South Berwick-Eliot Rotary Club Revives Dictionary Project for Local Third Graders

SOUTH BERWICK & ELIOT, ME — After a brief pause due to COVID-19, the South Berwick-Eliot Rotary Club has proudly revived its long-running Dictionary Project, distributing over 150 dictionaries to local third-grade students.

This year, every third grader at Central School in South Berwick and Eliot Elementary School in Eliot received their very own copy of a student dictionary.

Promoting Literacy Through Community Engagement

The Dictionary Project is part of Rotary’s global mission to support basic education and literacy. The program encourages students to become strong readers and writers by giving them a tool they can use every day.

Five Rotary members visited classrooms to hand-deliver the dictionaries. They explained how a dictionary isn’t just for finding word definitions—it also contains maps, historical facts, and more. Each dictionary included a personalized label with the Rotary motto and space for each student to sign their name.

Adding a Magical Touch

Rotary members Richard Donhauser and Robin Wheeler made the visits even more memorable by performing magic tricks for the students. Their performance brought smiles and excitement to the classrooms, adding an extra layer of joy to the educational gift.

Meanwhile, Rotarians Stan Shapleigh, Dan Ammons, and Skip Cousens led fun quizzes using content from the dictionaries. These interactive moments helped students understand the value of their new resource in a hands-on way.

A Welcome Return for a Beloved Tradition

“This tradition has gone on for years,” the club shared. “We missed a few due to COVID, but in recognition of our support for literacy, we brought it back.”

The South Berwick-Eliot Rotary Club is thrilled to reintroduce this meaningful project, strengthening community ties and supporting local education—one dictionary at a time.