The black belt ceremony is a special event for the whole Academy community. It is Master Misael's opportunity to honor his most advanced students for their dedication to the martial arts and to the school. Black belt tests are closed, but the ceremonies are open and Academy children always seem to be as excited about these ceremonies as the belt recipients.  They know one day they'll be taking part in their own black belt ceremony and witnessing one first hand makes their own black belt dreams seem real.  

"Master Misael, it is my privilege to convey to you on behalf of the entire class what a great honor we feel in being the first black belt class in The Taekwondo & Hapkido  Martial Arts Academy of Chapel Hill.  We are all enormously grateful for the many, many hours of extra time and personal attention you devoted to our training over the months leading up to our black belt test, and especially for your example of what a martial artist is and what a black belt means.  With the passage of time, we are even beginning to be grateful for the demands you made on us throughout our months of preparation and for a test we certainly will never forget.

All of us in this group have been students, not only in the martial arts, but in schools and universities at all levels.  We have spent years – several of us have spent decades -- teaching and taking classes in high schools, universities, community colleges, medical schools, graduate schools, and law schools at some of the finest universities in the country.  If there is anything this group is qualified to judge, it is outstanding teaching.  When we walk onto the mat in this academy, every one of us knows that we are in the presence not only of a master of the martial arts, but of a true Master Teacher.

We hope that our journey with you, and in this school, will be a long one.  But tonight we pass a milestone -- for each of us individually, for our black belt class, and for the school itself.  In deepest thanks for your guidance in bringing us to this moment, your first black belt class would like to present you with a gift that we hope will etch the moment in your memory as strongly as it is engraved in ours.  May I say that this gift was the brainchild of Mr. Kurt, who could not be here tonight but was instrumental in finding and acquiring what we have for you.  It is, however, from all of us and each of us has shared in the joy of deciding on the gift, obtaining it, and – especially – in keeping it from you over the last few weeks.

Everyone here, I am sure, can appreciate that the strongest bonds of friendship and respect are forged in shared struggles, in shared perseverance, and in the support every one of us has needed in a journey through confusion, frustration and fatigue to eventually shatter obstacles we didn’t think we could overcome.  If you will look at each side of the blade, sir, you will see that we have engraved the names of each member of this class.  Our bond as a black belt class is – literally – etched in steel.  "