Red River College’s Rebels Athletics program is pleased to welcome the following new recruits to the men’s volleyball team:

Brad Angus – 6’ 4” Outside Hitter
Angus joins Red River after competing in the 2011-2012 season with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen. Prior to joining the Wesmen, he captured a silver medal as a member of the 2011 Western Canada Games team. Angus is a graduate of Dakota Collegiate, where his team was named the 2010 AAAA Provincial Champions.

Zach Duncan – 6’6” Middle/Outside Hitter
Duncan competed in the 2010-2011 season with the University of Manitoba Bisons. Prior to joining the Bisons he was a gold medalist at both the 2010 18U Provincial and National Championships. He was also the co-captain of his Miles MacDonnell Collegiate team that reached the AAAA Provincial Final Four. Duncan was named a Volleyball Manitoba Graduating All-Star, and also selected to the All Manitoba Team in 2009.

Erik Hansen – 6’ 7” Middle
Hansen will be rejoining the Rebels after taking a year off from competition. He was a member of the team from 2008-2011, contributing in 3 undefeated seasons and capturing 3 consecutive MCAC Championships. During this time Hansen was also twice named to the MCAC All-Conference team.

Mitchell Hendry – 5’ 10” Outside Hitter/Libero
Hendry is coming off a very successful 2012 18U club season with the 204 Volleyball Club, where he was coached by Dan Gilbert — also head coach of the Rebels men’s team. He was a gold medalist at the Provincial Championships and a silver medalist at the National Championships. Hendry is a graduate of MBCI, where he helped his team to a AAAA Provincial Final Four appearance.

Kyle Kasdorf – 6’ 5” Middle
Kasdorf was a teammate of Hendry with the 204 Volleyball Club, where he was a gold medalist at the 18U Provincial Championships and a silver medalist at the 18U National Championships. In addition to being named a Volleyball Manitoba Graduating All-Star, Kasdorf also received the Stefan Savoie Memorial Scholarship.

“I’m very excited with our new recruits for the 2012-13 volleyball season,” says Gilbert, noting the team is on the verge of adding two talented and experienced former university players to its roster.

“We will also be using the summer to evaluate a large number of prospective athletes who have expressed an interest in joining our team. I believe all this new talent, combined with our returning veterans, will result in the strongest team in my five seasons coaching with the RRC program.”

Gilbert and members of the men’s volleyball team will hit the court in late August to host skills camps for youth in grade 6-12. Cost of the week-long camps is $120 and registration closes on August 13.

Congratulations to RRC student Tannis CochraneCook (Computer Applications for Business, Peguis-Fisher River Campus), whose efforts to set up a recycling program at Peguis First Nation have earned her a 2012 Spirit of the Earth Award from Manitoba Hydro.

CochraneCook first began advocating for environmentally-safe waste disposal practices while volunteering at the Peguis Landfill site in 2009. (Her motivation was simple: The landfill was located next to her home, and owners were burning materials rather than recycling them.)

She’s since launched a community-wide recycling program at Peguis, for which now serves as Project Coordinator. In just two years, the program has proven so popular that an estimated 25% of businesses and residents on the reserve now recycle on a regular basis. Read More →

Red River College’s Rebels Athletics program will once again help young athletes develop their skills this season, through a series of Summer Sports Camps aimed at youth of all ages.

The camps will run from late July to August, and will be led by experienced RRC coaches and athletes.

Read More →

Students and staff from Red River College marched in the 2012 Pride Winnipeg Parade over the weekend, as a means of showing support for the local LGBTT* community and of celebrating diversity in all walks of life.

A contingent of more than 60 RRC representatives joined the throngs of supporters at the Legislature for an opening rally attended by Manitoba Justice Minister Andrew Swan and parade co-marshals (and longtime local activists) Chris Vogel and Richard North.

From there, they joined the thousands of parade participants — many of them sporting eye-popping costumes and rainbow flags of all sizes — as they made their way through the streets surrounding Memorial Park.

The College’s presence in the parade marked the first time RRC has taken part in Pride Winnipeg festivities. This year’s entry was an extension of RRC’s LGBTT* Initiative, which provides educational opportunities and resources to build communication, understanding and respect for diversity throughout the College.

“Red River College is committed to building a strong relationship with our community, and supports efforts that contribute to a more inclusive and respectful society,” says Nora Sobel, Diversity Initiatives Coordinator at RRC. “We were proud to be participating for the first time in the Pride Winnipeg Parade, where students, instructors, staff, family and friends showed our College’s support for the LGBTT* community!”

