PARKER THOMPSON RECIPIENT OF THE 2020 NOSSACK ATHLETIC AMBASSADOR GRANT

From ParkerThonpsonRacing.com

Parker Thompson is proud to receive the 1st Nossack Athletic Ambassador Grant (NAAG), which rewards athletes who are actively involved in the local Red Deer community in a positive way. Born in Red Deer, Alberta, Parker Thompson began the career of a professional race car driver at a young age when he moved to Italy to compete in the World Series of Karting. Now 22 years-old, Thompson is an established race car driver earning championships in both open-wheel and sports-car racing series. For 2020 Thompson is enrolled in the Indy Pro 2000 series on the Road to Indy, competing in ten events throughout North America.

While his athletic pursuits often take him all over the continent, Thompson remains committed to the Red Deer community where he resides in the offseason and educates drivers across the province about the dangers of distracted driving. His road safety campaign, “Drive to Stay Alive,” was founded in 2015 and since that time has reached more than 100,000 students and safety industry professionals.

Parker Thompson
“I’m so proud to receive the Nossack Athletic Ambassador Grant for 2020. Many thanks to Svitlana and the entire team at Nossack Food Group for taking the initiative to establish this amazing grant. The NAAG will not only help me further develop my career in racing, but more importantly, it will support my road safety campaign Drive to Stay Alive in 2020 and beyond. As a proud Albertan and Red Deer native, I often feel like the businesses and athletes in our community don’t get the recognition they deserve. I feel fortunate to have been recognized myself, and I am proud to wear the Nossack logo on my racing suit as I pursue the Indy Pro 2000 Championship in 2020.”

Svitlana Nossack – Nossack Food Group
“Nossack Food Group and Get Golden Fundraising are excited to announce Parker Thompson as the first recipient of the Nossack Athletic Ambassador Grant (NAAG). We appreciate Parker’s positive attitude and strong work ethic with everything he does, and know that the NAAG is in great hands! Parker is engaged in our local community with Drive to Stay Alive as well as representing Red Deer and Alberta across the nation, and internationally with Parker Thompson Racing. We look forward to this partnership and shared success in 2020!“

Nossack Food Group
Established by the Nossack Food Group and their fundraising division, Get Golden Fundraising, the Nossack Athletic Ambassador Grant recognizes a need in the Red Deer community for increased sports funding during these tougher economic times. Over the past 25 years, they have been helping clubs, sports teams, community groups, and charities with convenient, local, profitable, and experience-based fundraising solutions. As a family-owned and operated company, they have been proud to help these organizations reach their fundraising goals and are excited about this next step! The NAAG awards $10,000 ($5,000 each to two recipients) annually.

Applications for the 2021 NAAG will open in April. More information is available here: http://bit.ly/nossack-naag.

About Parker Thompson

Red Deer, Alberta native Parker Thompson is regarded as one of Canada’s premier racing drivers. He started racing karts at age 8 and his natural talent and competitive drive quickly elevated him to international level competitions. By age 13 he was ranked 3rd in the world in Rotax Max karts. Now 22 years old, Parker continues his successful career racing on the Road to Indy, competing in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship for 2020.

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Penhold Flight Instructor Releases Updated Instruction Manual For the 21st Century

Published on December 24, 2020

Tim Lasiuta

Sky Wings Aviation founder Dennis Cooper lives to fly.

“2020 marks 50 years of flying for me,” said Cooper in a phone interview. “I was a cadet and part of the glider program but got my pilots license in 1971 at Cold Lake before I even had my drivers license.”

Cooper later earned his Commercial license under Cecil Sorenson and other seasoned ex-Canadian Air Force pilots who transferred their tremendous knowledge base. Working with Johnson Air Services and Pultz Aviation, he obtained his instrument rating and began his pilot career in earnest.

“One of the tools I had as a young pilot was the Pultz Instructor Manual and sometimes he (Pultz) would ask me questions and I would offer input,” he remembered. “The original book was a 3-ring binder and we used that format for a long time at Sky Wings as well.”

Fast forward to the present.

“With current technology, many of our students wanted the manual in an electronic form so now instead of just having a softcover book that gets scuffed, dirty and ripped we now have a hardcover AND an electronic version for use everywhere,” added the instructor. “Since the original book was written, much had changed.”

Changes to the original include an index which the first book did not have according to Cooper, modified levels of instructors, GPS information which did not exist years ago, procedures and general knowledge brought about by technology.

“We kept the artwork from the original,” said Cooper. “It’s great and captures what we wanted. We also added enhanced study and review questions based on feedback from students who have been through testing. The result is now a 558 page Instructors Manual that can follow a pilot from the beginning of their career to their end goal, no matter what that looks like.”

The new updated manual can be used in conjunction with Transport Canada publications. It can adequately prepare a commercial pilot for the Transport Canada Flight Instructor written examination, the in-flight training and ground instruction, as well as the test flight.

Priced at $99 for the hardcover and $90 for the softcover, the “Cooper Flight Instructor Manual” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo and 3 flight suppliers at present.

“I bought Sky Wings Aviation in 1982 and even today I still feel the same when a new student flies for the first time. I am excited when our students enter the plane, travel the runway and rise into the air for the first time for their first circuit, then return,” said Cooper whose wife Sherry also teaches at the school. “I enjoy watching the transfer of knowledge from instructor to student, but most significantly, watching them conquer the air just like the Wright Brothers 118 years ago.”

Cooper is not finished yet with 3 more books ready to rewrite for the 21^st century.

For more information on Sky Wings Aviation and the 9^th Edition of the Cooper Flight Instructors Manual, go to:

Home – Skywings Aviation

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Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools picks up $30,000.00 tab to buy laptops for at-home schooling

Published on December 12, 2020

Red Deer Public Schools

Photo includes, from left, Foundation Board Member Morris Flewwelling, Trustee and Foundation Board Member Bev Manning and Foundation Board Chair Dave Tilstra.

Foundation donates 90 Chromebooks to students in need

As equity, student success and completion are priorities for Red Deer Public Schools, officials have recognized the move to at-home or temporary online learning has presented challenges for some students and their families who do not have access to technology.

In response to this challenge, the Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools, recently donated 90 Chromebooks to schools to lend to students needing access to technology, totally $30,000.

Dave Tilstra, Chair of the Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools, said supporting students and ensuring they have the tools to learn is key to helping set kids up for success.

“Chromebooks will continue to be an important resource within schools and now at home. We are thrilled that we have been able to donate this much needed technology to students who would otherwise go without to ensure they have the best opportunities to continue learning,” he said.

Families who borrow a Chromebook from their child’s school are responsible for ensuring they have Wi-Fi connectivity and they will ‘sign out’ the devices and assume responsibility for their proper use and return.

“Equity is about fairness. The Foundation supports projects that help give kids life chances,” said Bruce Buruma, Executive Director for the Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools. “Families experience challenges during the best of times, but the past number of months have been tough for many. We know this donation will help ease one burden so students can focus on learning and families can focus on other priorities.”

The Foundation supports projects that align with the Division priorities of Literacy and Numeracy, Equity and Student Success and Completion.

For more information, please contact: