A Nelson teen who last year became possibly the first autistic child in Canada to receive a black belt in taekwondo is the recipient of a provincial Yes I Can! award.
Evan Howarth, 17, attended a ceremony this month in Vancouver, where he was one of 14 young people honoured by the BC Council for Exceptional Children.
“I had never heard of the awards until he was nominated by the [L.V. Rogers] high school principal and special ed teacher,” says his mother Nadine Bakas. “It recognizes children with exceptional ability, to reward them for their strength and accomplishments.”
Howarth is certainly exceptional. Last October, he successfully obtained his black belt through Kootenay Christian Martial Arts School, where he has been training since 2004.
He showed an interest in taekwondo in elementary school after seeing a demonstration, but no one was sure at first just how far
he might progress. Slowly but surely, he refined his skills until he was ready to test for his black belt.
“At the very end it got really tough and I said ‘If you want this, you will do the rest,’” Bakas recalls. “He put up his form. He practiced when he didn’t feel like it. Anybody would normally say gosh, I’ve had enough.’ But he took it all the way.”
Howarth’s twin sister Hannah joined him in class, and several others worked with him one-on-one. Bakas says the school’s embrace was critical to his success.
“I’d love to give this school the Yes You Can! award for making people come through and encouraging them to persevere,” she says. “The school is phenomenal for the support Evan has received.”
Master Dean Seminoff, the school’s head instructor, says he would never turn anyone away.
“If somebody walks in the door and they’re here to learn, away we go,” he says. “That’s always my mindset with the school. It doesn’t enter my mind that we can’t work with them. We modify anything we have to as far as instruction.”
Nor, he says, is it expected that a student must develop at a certain rate: “It doesn’t work that way. It’s a long-term process. It’s not about the black belt. It’s about perseverance.”
Howarth, who was one of only a few kids at the ceremony not from the Lower Mainland, was honoured in the athletics category. Others included community involvement, academics, the arts, and independent skills.
Bakas says the awards were also inspiring in that they demonstrated for parents the potential of special needs children.
“I remember when Evan was young not knowing what to expect in his life and future,” she says. “I felt we gave hope to so many people wondering ‘Where can my child go?’”
Howarth’s award might be just the beginning too, for he so impressed committee members that they’re nominating him for the next level of the awards, which are North America-wide.