Berwick and Eliot students happy with new dictionaries

By: Jennifer Houghton & Gil Lutz e-mail
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Donor: Rotary Club of South Berwick / Eliot

I`m writing on behalf of one of my fellow Rotarians, Gil Lutz.  He is an incredibly talented photographer and recently took some photos at a presentation of dictionaries to local third graders.  When  I saw the image captured below it took my breath away, and I thought the photo spoke a thousand words about your incredible project. Good luck in the future, and we are happy to be a part of your efforts.
Jen Houghton
South Berwick Eliot Rotary

They can find a word to express appreciation

By: Greg Davis The Franklin Journal
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Donor: Wilson Grange # 321

In these days of laptop computers, electronic media of all types, and spell checks, it is refreshing to see children excited about something such as a dictionary.

That was the case last Friday when representatives of the Wilson Grange # 321 presented 50 dictionaries to third graders at Academy Hill School.

Continuing a program that started in South Carolina in 1995 and was conducted locally by the Farmington Grange last year, the literacy effort has grown to include a goal of making sure all third graders in the U. S. receive a dictionary, with the help of local sponsors such as the Grange.

The pocket book, Webster`s...

Valley Grange honors Guilford Primary School at Grange Month celebration

By: Walter Boomsma press release
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Donor: Valley Grange # 144

April 2010 has been declared as `Grange Month,` and Valley Grange is inviting community members to join the celebration. `For over 140 years, the Grange has worked to advance the interest of rural Americans by providing a legislative voice for their political concerns and by showing them how to strengthen their neighborhoods through community service,`

Valley Grange Master Jim Annis said. `During Grange Month, we want our community to know that the Grange is a living organization that has a lot to offer it.`

Program Leader Walter Boomsma notes that this year`s program will break from tradition a bit. `For a number of year...

Grange presents students with dictionaries

By: Stuart Hedstrom The Piscataquis Observer
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Donor: Valley Grange # 144

Third graders and teachers at the Milo Elementary School were each given a dictionary by the Valley Grange of Guilford on November 20 as part of the Grange`s Words for Thirds Dictionary Project.

The Words for Thirds Dictionary Project helps to improve the reading ability and comprehension of all children, and encourages the third graders to use dictionaries so they will be able to use the English language more effectively. Students are able to keep their dictionaries after the end of the school year to use throughout their academic careers.

Valley Grange Lecturer and Program Director Walter Boomsma, who was joined by Grange M...

East Madison Grange visits three schools

By: Catherine Edgerly letter
Monday, November 23, 2009
Donor: East Madison Grange # 228

Dictionary Project,

We have been giving out dictionaries for the past six years and it is always a joy to watch the children look through the books. We give to MSAD 59 School District and to Cornville Elementary. MSAD 59 includes both Madison Elementary with three classrooms and Athens Elementary. We give around 90 books a year.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to help the area children.

Sincerely,

Cathy Edgerly

Master of East Madison Grange

Local Students Receive Free Dictionaries

By: Walter Boomsma press release
Friday, November 06, 2009
Donor: Valley Grange # 144

`I like the Valley Grange because it was old in a new way,`

third grader McKenna wrote after her recent field trip. McKenna was one of over a hundred area students who recently visited Valley Grange in Guilford as part of the Grange`s program to provide personal dictionaries to third graders. For the students from SeDoMoCha it was their third year receiving dictionaries, but the first time they ventured to the Grange Hall. Guilford Primary School students attended a similar program sponsored jointly by Valley Grange and South Sangerville Grange. This was the sixth year GPS students received dictionaries and their third tr...

Portside Rotary - Dictionary Project

By: Seacoastonline.com
Friday, October 23, 2009
Donor: Rotary Club of Kennebunk Portside

Portside Rotarians visited Consolidated School in Kennebunkport on Wednesday, September 23rd and visited Kennebunk Elementary School on Friday, September 25th to distribute over 150 dictionaries to the 3rd graders. Sue Gesing of Portside Rotary initiated the project and followed through with a grant award from Rotary District Simplified Grant. The dictionaries have a personalized label with each student`s name on the inside cover. Portside Rotary supported this local project with welcome response from the schools.

