap in the plans to initiate construction of a twin arena that could be steps away from Vimy Ridge Academy. Stay tuned for further updates on the Arena project. _________________________________________________ AAD STAFF PARTICIPATE IN MOVEMBER
Many Members of the AAD staff will be participating in "Movember" this year. Movember is an annual tradition that was started in Australia and New Zealand in 2004, where members grow moustaches in November in support of Men's Health issues, specifically Prostate Cancer Research. Since 2007, Movember was adopted in other countries, including Canada, where it has flourished and help the total money raised by Movember grow to 177 million dollars in 7 years. To donate to our team, please CLICK HERE. This is the main page for the AAD team. If you would like to donate to a specific member of the AAD team, click on their name on the right hand side of the page. Please leave comments on pages, as we struggle through the awkward beginning of the month and work extra hard to grow our moustaches . Help the AAD Movember team raise funds and awareness in support of Prostate Cancer Research. Another way to help the cause is to buy the Movember Under Armour Storm Hoody from the AAD store. 10 dollars from every purchase will go to the AAD Movember team fund. AND if you use the promo code "AAD2011" you will receive an 15% off of your purchase. To view the Hoody, CLICK HERE. Thank you for your support. _________________________________________________ November 2nd, 2011 ANOTHER THP STUDENT-ATHLETE TO REPRESENT CANADA
Peter Quenneville, Vimy Hockey student athlete and member of the Sherwood Park Crusaders Junior A hockey team, has been named to the roster of "Canada West" for the World Junior A Challenge, that will be held in Langley, BC from November 7-13th, 2011. Full roster can be found by clicking HERE. The World Junior A Challenge is an international hockey tournament that showcases the best players in the world at the Junior "A" level. The tournament is sponsored by Hockey Canada, the CJHL and the IIHF and was created in 2006 as a recruiting opportunity for the next level of hockey for the players involved. Quenneville , currently a Grade twelve student at Vimy Ridge, is the scoring leader in the AJHL with 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points in only 18 games played. Last year, Peter committed to Quinnipiac University, a rarity for a 16 year old player. The United States has won the tournament three years in a row, a streak that Quenneville and Canada West will strive to end as they open the tournament prelims against Sweden on November 8th. _________________________________________________ October 21st, 2011 AAD ONLINE STORE IS OPEN
We are excited to announce the opening of AAD's online store. The store is located at the following website: Through the store you will be able to purchase program shirts and shorts as well as other apparel that we have in stock. We have an abundance of Under Armour products available for sale. If you are uncertain about sizing you can always visit us at the AAD office at Vimy Ridge to check out sizes. You will need to see Paul Rai when you visit the office for sizing. Please keep checking the store as we continue to add inventory to the shop on a daily basis. To celebrate the opening of the store we are providing you with a 15% discount on all products. To get the 15% discount please use the following discount code AAD2011 when you in the checkout page of the online store. The discount code will be in effect for one month until November 20, 2011. For any questions about the store, please contact Paul Rai at paul.rai@epsb.ca _________________________________________________ September 14th, 2011 AAD PROGRAMS ARE BACK IN FULL SWING
Academic and Athletic Development programs are all back in full swing as we head into the fall. In Sport Recreation, there is new directors at both Donnan and Vimy, as Kerrie Locher has taken the reins at Donnan and Steve Armitage will be running Sport Recreation at Vimy Ridge. At the Lacrosse Program, students were treated to a field trip to watch the Minto Cup, the Junior Men's national championships, which were held in Calgary at the beginning of the month. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Program students,who make their home at Donnan School, were honored with a visit from Master Sylvio Behring, the driving force behind the Behring Jiu-Jitsu style that is taught by Professor Malin. And in the Hockey Program, students are working through their own tryouts, while THP instructors give them the tools and strategies to show their best and attain their goals for this season. All of the staff and students of AAD programs are excited for the the new year of school, and the opportunities for development that this year brings. _________________________________________________ June 27th, 2011 FIVE THP ATHLETES DRAFTED INTO THE NHL
On Friday June 24th and Saturday June 25th, at the NHL Entry Draft in St.Paul, Minnesota, five Vimy Ridge Academy Hockey student athlete and alumni were drafted by NHL clubs. In the first round, Mark McNeill was drafted 18th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. The 6'2 , 201 pound center played this year with the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL, and posted 32 goals and 49 assists for 81 points in 70GP this season. Mark is known as a strong two-way player, with the invaluable ability to be on the ice at the end of the game whether his team is trying to hold onto a lead or wrest it from their opponents. Team Canada valued this ability and he was named to the U18 World Championships this spring where he posted 6 points in 7 games.
