March 11th, 2013

AAD SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS NOW ACCEPTED

AAD is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2012-2013 school year. The application form and criteria can be found HERE.

Donnan and Vimy Ridge Academy Scholarship Program

- Consists of 2 Scholarships, one for the Hockey and Lacrosse and the other for the Sport Rec
- Open to grade 4 – 12 student-athletes
- Application procedure required
- 18 Scholarships awarded to hockey and lacrosse students
- $6000 is awarded to hockey and lacrosse students
- 4 Scholarships awarded to Sport Rec students
- $700 is awarded to Sport Rec students

Grade 12 Graduation Scholarship Program

- Open to all AAD student athletes in Hockey, Lacrosse and Sport Rec
- Two grade 12 student-athletes advancing to post secondary school
- One year window to register and attend
- $500.00 to each successful applicant
- Application procedure required
- Individually funded and tax receipt issued by Edmonton Public School Board

As time passes, is that it has become increasingly apparent that the individual student-athletes are responding favorably to our Scholarship Program. Many have advanced to post secondary schools in the Edmonton area and beyond and many have advanced to elite levels of play in hockey, lacrosse or there other sport of choice. The high school graduation success is greater than 99%. Perhaps the greatest testament to our student-athletes however is that fact that they all leave with an understanding of the importance of the guiding principles of character, strength, confidence and enthusiasm. With these skills our student-athletes have every opportunity to succeed in their chosen areas.

We believe that our scholarship program gives our student-athletes every opportunity to achieve to their potential. We also believe that this advantage provides for opportunities to return to our communities and contribute in a positive manner.

February 21st, 2013

THIRD ANNUAL AAD GOLF TOURNAMENT

Academic and Athletic Development, parent company of the sports programs at Donnan School and Vimy Ridge Academy, is pleased to announce that registration for the Third Annual Golf Tournament has opened. The tournament is AAD's primary fundraiser, and the funds will be used to further enhance the alternative education programs at Donnan School and Vimy Ridge Academy.

For the second year in a row, the tournament will be held at the Northern Bear Golf Club on May 25, 2013. The tournament will be a Texas Scramble, shotgun start tournament and registration fees will cover your green fees, GPS equipped power carts, tee gift, food and prizes.

There are many ways to support the Golf tournament, you can register as an individual golfer, register a team of four players, sponsor the tournament, donate an item to the silent auction or volunteer to help run the tournament. To fill out our registration form please CLICK HERE.

You can fill out the form on your computer, and print, fax or email it to Sean Beissel to register, sponsor or donate.For any questions on the tournament, please contact Sean Beissel at Sean.Beissel@epsb.ca.

January 9th, 2013

BASELINE CONCUSSION TEST ADMINISTERED TO AAD STUDENT ATHLETES

Over the last months, AAD student-athletes were provided with the opportunity to participate in baseline concussion testing at no cost to their families. This was possible in part due to the generous donors and sponsors at the AAD Annual Golf Tournament.

Distributed by ImPACT and Administered by Nic Allen at River Valley Health, the test sets a baseline of cognitive function so that in the event of a concussion, the test can be re-administered and sound return to play decisions can be made and the best interests of the student-athlete’s health are met. In addition, after testing the parents of the student-athlete will be provided access to the data for future use.

Due to the success of the baseline concussion testing, the program will be a staple in AAD programming in future years.

January 8th, 2013

COACHES RAI AND QUINLAN TO HEAD EDMONTON ECLIPSE JR A TEAM

Vimy Lacrosse is proud to announce that Paul Rai and Jimmy Quinlan will be coaching the Edmonton Eclipse Junior A team this coming season. The last two years they coached the Sherwood Park Titans Junior B team taking them to the Provincial Final this past summer.

The Edmonton Eclipse are one of four Junior A teams in the province and compete for Canada’s highest trophy in Junior lacrosse, the Minto Cup. This is another testament to the outstanding coaching experience available to the student-athletes that attend Vimy Lacrosse.

January 7th, 2013

VIMY LAX CAPTURES SILVER AT U OF A TOURNEY

Congratulations to the Vimy Lacrosse High School team that won the Silver medal in this fall’s University of Alberta Field Lacrosse Tournament. The team came together quickly to go undefeated in the round robin before meeting up with Red Deer in the final game where the Vimy team lost by one goal in the Final.

With stellar goaltending and defensive play, the Vimy team was able to transition the ball quickly to the offense. Every member of the team contributed to the success and the team play was evident throughout the event. It was a great showing by Vimy Lacrosse.

June 8th, 2012

VIMY LAX PLAYERS RECOGNIZED AT VIMY AWARDS NIGHT

Last night Vimy held its annual awards night. Several Vimy Lacrosse students were recognized for their efforts. We are very proud of these young men and women who work extremely hard in the classroom and on the playing field. All of these individuals are glowing examples of what hard work and determination can produce.

Here is a list of the award winners:

Salmonbellies Award – Most Improved Student-Athletes
Chloe Samycia and Lael Orvold

Six Nations Award – Determination
Mackenzie Reid

Baggataway Award – Leadership
Drew Deans

Scholarship Winner
Nik Farrus

Grade 7 Honours with Distinction
Nicholas Hritzuk

Grade 9 Honours with Distinction
Darien Bahry

Grade 7 Honours
Simon Franklin, Jackson Freeman, Levon Joslin, Tanner Marouelli,Justin Pearson

Grade 8 Honours
Maurice Kelly, Huneter Witherspoon

Grade 9 Honours
Matt Trick

Grade 10 Honours
Nik Farrus, Daniel Pele, Zach Tuttle

Congratulations to these student-athletes on being recognized for their hard work.

