Miss-Delectable
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Deaf Fourth-Grader is a Spelling Bee Champ
Emily Neal is a spelling bee champ – a remarkable accomplishment considering she’s deaf.
You would never know it, though, by talking with the standout student – a fourth-grader at Chesapeake Elementary.
She can spell words such as “bildungsroman” with ease.
Emily’s mother, Shelley Neal, is understandably proud of her daughter who only hears with a cochlear implant.
“I just felt blessed that God chose me to be her mother,” Shelley Neal said. “I didn't question why."
While she didn’t question why Emily was born deaf, it certainly hasn’t held her back.
Emily speaks so well that you wouldn't guess she only hears with the cochlear implant -- a device mostly hidden under her hair.
“She doesn't let that stop her one bit,” Shelley Neal said. “She has high expectations, as well as I do for her."
Amy McCallister, who is Emily’s teacher, said she’s amazed by Emily’s accomplishments, as well as the technology that helps her understand language.
Emily won her class spelling bee, her school spelling bee, her regional spelling bee and came in second in the county. The trophies are her badge of courage.
In the county spelling bee, she went 23 rounds with an eighth-grader twice her size.
Emily said her goal is to go to the national spelling bee in Washington and win the $5,000 prize. Her community is so proud of Emily's accomplishments that she is on the electronic billboard in front of the Walmart and Sam's Club along U.S. 52 in the South Point area.
Emily Neal is a spelling bee champ – a remarkable accomplishment considering she’s deaf.
You would never know it, though, by talking with the standout student – a fourth-grader at Chesapeake Elementary.
She can spell words such as “bildungsroman” with ease.
Emily’s mother, Shelley Neal, is understandably proud of her daughter who only hears with a cochlear implant.
“I just felt blessed that God chose me to be her mother,” Shelley Neal said. “I didn't question why."
While she didn’t question why Emily was born deaf, it certainly hasn’t held her back.
Emily speaks so well that you wouldn't guess she only hears with the cochlear implant -- a device mostly hidden under her hair.
“She doesn't let that stop her one bit,” Shelley Neal said. “She has high expectations, as well as I do for her."
Amy McCallister, who is Emily’s teacher, said she’s amazed by Emily’s accomplishments, as well as the technology that helps her understand language.
Emily won her class spelling bee, her school spelling bee, her regional spelling bee and came in second in the county. The trophies are her badge of courage.
In the county spelling bee, she went 23 rounds with an eighth-grader twice her size.
Emily said her goal is to go to the national spelling bee in Washington and win the $5,000 prize. Her community is so proud of Emily's accomplishments that she is on the electronic billboard in front of the Walmart and Sam's Club along U.S. 52 in the South Point area.