Rotary`s Goals for the Dictionary Project:

1. Support literacy through the development of good reading skills.Click to read full story ...

Rotary Presents Dictionaries to Third Graders

By: Photo by Trish Logan Local Newspaper
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Donor: Oxford Hills Rotary Club
Category: Newpaper Photo

Portside Rotarians visited Consolidated School in Kennebunkport on Wednesday, September 23rd and visited Kennebunk Elementary School on Friday, September 25th to distribute over 150 dictionaries to the 3rd graders. Sue Gesing of Portside Rotary initiated the project and followed through with a grant award from Rotary District Simplified Grant. The dictionaries have a personalized label with each student`s name on the inside cover. Portside Rotary supported this local project with welcome response from the schools.

Rotary`s Goals for the Dictionary Project:

1. Support literacy through the development of good reading skills.Click to read full story ...

Rotary Club of Breakwater Daybreak gives dictionaries to 3rd grade students

By: Ilse Yanis press release
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Donor: Rotary Club of Breakwater Daybreak

Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Breakwater Daybreak, South Portland- Cape Elizabeth, visited third grade students attending Dyer, Brown, Small, Kaler, and Skillin Elementary Schools and presented them with personal dictionaries.



Ilse Yanis, who spearheaded the project, asked the students `How many of you like to read?`

Their hands flew up. She talked to the students about the importance of literacy and that reading is one of the most important skills that they will ever learn. The goal is to help you leave the end of the school year as good spellers, active readers ...

Victory Grange shares thank-you letters

By: Irene Gray letter
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Donor: Victory Grange # 538

Victory Grange received many letters of thanks from students and teachers at Dedham School and Orland School for this year`s gift of dictionaries.

Valley Grange sponsors Newspapers in Education ad contest

By: Walter Boomsma e-mail communication
Monday, March 23, 2009
Donor: Valley Grange # 144

Our local paper (The Piscataquis Observer) does an annual `Newspapers in Education` supplement in which local school students design advertisements for local businesses. In the past, most of the ads are designed by `older kids.` Since we at Valley Grange in Guilford are always looking for connections and synergies within our community and schools, we decided to try an experiment.


We agreed we`d participate in the program but decided to give the opportunity to second and third graders at Guilford Primary School because it`s one of the schools where we give dictionaries. We also do...

Lagrange students send thank-you note to Valley Grange

By: Cook School third grade e-mail communication
Monday, March 02, 2009
Donor: Valley Grange #144

Thanks so much for coming to the Cook School and presenting us with the dictionaries.



We loved your visit and learning about how to find words.



Jordan, Hunter, Matthew , Justin, Eddie, Levi, Misty, Levi, Kortnie, Emma, Frank,

Mrs. Johnston, and Mrs. Weston
...

Valley Grange shares love of learning and community service with students

By: Walter Boomsma press release
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Donor: Valley Grange # 144

Some 60 third grade students from School Administrative District # 41 recently received a personal dictionary thanks to Valley Grange of Guilford. A team of Grangers led by Walter Boomsma traveled to Lagrange, Milo and Brownville to provide the students with some information about the Grange and teach a few basic dictionary skills.

`The label in the front where the kids write their name says `This book and all the words in it belong to`,` noted Boomsma. `We want the kids to experience the fun and excitement of discovering those words and learning in general. We also want them to understand `community` and realize that there are p...

Grange gives gifts of words to Milo third-graders

By: Stuart Hedstrom The Piscataquis Observer
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Donor: Valley Grange

Third graders and teachers at the Milo Elementary School were each given a dictionary by the Valley Grange of Guilford on February 26 as part of the Grange`s Words for Thirds Dictionary Project.

The Words for Thirds Dictionary Project helps to improve the reading ability and comprehension of all children, and encourages the third graders to use dictionaries so they will be able to use the English language more effectively. Students are able to keep their dictionaries after the end of school year to use throughout their academic careers.

Valley Grange lecturer and program director Walter Boomsma, who was joined by several othe...

West Minot Grange in sixth year of dictionary project

By: David Gilpatric letter
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Donor: West Minot Grange # 42

West Minot Grange # 42 voted to purchase Student Dictionaries for the Minot Consolidated School. This is our sixth consecutive year. We, Hester and David Gilpatric, were privileged to deliver these to each student and their teacher Mrs. Shea on the 17th of November 2008.

The Dictionary Project is available worldwide. Its goal here in the U.S. is to provide a low cost dictionary for every 3rd grader. This dictionary, in case lots, costs about $1.70 each, including shipping.

Students are encouraged to become familiar with its entire contents: presidential biographies, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, our ...