May 30th, 2012

VIMY LAX PLAYERS EARN TOURNAMENT VICTORY

Vimy Lacrosse would like to congratulate the Midget A Warriors team that won the Richmond Midget Lacrosse Tournament during the May long weekend. Nine of the team members that won the tournament are student-athletes with the Vimy Lacrosse Program.

Congratulations to Tyler Machado, Cam Wengreniuk, Brennen Reimer, Colton Bykowsky, Taylor Shields, Stephen Nielsen, Hayden Resler, Nick Farrus, and Daniel Pele.

March 22nd, 2012

STEPS OF HOPE FUNDRAISER

Alan Stafford, father of a Donnan Hockey student-athlete, was recently involved in a motor vehicle accident that left him with a serious spinal cord injury.

Now several weeks removed from the accident, Alan's spinal cord injury has shown positive progression, and he and his family have celebrated some happy milestones on his road to recovery.

Alan's family and friends have seen these signs as reason for "cautious optimism" for the chances that he may one day be able to walk again.

On his behalf, Alan's loved ones are hosting an evening dedicated to his milestones, and to fundraise to support his recovery.

Academic and Athletic Development; which includes all of the sport programs at Donnan School and Vimy Ridge Academy, supports Alan during his recovery and urge all of our members to visit the website to hear Alan's story and invite anyone to attend the Steps of Hope Fundraiser on Friday, April 13th at the Sawmill Banquet and Catering Center.

STEPS OF HOPE WEBSITE

January 26th, 2012

VIMY LACROSSE / EDMONTON RUSH SPRING BREAK CAMP

Get ready for the Fastest Game on Two Feet. Grab your sticks and be prepared to spend two full high tempo days with Edmonton Rush players working on your passing, shooting and ball handling. All goalies will receive specialized instruction focusing on positioning, movement and ball control. Come learn from the pros to get the most out of your game and prepare for the upcoming season. Players will be grouped by age and ability to enhance the learning environment. Each player will receive a camp pinnie, camp t-shirt, autographed Jimmy Quinlan poster, lacrosse ball and 2 tickets to the Edmonton Rush game against the Minnesota Swarm on March 31st. (value of $100).

For more information on the Camp and to Register, CLICK HERE.

October 21st, 2011

AAD STAFF PARTICIPATE IN MOVEMBER

Many Members of the AAD staff, including Lacrosse Program 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.

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:

AAD Online Store

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 27th, 2011

THE LACROSSE PROGRAM WINTER LACROSSE

The Lacrosse Program at Vimy Ridge has partnered with the Leduc Crush Lacrosse Club to offer a Winter Lacrosse Program to all interested lacrosse players from Mini Tyke to Junior.

Sessions will run from late October until February at the Leduc Recreation Centre. Sessions will be divided between skill development and controlled game play. Half of the session will be focused on drills that provide players with the repetitions they require to develop as players. The other half of each session will be focused on controlled game play, allowing players to learn the proper way to play the game of lacrosse.

Instruction will be coordinated by Jimmy Quinlan and Paul Rai. Jimmy and Paul currently work at Vimy Ridge Academy where they lead the Lacrosse Program. The Lacrosse Program is a sports alternative program that provides lacrosse training to students within the Edmonton Public School Board. Jimmy Quinlan is a member of the Edmonton Rush and a seven year veteran of the National Lacrosse League. Paul Rai has over 15 years of lacrosse coaching experience. They both are fully committed to the growth of the game and teaching athletes to play the game with skill and speed.

Mini-tyke and Tyke Aged Players $225 (Only 25 spots available)

Novice, Peewee, Bantam, and Midget to Junior $350 (Only 30 runners and 4 goalies available at each level).

Each player will receive a Power Pinnie. The program will run from October 30, 2011 to February 28, 2012 with a three week break during Christmas.

To register for the Winter Lacrosse please visit www.aadie.ca and sign up to create your profile.

Groups and times (Dates are tentative and subject to change):

Mini Tyke/Tyke – Wednesdays 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM (Gym Floor)

Novice – Saturdays 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM (Field House)

Pee Wee – Sundays 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM (Field House)

Bantam – Tuesdays 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM (Field House)

Midget/Junior – Fridays 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM (Field House)

For more information on the program please email Paul Rai at paul.rai@epsb.ca.

If you are having problems with the sign up process, please refer to our cheatsheet by clicking HERE.

August 25th, 2011

THE LACROSSE PROGRAM IS NOW IN SESSION

What better way to start of the school year then a day field trip to the Minto Cup in Okotoks to watch Ontario, BC, and two Alberta teams compete in round robin games?

Close to 40 student-athletes, staff and parents hopped on the bus to make the trip to see the best junior aged lacrosse players in Canada play for one of Canada's most prestigious championships. It was a great trip and allowed our students to watch former Lacrosse Program alumni play in the Minto Cup. Those alumni include Kirby Zdrill (Yale), Kevin Pym, Darren Bourret, and Cole Sheen (Pfeiffer University). The tournament also included Travis Comeau (Georgetown) a former staff member of The Lacrosse Program. The tempo was lightning fast and the skill was outstanding. It was definitely was motivating for our student-athletes and we are now ready to hit the field to begin our fall field lacrosse module.