Rotary Sponsors Dictionaries for Students

LENOIR, NC (March 11, 2022) – Rotarians from the Lenoir and Caldwell Clubs visited elementary schools this week and presented dictionaries to all third and fourth-grade students. Rotary International Clubs support this effort by purchasing dictionaries and distributing them to students in their communities.

“When you are first starting school you learn to read,” said Paul Brandenburg, Lenoir Rotarian, “but when you’re in the third grade and older you read to learn.”

Typically, the dictionaries are earmarked for third graders but due to restrictions in schools last year caused by the pandemic, the Rotary Club purchased enough books for both third and fourth grade classes this school year.

Altogether, more than 24 million dictionaries have been presented to students nationwide since the inception of the program in 1992. This year the Caldwell Rotary Club and the Lenoir Rotary Club procured more than 1400 dictionaries to give to Caldwell County Schools students.

Rotarians presented the dictionaries in front of enthusiastic groups of students who enjoyed personalizing their dictionaries and learning the Rotary Four-Way Test, an ethical code for personal and business relationships:

1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

They also discovered features in the dictionary besides words, language rules and definitions, such as multiplication tables, American history, sign language, metrics/weights, and much more.

Kings Creek principal Melissa Costin expressed her appreciation for these educational gifts.

“A big thank you goes out to the Rotarians in our community for providing dictionaries for every third and fourth-grader this year,” Costin said.

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