Elks Lodge donates student dictionaries

More than 1,000 children in Cullman will receive a dictionary thanks to the generosity of the Cullman Elks Lodge, which participates in the Dictionary Project annually.

This is the fourth year the Cullman Elks Lodge has purchased student dictionaries for every third-grade student in the Cullman County School System, the Cullman City School System, as well as each local private school.

The goal of this program is to assist all students in completing the school year as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers by providing students with their own personal dictionary. The dictionaries are a gift to each student to use at school and at home for years to come.

Reading is the most important skill of all. It is the starting point for all the economic and social opportunities this world has to offer. Educators see third grade as the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn.

Through the Dictionary Project, people feel empowered to affect change and improve education so that the children will grow up better prepared to compete in the global economy.