Special competition will send winning student to Braille school!

A fund-raiser today will help send a Steadley Elementary School pupil to a national Braille competition.

Kelcey Schlichting, a fifth-grader, will head to Los Angeles, Calif., this month to compete as a finalist in the Braille Challenge.

The Braille Challenge is an academic competition for visually impaired students throughout the nation. Children in grades one through 12 are tested on tasks including spelling, proofreading, comprehension, speed and accuracy.

Kelcey, who was born visually impaired, will compete with 59 others at the contest scheduled for June 22-23. A total of 520 contestants participated in an academic pre-test during the first two months of the year.

“She is very excited about going,” said Rachel Schlichting, Kelcey’s mother. “Kelcey is a very bright and outgoing little girl. She has been all her life.”

The Schlichtings found out about three weeks ago that Kelcey was a finalist in the event.
“We would like to take our entire family, so to have airline tickets and money for extra food, it will be quite expensive,” Rachel Schlichting said.

A brats and hot dogs fund-raiser for the trip will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. today at the Power House, 430 W. Elk St.

The fund-raiser also will include raffle tickets for a variety of donated items, including an assortment of gift certificates.

An account also has been set up in Kelcey’s name at SMB Bank. Donations may be made at any SMB Bank by mentioning Kelcey or Rachel Schlichting.