Over 375 Dictionaries Donated by the Rotary Club of Jasper

2015 marks the first year for the Rotary Club of Jasper to donate dictionaries. Holding true to The Dictionary Project’s mission, Don Holt, president of the Rotary club of Jasper expressed that, “We wanted to help children become good writers, active readers and creative readers by giving them their own dictionary.” The project is part of the local club’s Rotary Reads Literacy program. Jasper members donated A Student’s Dictionary & Animal Gazetteer because it includes facts about animals in their habitats on the seven continents. Punctuation, weights and measurements, maps of the world, periodic tables are some of the additional contents in the 570 page book. “Third grade, according to The Dictionary Project, is the best age for dictionary skills to be taught,” mentioned Rotarian Max Caylor. We believe it is a time when a student transitions from “learning to read to reading to learn.” Joeta Youngblood, Hill City Principal, also stated “students want to be actively engaged in their own learning and these dictionaries provide students with a developmentally appropriate learning tool.” “The Pickens County Central Office approved the dictionaries and encouraged us to give them to all third graders,” added Holt. Jasper Rotarians plan to make the third grade dictionary presentation an annual local service project. The Rotary Club of Jasper meets Wednesday noon at Chattahoochee Tech for lunch, fellowship and “service above self” to the community and the world. Rotary membership is open to the community and more information may be found visiting www.jaspergarotary.org.