Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / May 23, 2002, edition 1 / Page 4
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20-month-old girl winning kudos for brains and beauty I}Y COURTNEY GAILLARD THE CHRONICLE Kay Neal never expected that a rou tine trip to the mall would change the life of her baby girl, Kay. ' A chance meeting with a stranger convinced Neal to enter her strikingly beautiful baby in a baby contest at Banes Mall. ? "You might just win something," the stranger said. Reluctant to enter the ' contest, Neal decided to give it a shot. After waiting for a time, uncertain if her child would be judged at all, Neal decided to gather her things and head ed for the door when her baby's name was finally called. It turns out that Baby Kay won the contest. At just 4 months old. Baby Kay took home the grand prize trophy that was bigger than she was at the time. Baby Kay has been winning every contest she has entered ever since, and Neal has the trophies and plaques to prove her child's phenomenal success. For instance. Baby Kay wa< the first place winner in the Tropicana Kids Calendar Contest, in which she was featured on a calendar along with other children. "Everybody that sees her says that she's Miss Personality. She's just something, to be her age," Neal said. Baby Kay also took home another grand prize in a child personality con test last year. Not only is Baby Kay a site for sore eyes but she appears to be on the brink of becoming a child prodigy. "You show her something one time and she knows it," Neal explained. At just 20 months old. Little Kay, as her mother calls her, can recite her ABCs, speak 43 words, count to five, spell her name on a blackboard and show you the parts of her body. Neal says it's all the result of her taking the time to teach her baby these things. .... "You could see that she wanted to stty something and that she wanted to talk when she was (younger)," said Neal. who added that when she was pregnant with Baby Kay she would read to her and say the ABCs to her stomach. "She's been feeding herself since she was 7 months old." But Neal never anticipated that her child would take to learning at the rate she has at such a young age. There's no mystery to her child's learning, accord ing to Neal, who said that Baby Kay simply absorbs words and actions very quickly. Neal constantly talks to her and teaches her new things. Friends and family are amazed by Baby Kay and tell Neal all the time how advanced her baby is, especially when they observe her playing with older children. "I try to give her as much time. I don't get much sleep to give her as much care as she needs," said Neal, who graduated summa cum laude from N.C. A&T State University with a degree in speech communication and theater. "I'm just letting her be her and teaching her along the way." Neal intends to home-school Baby Kay and have her IQ professionally tested once she gets older, but says that she is not interested in introducing her child to the pageant circuit. "A cljild like (Baby Kay), if you put her in school, they (will) get lost and become a problem child because they know too much," Neal said. Photo by Courtney Gaillard Baby Kay Neal has collected a slew of trophies for beauty pageants and has amazed many with her ability to learn at an early age. Whether it's brushing her hair, put ting her shoes and socks on or turning the television on and popping in a video cassette. Baby Kay is keeping her mother busy at home when she is not playing with Elmo or watching "Blues Clue." Neal is employed by American Express and sells health insurance on the side, which allows her to work from home. Baby Kay is quickly becoming a local celebrity. Clients are requesting that Neal bring Baby Kay with her on her next sales calls. Raising Baby Kay as a single mom is definitely challeng ing for Neal. but all of the talents Baby Kay continues to manifest on a daily basis make it all worth while. Eight girls will compete for Little Miss Living Doll Howell I I Gilbeaux-Gwyn Hill I I : Bennett 1 ?? Lindsay I I Charles Williams Hamilton Littlejohn Special to the chronicle Clara N. Hayes Court No. 5 Ladies of the Circle of Perfection P.H.A will sponsor The Little Miss Living Doll Contest on May 25 at 4 p.m. at the Masonic Hall, 1024 E. 14th Street. 2000 Living Doll La Tara Genea Littlejohn, age 11, will Jake her final stroll before frowning the new Living Doll, i The contestants are: i ? Tiona Leandre Howell, age B, is a second-grader at South Fork Elementary School. Terrell Taylor, age 8, will escort her. He attends Mineral Springs Elemen tary School. I ? Kadia Kyanna Nicole tilbeaux-Gwyn, age 7, is a sec bnd-grade student at Ashley Ele jnentary School. Terry Taylor, ttge 10, will escort her. He attends Mineral Springs Elemen tary School. ? Jerrica LaVonne Hill, age 7, is a second-grade student at Old i i Town Elementary School. Kevin Jiwan Hill, age 10, will escort her. He is also a student at Old Town Ele mentary School. ? Jazmin Renee Bennett, age 7, is a second grade stu dent at E v o 1 i n e Lylet C. West Elementary School in Fairburn, Ga. Byron Landingham, age 10, will escort her. He attends North Hill Academy. ? Teshiyah Lindsay, age 6, is a first-grade student at Ephesus Junior Academy. Robert Shields Jr. Ill, age 7, will escort her. He attends Griffin Elementary School. ? Audrienna Camille Chaises, age 7, is a first-grade student at Moorhead Elementary School in Charlotte. Alan Gregory Lee, age 6, will escort her. He attends The Thomas Elementary School in Charlotte. ? Danisha J'Nise Williams, age 7, is a second-grade student at Rural Hall Elementary School. Justin Porter, age 10, will escort her. He attends Union Cross Ele mentary School. ? Tarayia Shanay Hamilton, age 8, attends Dunbar Elemen tary School in Forest City, N.C. Tyler Sint'el Hamilton, age 