Kuna Words for Thirds

 Wednesday will be an exciting day in Kuna for third grade classes! That’s because it’s the day Kuna Grange members host their annual Word for Thirds program. The Grange is proud to support The Dictionary Project through its Word for Thirds program. Through the tireless efforts of the Grange’s network of more than 300,000 volunteers nationwide, America’s oldest rural and agriculture organization has presented third grade students across the nation with more than 1.8 million dictionaries over the life of the program.
This year the Kuna Word for Thirds was graciously sponsored with contributions by Mayor Scott Dowdy, Councilman Richard Cardoza, the Kuna Melba News, the Meridian Kiwanis, Rob Morris #63 Order of the Eastern Star and the Kuna Grange #59. As a result of these contributions, 428 dictionaries will be provided to third grade students throughout Kuna. This is a wonderful community service event also supported by Jay Hummel, Superintendent of the Kuna School System. It’s very possible Superintendent Hummel may be seen at a classroom book delivery or two!
State Grange and Kuna Grange President Don Johnson and First Lady Mary Johnson will be accompanied by other Grangers and visiting with teachers and students during the book delivery. A tradition in Kuna schools, it is not uncommon for a third grader to remember when their older brother or sister received their personal dictionary, and they themselves have been looking forward to this rite of passage. This project emphasizes to children the importance of spelling words correctly. The goal of the program is to assist third grade students to complete the school year as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers.
All too often in today’s electronic world, people rely on spell check and lose the ability to self identify mistakes in writing. For example, take a gander at the marketing material for several recent political campaigns, and you’ll see even adults could benefit by a quick thumbing through an actual dictionary. For real.
If you have a third grader in Kuna, please thank the contributors to this project, and while you’re at it, ask your third grader what word they learned is the longest word in the dictionary!