Carmel Lions dictionary distribution

Four members (Jim Colter, Alice Gossett, Jane Flower, and Carl Nelson) of the Carmel Lions Club distributed 236 books from The Dictionary Project to the students at Forest Dale Elementary School and Prairie Trace Elementary School in Carmel, Indiana, on Wednesday, May 18, 2011.

Jim Colter, President of the Carmel Lions Club, gave a brief presentation about the purpose of the Lions Club. He introduced Carl Nelson who briefly explained to the students about The Dictionary Project and about the use of a dictionary in school and in everyday life. Each of the students were presented with their own personal copy of the dictionary. After the students received their dictionaries, Mr. Nelson posed the following question to them: How many letters are in the longest word in the English language? Several of the students immediately located the answer on the last page of their dictionaries. Answer: 1,909 letters. One student even attempted to pronounce the word. At one of the schools the students requested each of the Carmel Lions Club members present to autograph their new books. We were quite flattered and honored the students’ requests.

I believe that we brought a lot of excitement, fun, and joy to a great group of students. I am quite sure that the books will have a great impact on these students’ lives now and in the future.

The smiles on these children’s faces today were priceless!