Rankin Inlet (Jan 10/07) - It will be a year of change for the 3055 Repulse Bay Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps.

The only commanding officer (CO) the Repulse cadets have ever known will sign over the position to Jennifer Perry later this month.

Tusarvik school principal Leonie Aissaoui has been the CO in Repulse since the cadet program started about 12 years ago.

Aissaoui said her decision to step down from the CO's position was made because she does not possess the Cadet Instructor Cadre (CIC) requirement.

Aissaoui applied for the program years ago, but her paperwork was lost.

One thing led to another, the years went past, and she never found the free time to attend again.

"The CIC is a requirement now for insurance purposes," said Aissaoui.

"Our cadet program was actually supposed to be shutdown about three years ago because I didn't have the CIC.

"But, because we were doing so well, they didn't want to shut us down, so they made us promise that one of our instructors would go for the CIC course and everything would be fine after that."

Aissaoui said time is passing by and she doesn't know how many more years she'll be in Repulse.

She said the time was right for a younger person to take over and bring some youthful enthusiasm to the program.

"Jennifer (Perry) really wants me to take the CIC with her, so we may go to Victoria, B.C., and take it together this coming summer", Aissaoui said.

"I don't know if it will be a reality for me because I'm so busy at the school, so I'll have to see how it's going as the summer draws near.

"But, who knows? If she pushes me far and hard enough, I might make the time to go do it with her."

While Aissaoui is relinquishing command to Perry, she is not walking away from the cadet program.

She said there's no way she's ready to let go of the program all together just yet.

"I like bossing people around and telling them what to do, getting things organized and being the one who makes the decisions.

"But, even if I find it hard not being the CO anymore, I know my decision will be beneficial to the corps.

"It will be good to have new blood at the top, but I'm sure we will still work as a team and plan things together."

The changing of command will be held at the same time as the corps holds its annual promotion ceremony.

Perry has applied for her CIC course and was scheduled to have her medical exam while away on Christmas vacation.

Aissaoui said Perry, a former cadet herself and teacher at Tusarvik, is quite excited about the opportunity.

"Jennifer knows a lot about the overall cadet program and is highly motivated", Aissaoui said.

"And, just as importantly, she's dedicated to Repulse Bay.

"She's told me she will be at Tusarvik as long as I'm there, so that holds good promise for the future."

While the number of cadets involved in the Repulse program fluctuates from year to year, it remains fairly stable in the 25 to 45 range.

This year, about 30 cadets attend the program regularly.

Right now, the Repulse cadets are preparing for another first: Stage One of the Skill at Arms tournament in Iqaluit later this month.

Stage two will be held in Yellowknife, with those advancing beyond stage one competing.

The Skill at Arms tournament is replacing the annual drill competition, which has been dropping in popularity during the past few years.

Aissaoui said the 2006 competition went poorly, with only a handful of drill teams competing.

She said the Skill at Arms event will feature a bit of drill, but also skills such as lighting a stove and boiling water, pitching a tent and sports such as volleyball.

"Points will be earned in each event and the team with the highest combined total will be the overall champion". Aissaoui said.

"Each team will have seven participants made up of two red star, two green star, two silver star and one gold star cadets.

"The hope is to attract more cadets to the event by using a broader approach that offers a wider range of appeal.

"Our cadets are quite excited about it because they do well in most of the categories."