Wordsmiths in the making: Frisbee Elementary School third-graders embrace their new dictionaries

By: Josh Rosenson Foster's Daily Democrat
Friday, December 19, 2008
Donor: Kittery Rotary Club

Frisbee Elementary School third-graders had their faces buried in their new dictionaries Tuesday morning after the Kittery Rotary Club presented one to every student.

Tuesday marked the third year of the local Rotary`s Dictionary Project, aimed at promoting literacy.

Since 1999, Rotarian and Kittery Police Lt. Russ French said Rotary clubs have given out more than 1 1/2 million dictionaries around the world.

Shane, 9, has ambitious goals after receiving his dictionary.

`I`m going to try to learn all the words in the dictionary, and I`m going to try to learn all the sign language because I want to stop talking as mu...

Guilford Primary School third graders get dictionaries

By: Walter Boomsma press release
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Donor: Valley Grange & South Sangerville Grange

`It`s like a church – a place where you meet,` answered one third grader from Guilford Primary School when Walter Boomsma, program director for Valley Grange in Guilford, asked the students what they knew about the Grange. The students didn`t know it yet, but they were visiting the Grange Hall to receive their own personal dictionaries from Valley and South Sangerville Grange members as part of the `Words for Thirds` Project.


Since 2004 the Granges have worked together to purchase dictionaries for GPS students. This is the second year the students have visited the Grange Hall as part of the program. Boomsma introduced student...

Portland third graders grateful to local Elks

By: Lorna Endreson email communication
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Donor: Portland Elks Lodge # 188

Portland Elks Lodge 188 got a Gratitude Grant from Grand Lodge and used it to buy dictionaries to be donated to third graders.  We gave 221 dictionaries to four schools in Portland, Maine (Longfellow Elementary, Lyseth Elementary, Hall School and West School).  We also donated 20 dictionaries to Bridgton Elementary in Bridgton, Maine.

Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club gives dictionaries to local students

By: Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club keepMEcurrent.com
Friday, October 10, 2008
Donor: Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club

Rotarians from the Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club recently visited local third grade classrooms to talk to the students about the importance of literacy. While visiting the schools, the Rotarians surprised the students with a brand new dictionary to bring home and use.
Third graders at Biddeford Primary and St. James schools in Biddeford, C.K. Burns and Notre Dame de Lourdes schools in Saco and Jameson Elementary School in Old Orchard Beach all received dictionaries through the Rotary Club`s Dictionary Project. Rotary International participates in The Dictionary Project, a nationwide initiative designed to assist all students in completing ...

Grange Bookworms Wiggle into G.P.S.

By: - press release
Friday, February 01, 2008
Donor: Valley Grange

Guilford Primary School students have wormed their way into the into the hearts and minds of members of the Valley Grange, and those members are in turn wiggling into the school to help students with their reading skills. At least twice a week, a different member of the Valley Grange shows up at the school to help teachers and students by simply listening to and encouraging students to read to them.

`It`s just a natural next step for us as an organization,` said Walter Boomsma, Program Director for Valley Grange. `This year the third graders made a field trip to the Grange Hall in conjunction with the Dictionary Project we co-spons...

Grange gives dictionaries to GPS third graders

By: Stuart Hedstrom - Staff Writer Observer Story
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Donor: Valley Grange 144

GUILFORD - Third-graders at Guilford Primary School (GPS) traveled to Valley Grange 144 of Guilford on Nov. 14 where each student was given a dictionary by the Valley Grange and the South Sangerville Grange as part of the two organization`s Words for Thirds Dictionary Project.
The Words for Thirds Dictionary Project helps to improve the reading ability and comprehension of all children, and encourages the third-
graders to use dictionaries so they will be able to use the English lan-guage more effectively. Students are able to keep their dictionaries
after the end of the school year to use throughout their academic careers.
A nu...

Victory Grange proud of project

By: Irene Gray
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Donor: Victory Grange #538

The accompanying photo shows dictionaries being presented to the Dedham School children by our Lecturer Irene Gray.  Our Overseer Ralph Remick presented dictionaries to the children in Orland School.  This is a great project done by Victory Grange #538 and we are very proud to be part of it.      

News from Valley Grange #144 - Guilford

By: Walter Boomsma, Publicity Director The Maine Granger – December 2007 Issue
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Donor: South Sangerville & Valley Grange #144

We had an incredible Dictionary Project presentation this year... and made statewide television news! I do have the news story on DVD and would be happy to send a copy to the appropriate party if there`s interest. The reporter/cameraperson really did a great story!