10, will escort her. He also attends Dunbar Elementary School. Catherine Kirkland is the royal perfect matron of Clara N. Hayes Court No. 5. David R. Odom is the royal chief advisor. The mistress of ceremonies is PR.P.M. Evylen Jackson. The Court's 2002-2003 queen is Royal Matron Alma Lyles. This year's program chairperson is Matron Lillie Gwyn. The public is invited. yvarren Jhtm page AI (Jways be a void here at The Chronicle and in each of our hearts. i Obituary for Victoria "Vickie" Davis Warren j Mrs. Victoria "Vickie" Davis Warren was the daughter of Mr. Johnnie M. Davis Sr. and the late Shirley Francis Overton Davis. She was preceded in death by her Mother, Lawrence Davis. She was bom in Elizabeth City on March 18, 1962. where she attended the public schools. Vickie was nur tured and loved in a home where Christian and spiritual values^ were taught and demonstrated. At an early age, she attended Memo rial Missionary Baptist Church. She later became an active mem ber of Fust Baptist Church of Winston-Salem, where she served as an usher. She was employed by The Chronicle and Ruan Trucking Co. She was as good as goodness is: to her family, neighbors and a friend to all. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. Her acts and words were kind. Above all memories, we hold the beauty of her life. In 1982, she united in holy matrimony to Mr. Jerome B. War ren. To this union two children were bom. Left-with beautiful memories are her husband, Jerome B. Warren; a daughter, Kemont Warren; a son. Xavier Warren; and her grandson. KeShawn Warren, all of the home; five brothers, Larry Davis Sr. (Mary) of Elizabeth City, Johnnie Davis Jr. (Paula) of Jack sonville. Fla.. Reginald Davis (Rene) of Salisbury. Douglas Davis and Sherwin Davis of Eliz abeth City; five sisters. Shirley (Stanley) Hinton. Brenda (Leroy) Sutton. Sally (Johnny) Billups, Annette (William) Ferebee. all of Elizabeth City, Dorea (Perry) Brooks of Salisbury; mother-in law. Mrs. Bernice Warren; father in-law, Mr. James B. Warren, both of Elizabeth City; six sisters-in law. Dorothy Armstrong of Lau rel. Md? Clara (Dale) Melvin of Silver Spring, Md., Birenda (Robert) Holley of Philadelphia. Jacqueline White. Bernice Lewis and Hope (Benjamin) Stokley. all of Elizabeth City; two brothers-in law, Casper (Gale) Adams and Roy Warren Jr. of Waldorf. Md.; and a host of aunts, nephews, cousins and friends. A memorial service was held for Vickie Monday at First Bap tist, where a scholarship fund has been established for her son. who will graduate this week and attend college in the fall. Vickie was laid to rest in Elizabeth City yesterday after funeral services at Memorial Missionary Baptist Church. ABCs ffom page AI teachers whose students perform i^ell on end-of-the-year tests, teachers whose students do not do Well feel unappreciated and devalued. She also said that Schools with students who do not perform well on the tests, which ire commonly schools with large ilinority populations, have a tough time recruiting quality teachers. j Cook said that teachers con l|ac! Common Sense on a weekly basis to express their dismay with the testing system. She said most 4re afraid to speak publicly about their complaints, i ? 'Teachers and parents had fery little input." Cook said regarding the development of the ABCs system. . [ The parents at the forum com plained that they are often not allowed to see the tests their kids are required to take. Many tests 4re kept under lock and key to ^nsure the integrity of the test taking process. t All the secrecy is a sore spot with Poston. who also has a son going through testing woes. ' "I think the test should be public." he said. " I can't help my child from failing because I can't see the test." Cook says although many stu dents successfully pass the tests without any noticeable psycho logical or physical damage, the success comes at too high of a cost. "The kids are feeling the stress. They are not happy." she said. Minority children, she added, are the most unhappy because the ABCs system penalizes them for low scores instead of helping them to better their scores. Common Sense charges that not enough incentives are given to schools that do not hit the ABCs high mark. Eric Elliott, a Democrat run ning for the city-county School Board, said at the forum that it is logical that schools that do not perform well on the tests need more financial assistance to help them along. "If you are going to label a school low performing, you are obligated to give schools more money." he said. Common Sense is trying to change the state's testing program through grassroots organizing. Several pamphlets and even a campaign-style button, proclaim ing. "More Teaching. Less Test ing," were passed out at last week's meeting. The pamphlets contained information on how to contact legislators and other ways to rally against the testing system. Cook says the fair testing movement is a new civil rights movement of sorts. People of all races and social statuses have concerns about the tests and are ? standing together, she said. "This is the new social justice movement for the 21 st century," she said. "It is crossing racial and economic iines like never before because it is affecting all chil dren." . For more information on Common Sense \ efforts, log onto www.common-sense.org/fairtest ing teammates do for yoii? When you have your mortgage loan at Piedmont Federal ? Free checking with $1,000 overdraft protection* you get a whole list of free benefits. Including free checks ? Free checks ond free checking, Telebanking services and more. We ?Froe Telebanking services cal1 '? "select. Just have your mortgage payments drafted ? 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Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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