GAINESVILLE - More than 60 Gainesville Kiwanis Club members recently began visiting all 25 elementary schools in Gainesville and Hall County to give every third-grader a dictionary to call their own.
In all, more than 2,700 copies are being distributed.
The idea for providing them with a personal dictionary did not originate with the local club, according to Kiwanis Dictionary Committee Chairman Lorrie Schrage, but where it has been carried out in other states for several years it has helped make a "measurable difference" in the reading and writing skills of the students.
This is the second year the Gainesville Kiwanis Club has blanketed the local public schools with dictionaries and as far as the club knows it is the only program of its kind in the state.
Actually, the books are more than just a dictionary. They also contain a section giving basic information about each state, the U.S. and data that is often needed in elementary school educational programs.
The Kiwanis Club sponsors a number of programs for area students, Kiwanis President Joel Williams noted, "but over the long pull this one has the potential for reaching and helping a very large number of students." High school Key Clubs, service clubs sponsored by Kiwanis, unpacked and placed local labels in each of the books bing distributed this year.
"We were highly pleased with the response from the third grade teachers," said last year's Kiwanis Club President, Counte Cooley, "and the thank you notes we got from the third graders themselves was one of the highlights of the year."
Friday
October 11th, 2024
8:25PM
