With the end of the academic year soon approaching came the last session of our Elementary School Aikido Class. In order to celebrate all the learning and personal growth that the students went through during those many weeks of dedicated training, we hosted our yearly examination session.

Seven students were set to take the test on that day, and they had been reviewing very dutifully several weeks before to take on board the material and perform to the best of their abilities. Two students were testing for red belt, and five for yellow belt. During the examination, they went through an extensive program consisting of basic movements, falls and rolls, as well as defense technique against a variety of attacks. While those students, performed, they were able to count on the support of two of their sempai, who had taken their own test a few weeks before, during the regular Saturday class.

As an added way to celebrate such growth, and perhaps to add a little more pressure, Mrs Forbes-Dias and Saint Maur parents were invited to attend and watch the result of those weeks of training. After a solid 50 minutes of testing, our head instructor, Guillaume Erard Shihan, reviewed the performance of the students against our marking criteria, and he was able to announce to the group that every single student passed their test! He then proceeded to provide feedback on areas of strength and further improvement and handed out certificates individually to each student.

The group headed outside to take advantage of the glorious Friday afternoon weather and took a picture in front of the Cougar Café. We would like to extend our warm congratulations to the students for their hard work and the wonderful moments spent together during practice this year and to thank their families for their unfailing support. We look forward to being back on the tatami in the next academic year. Meanwhile, practice will continue over the summer during our regular Saturday kids class.