(From left): Michael Bernier, Director of Education – CIQS Prairies and NWT; Mark Gardin, CIQS 2nd Vice-President; Nancy Wheatley, Dean of RRC's School of Construction & Engineering Technologies; Dave Burns, President – CIQS Prairies and NWT; Jerry Johnstone, Chair of RRC's Civil Engineering Technology program; Dave Lai, CIQS Education Administrator; and Roger Ward, CIQS Director (at large).

Red River College’s Bachelor of Technology in Construction Management degree program has received its first national accreditation from the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (CIQS), a self-regulatory body that sets the highest standard for construction economics on Canada.

The Institute represents an estimated 3,000 cost consultants, project managers and construction estimators across the country, and offers two professional designations: Professional Quantity Surveyor (PQS) and Construction Estimator Certified (CEC).

Representatives from CIQS — from Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Halifax — joined RRC staff and students Wednesday for a short ceremony marking the new accreditation.

“This program came out of industry consultations that told us industry needs construction managers with technical knowledge and managerial expertise, and that graduates from a program such as this would find jobs,” said Nancy Wheatley, Interim Dean of RRC’s School of Construction & Engineering Technologies. “But they also told us the program must have solid credentials for our graduates.” Read More →

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Red River College is developing a Campus Master Plan to direct future planning and growth relating to sustainability, campus life, learning and relationships with the community.

We’re interested in hearing your ideas and encourage you to let us know what you think by commenting on posts on our Community Forum blog.

Whether you’re a current student, staff, faculty or alumni, we look forward to hearing from you soon!

Armando Galindo (right), with Heather Black, Director of Volunteers and Events for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Winnipeg.

(Originally published on our Going Places blog)

Congratulations go out to Continuing Education student Armando Galinda, who was recently named Outstanding Student of the Year by the Boys and Girls Club of Winnipeg.

A student in RRC’s Youth Recreation Activity Worker program, Galinda served as a volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club before enrolling at the College. He’s continued to work for the organization while pursuing his studies — completing his practicum there (at two different locations) and serving as a special events planner in his off-time.

The Outstanding Student of the Year Award recognizes commitment to the Boys and Girls Club’s vision, community involvement, and dedication to children. Galinda received his award at the Club’s volunteer reception on Thursday, May 10, 2012, where he also picked up the Jacques Nollette Memorial Award for Outstanding Volunteer Leadership. Click here for more information.

A pair of Red River College students are among the trio of competitors who’ll advance to the 42^nd World Skills Competition in Leipzig, Germany in 2013.

Jacob Bell (Bricklaying) and Dylan Pereira (Aircraft Maintenance) were named World Skills Competitors at the 18^th Canadian Skills Competition in Edmonton last weekend, along with Steinbach Regional/University of Manitoba student Ingrid Wieler (I.T. Software Solutions for Business).

In total, Team Manitoba brought home 22 medals: eight gold, six silver, and eight bronze. Of those medalists, the following were from Red River College:

Gold:

• Jacob Bell (Brick Masonry)
• Leonhard Derksen (Cabinet Making)
• Dylan Pereira (Aircraft Maintenance)
• Kevin Russell (Electronics)

Bronze:

• Colin Dewitt (Landscaping Gardening)
• Mackenzie Harman (Landscape Gardening)
• Michael Walmsley (Refrigeration)

The 62 members of the Manitoba team earned the right to represent the province by winning gold medals in their respect trade or technology area at the Provincial Skills Competition. Click here for a full list of last weekend’s medalists.

Red River College’s School of Indigenous Education hosted the 12th Annual Graduation Pow Wow last week, honouring the achievements of our Aboriginal graduates and paying tribute to their personal triumphs.

Held Friday, May 4, at RRC’s Notre Dame Campus, the event celebrated the accomplishments of 93 Aboriginal graduates, and attracted more than 850 friends, family members and dignitaries to a day-long event that included a pipe ceremony, traditional dancing, and a feast.

Another highlight of the event was the presentation of the Jules Lavallee Award, named after a former RRC Elder-in-Residence. This year’s award went to Corey Bear, a student from RRC’s Biindigen College Studies program.

Read More →

RRC alum Sean Trembley (right), with judges at the Barry Callebaut Canadian Intercollegiate Chocolate Competition in Toronto.

Congratulations go out to Red River College grad Sean Trembley, who represented the College at this year’s Barry Callebaut Canadian Intercollegiate Chocolate Competition in Toronto.

Trembley, a recent graduate of RRC’s Professional Baking and Patisserie program, placed first in the molded bonbon category at the third annual chocolate-makers’ contest — a junior version of the World Chocolate Masters competition, launched by Callebaut to help young chocolatiers develop their skills.

This year’s event, held at Humber College in Toronto, also featured mouthwatering entries from students at Humber, Cambrian, Canadore, Fenshawe, George Brown, Georgian, and Vancouver Community Colleges.

Click here for more info on RRC’s Baking and Patisserie program.