Student’s Dictionaries for Benson West Elementary School

Ninety third-grade students said “Best of Luck, Bernie” with a cake and many, many ‘Thank You’ notes for Bernie Hedstrom, an Omaha Loveland Golden K Kiwanis member who has funded each of the students with a personal copy of “A Student’s Dictionary” for the last two years.
It is now time for Bernie to relocate to Raleigh, North Carolina, so that he can be closer to his family.
Bernie attended Benson West Elementary School during his early years and wanted to do something to help these students to read and learn. He also has provided hundreds of reading books to the first grade students during the last three years. According to Bernie, “In first grade, students learn to read; in the third grade, the students now read to learn.”
An exercise was also held to demonstrate technique for looking for answers by:
starting at the Dictionary’s ‘Table of Contents’,
then identifying the general topic;
then proceeding to the topic’s page number to review and select the information to answer their question.

One of the thank-you notes Bernie Hedstrom received from the third-grade students:

"Dear Mr. Headstrom
I thank you for every thing you did for our school and our family.
I’ll miss you when you are in North Carolina.
Tell your family I said it.
Sincerely,
Johnna
p.s. I love the books you gave me the last time you came. I (‘heart’) you so much x-x-x"