There may not be Grange Paparazzi, but it started to feel a little bit like it. Calls and emails have been coming in from all over the state - and not just from Grangers. `Hey, I saw you on television!` No, the Hollywood contracts haven`t arrived and at least so far no one is packing for Hollywood. Besides, the kid...

Rotary donates dictionaries to Old Orchard Beach students

By: Karen Chasse Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Donor: Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club

YORK COUNTY , MAINE – The Rotarians from the Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club recently visited local third graders to talk to them about the importance of literacy. While visiting they surprised them with a brand new dictionary to bring home and use throughout their education. Approximately 700 third graders received dictionaries through the Dictionary Project in the following schools: Biddeford Primary, C.K. Burns in Saco, Dayton Consolidated, Jameson Elementary in Old Orchard Beach, Mildred L. Day in Arundel, Notre Dame de Lourdes in Saco and St. James in Biddeford.



The Dictionary Project is a non-profit organi...

Grange in Action

By: Joanne Dority, Grange Secretary The Ellsworth American
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Donor: Mariaville Grange

Mariaville Grange, located in Mariaville , Maine , was founded on Oct. 4, 1904, and at that time the members were from the towns of Otis and Mariaville. From the beginning this Grange flourished, and with hard work and many, many fundraising events over those first three decades, they decided to build a new Hall. Work was started in 1941. In 1945 the Grange was able to burn its mortgage, as they had successfully built and paid approximately $5,000 during those 4 short years.

Dances were held every Saturday night during the summer and fall months to raise this money and continued through the 50`s and 60`s....

Victory Grange relishes children`s excitement

By: Irene Gray
Monday, January 15, 2007
Donor: Victory Grange #538

Victory Grange #538 distributes dictionaries each year to Orland and Dedham third graders. The children are all excited when we make the presentations. We walk them through the use of the dictionaries and ask them to look up words and definitions. We always leave a few extra books with the teachers and the librarian.

We received thank you notes from the children that mentioned their enjoyment in playing `Stump the Teacher` with their dictionaries. A note from teachers Mrs. Swazey and Mrs. Marancik explained, `Kids look up words and write the word and page on one side of an index card, and on the other side write the definition. ...

Grange continues Dictionary Project for fourth year

By: David E. Gilpatric, Grange Lecturer
Monday, October 16, 2006
Donor: West Minot Grange #42

Hester and David Gilpatric recently visited Minot Consolidated School, delivering 28 new student dictionaries. They were a gift to the third graders from the Dictionary Project and West Minot Grange #42. This is the fourth year that the Grange has sponsored dictionaries as a community service project.

In addition to the word list, the dictionary also contains: information on all of the U.S. Presidents, American Flag etiquette, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and amendments, US and world maps, weights and measures, rules of punctuation, and more! The cost per student is under $1.50. This is a great community service project.Click to read full story ...

Definitive book

Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Donor: York Elks Lodge #2788

The York Elks Lodge 2788 presented all third-graders at Coastal Ridge Elementary School with dictionaries last week as part of the Dictionary Project.  The Elks donated 192 books in all--161 to the students and eight to teachers [with the remainder going to classroom libraries and the school library].  Eight students accepted the books from Elks Lodge Leading Knight Jack Clines and were sent back to their classrooms to tell their schoolmates about the project.   

Danville Junction Grange #65 donates dictionaries to local third-graders

By: Joyce M. MacDonald letter
Monday, April 17, 2006
Donor: Danville Junction Grange #65

   These pictures show the distributing of dictionaries at Walton and Fairview schools in Auburn, Maine by our community service committee, Joyce M. MacDonald and Franklin McAlister. These books mean so much to these 3rd graders.

Volunteer: They can look it up

Monday, October 17, 2005
Donor: Rotary Club of South Berwick

ELIOT, Maine - Eight-year-old Drew, defined a dictionary Friday. `It`s a book that`s in alphabetical order with most common words and some words not common. It tells what they mean,` he said before he received a dictionary of his very own.
Erin, another third-grader in Lisa Hippern`s class, said, `It`s a book with all words and what they mean. Some have pictures over the words.`

Rotary Club of South Berwick, local partners in the national Dictionary Project, presented passports to knowledge to 79 students Friday at Eliot Elementary and to 116 Thursday at Central School. The goal is to help third-grade teachers...