Badlands Baseball Academy has an uncompromising dedication to education. Prairie Rose School Division (PRRD) is the partner providing the education. PRRD is a rural school division encompassing about 29,117 sq km in southeastern Alberta, bordering Saskatchewan to the East, Oyen in the north, Bow Island and Foremost in the west, and the United States to the South. PRRD operates 18 Public Schools, 1 Outreach School and 15 Hutterite Colony Schools having 10 percent of all Colony children in the Province. PRRD also has students whose parents are British Military, German speaking Mennonites, Mexican immigrants and in Oyen a large contingent from the Philippines who need English languages services.
Prairie Rose School Division is working with the Oyen & District Multiplex Society and other similar academies and training centers to develop the ideal approach. The program ensures academic excellence for the high caliber athletes and is suited to the nature of the rural population, providing diverse opportunities to high school students, encouraging them to stay, train and work in rural Alberta. The program also appeals to the culturally diverse student population in southeastern Alberta (and attracted to the region), ensuring successful completion. English as a Second Language training will be a critical component for international students attracted to the Academy.
Academically, graduation from South Central High School of the Prairie Rose School Division would result in the future transition of students to Phase 2, the Badlands Community Campus Sports and Training Center (BCCSTC) where trades training will be provided in conjunction with Medicine Hat College. This option will permit elite, young athletes to excel in baseball and other sports while at the same time allowing them to stay in the rural area. Essentially, BCCSTC will integrate technology, rural delivery, specialized training and sport with the needs of an under-served rural population.
Seven universities and colleges in western Canada have programs that allow baseball’s elite athletes to advance to post-secondary education:
- University of British Columbia (part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics)
- University of Victoria
- Prairie Baseball Academy (Lethbridge, Alberta)
- University of Calgary (Calgary, Alberta)
- Thompson River University (Kamloops, B.C.)
- Okanagan College (Kelowna, B.C.)
- Vancouver Island Baseball Academy (Nanaimo, B.C.)
In addition to these programs, there are numerous universities in the United States where students could gain entrance after Badlands Baseball Academy and continue an elite student athlete career.
The coaching staff will lead their student athletes with education as their focus and with sports as a vehicle. While at Badlands Baseball Academy, students will play against athletes in other high school baseball academies. Currently, there are three other baseball academies in Alberta: Vauxhall Baseball Academy, Okotoks Dawgs Academy, and Prospects Baseball Academy (St. Albert). These baseball academies will be joining Badlands Baseball Academy to form a High School Baseball Academy League, allowing for regular season competitive play. Badlands Baseball Academy is committed to being a leader in the development of this High School Baseball Academy League in the Province of Alberta.
