Rotary gives third graders dictionaries

“We’ve got an early Christmas present for you,” said Sisters Rotary Club President Mike Bidasolo as his club handed out free dictionaries to all the third graders at Sisters Elementary School.

Last Thursday, December 8, more than 85 students lined up to get their gift titled “The Best Dictionary for Students.” Bidasolo pointed out the name plate in the front of the dictionary so students could make it their personal copy.

Students began looking through the pages for their favorite words. But Mickayla Hall didn’t know what word she would look up first because, “there are so many!”

“I love them – they’re cool!” said Hall, who was happy that her new smaller-sized dictionary would fit nicely in her desk.

At the end of the assembly, the third graders gave an enthusiastic “thank you!” to the Rotarians. Many of the third graders were familiar with Rotary. One said “they help out the schools a lot” and another said “they raise money.”

The Sisters Rotary Club has joined a national effort called The Dictionary Project which seeks to give a dictionary to every third grader. The nonprofit organization’s goal is to help students be good writers, active readers and creative thinkers by providing them with their own personal dictionary. The Dictionary Project states that third grade is the best age to give kids dictionaries so that looking up words becomes a life-long habit.

The Dictionary Project has distributed more than three million dictionaries to American school children by working with community groups such as Rotary. In Oregon so far this school year, more than 27,500 have been given to students.