The Staff and Students at Donnan and Vimy are extremely proud of these students, and wish them the best of luck as they work toward the dream of an NHL career. _________________________________________________ May 30th, 2011 BJJ PROGRAM SUMMER CAMPS
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Program will be running Summer camps over the break, which will be run by Professor Malin. The camps are designed to teach BJJ techniques for the purpose of Self-Defense, for male and female students aged 8-15. Sessions will be Monday to Friday August 1st-5th or August 8th-12th in the mornings for 8-12 year old students, and in the afternoon for 13-15 year old students. For more information on the camps, please view the brochure by clicking the image above, or by clicking HERE. _________________________________________________ April 21st, 2011 MR.ARMITAGE NAMED SPORT RECREATION PROGRAM HEAD
Scott Gillespie, the current Program Head for Sport Recreation, has announced that he will be making the transition to eastern Canada next year, leaving a vacancy at the position after helping the program experience drastic growth in numbers over the last few years. Stephen is a 2007 graduate of the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Physical Education specializing in Sports Performance, and started his career at AAD as a practicum student in the fall of 2006, before coming on full time at the beginning of the 2007 school year. Stephen also holds certificates in health and sports nutrition and athletic first aid from the Sports Medical Council of Alberta and is designated as a Certified Personal Trainer by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. Mr. Armitage will transition to the role at the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year. Please join all AAD staff and student athletes in congratulating Mr. Armitage on this achievement and wishing him luck in the future at his new post. _________________________________________________ February 3rd, 2011 AAD ONLINE REGISTRATION IS NOW LIVE! As of this morning, you can register for any AAD program using our new online registration page located HERE. Using this page, you can register a student for any AAD program, and when accepted you can use this site to make or modify your payments as well as update your personal contact information. Please note that as well as registering for your AAD program, you must register with the school by filling out the application documents located HERE. _________________________________________________ February 2nd, 2011 AAD GOLF TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCED
The event will be hosted on May 28th, 2011 at the Ranch Golf and Country club starting at 2:15. The AAD 1st Annual Golf Tournament, is organized by the staff of The Hockey Program and is the program's largest fundraiser. The proceeds from this event are used to supplement the capital and alternative education programs at Donnan School and Vimy Ridge Academy. There are many ways to become a part of the Golf Tournament. You can sign up to become a participant by purchasing a single admission or by buying a foursome, donate an item to our silent auction that will be held at the event, or sign up as a sponsor as anything from a Major Sponsor to a "Par" Sponsor. To download the registration form as well as the sponsorship form, please click HERE. Once you have filled them out, please email them to sean.beissel@epsb.ca or drop them off to Mr. Beissel at Donnan School. _________________________________________________ AAD TO ADD RINGETTE PROGRAM AT DONNAN Since 1996, Academic Athletic Development and Donnan School have worked in concert to provide some of Canada’s most unique sports alternative programming. Sport Academies were identified in 1999 as venues for increasing student participation in sport, health and wellness. Donnan School and the Academic and Athletic Development Association were already providing these advantages to youth. We currently have over 600 students involved in our academic and athletic programs, including Hockey, Lacrosse, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Sports Recreation. Ringette specific programming would build on sports recreation, allowing the students to acquire physical literacy skills through multiple sports, and adding the benefits of 2 ice times a week to work on ringette specific skills, as well as a skating treadmill on site. This is an opportunity to train in a non-competition based environment with the goal of increasing skill and understanding. The on-ice programming is complemented with off-ice focus on nutrition, fitness, and overall health to foster complete growth in the athletes. The program will accept 18 to 22 students from grades 3 to 6 attending Donnan on a full-time basis. The 2011–2012 school year is the first in a three-year plan to develop the ringette specific program. Bronwen Harvey will be in charge of the Ringette program and brings many years of expertise playing and coaching at various levels. Playing highlights include 18 years in Edmonton and Vancouver combined at the AA and A level, two appearances at Nationals, being a member of tournament teams for the World Championship Host in 2002, and a team that participated in a tournament in the Czech Republic in 2002. Ringette is a passion she hopes to share through the program at Donnan.
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With the first pick in the second round of the draft, the Edmonton Oilers selected 6'3 198 pound Vimy Ridge Alumni David Musil, son of former Oiler Frank Musil, who played on the blueline for the Vancouver Giants in the WHL this season. David scored 6 goals and 19 assists for 25 points in 62 games played as he helped the Giants to make the playoffs in the WHL. David is known as a steady, stay-at-home defenceman with exceptional gap control.
In the third round, with the 73rd pick overall, the Carolina Hurricanes plucked Keegan Lowe from the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL. Son of former Edmonton Oiler great, Kevin Lowe, Keegan's draft value skyrocketed in the second half of the season and he was highly regarded for his work ethic and defensive play, while having developing offensive instincts. Keegan recorded 2 goals and 22 assists for 24 points in 71 games played.
With the first pick in the fourth round, at 92nd overall, the Edmonton Oilers chose another player with Oiler roots, as they chose Dillon Simpson, underage defenceman at the University of North Dakota, son of former Oiler great Craig Simpson. At 17, the 6'0 192 pound Simpson tallied 2 goals and 8 assists for 10 points in 30 games played while maintaining a +11 plus/minus rating. Dillon was recently invited to the Team Canada World Junior Summer Selection camp, which will take place in Edmonton from August 3-7.
At 159th overall, in the 6th round, the New Jersey Devils found themselves a late-round gem in Reece Scarlett, a 6'0 168 pound defenceman for the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL. In a tough year in Swift Current, Scarlett put up 6 goals and 18 assists for 24 points in 72 games played and was named to Team Canada for the U18 Worlds along with McNeill and Colin Smith, another Vimy Ridge Hockey alumni. 
Stephen Armitage, current Associate Director in The Hockey Program and Group Lead for the Northstars team, has been announced as the New Program Head for the Sport Recreation Program for the 2011-2012 school year. 
AAD will be hosting their 1st Annual Golf Tournament this May to benefit the sports alternative programs at Donnan School & Vimy Ridge Academy.