Jerseyville Rotary expands project

Dear Ms. French and Dictionary Project Staff Members:

After a few scheduling problems and several snow days our Dictionary Project for 2010-2011 was completed on Friday, 28 January, as club members delivered the final fourteen dictionaries to the combined third- and fourth-grade class of the Brussels Elementary School in Brussels, Illinois.

Two years ago we provided fewer than 300 dictionaries to pupils in eight schools. This year, working in teams of two or three, twenty-two individuals, approximately half of the members of our Club, delivered 500 dictionaries to teachers and students in the fifteen schools serving the area from which our Club draws its membership.

With a grant from Rotary District 6460 to help offset the cost of the project, our net expense was less than $1.25 for each dictionary placed in the hands of a student or a teacher. There are few better bargains to be found than the bargain that the Dictionary Project represents for both the students of our schools and the members of Rotary.

Yet the cost is hardly the greatest reason to celebrate this effort. The real reason is seen in the expressions on the faces of the students and their teachers when the children realize that these are their own dictionaries, not the dictionaries of the schools or the principals or the teachers. Last year, as we delivered to one small elementary school, the teacher showed us the well-worn classroom set of dictionaries the school had been using and said, "These dictionaries are only one year younger than I am. Thank you for these wonderful new ones." In the past few weeks club members have heard a number of the thank-you notes that these students and teachers have written, several of which we have enclosed for you to see. Rotary truly does bring its own version of Christmas to the children it serves through this project.

Sincerely yours,
Jill Boomer, Club President
Rick Borger, Dictionary Project Coordinator

Here is a sample of the thank-you letters the Club received from teachers and students:

Dear Rotary Club,

Thank you so much for your yearly donation of dictionaries to our classrooms here at East School. Our students treasure these dictionaries and I am sure they will use them for years to come. From looking up definitions, to learning the alphabet in sign language, to reading the biographies of presidents, these books sure do get used. Again, thanks for your generosity and all the good you do!

Sincerely,
Angie Noble

Dear Mr. Lewis, Mrs. Best, and Mrs. Sturgeon and the Jerseyville Rotary Club,

Thank you so much for the dictionaries you gave to us and each one of our third-grade students. We love our new dictionaries and appreciate you showing us how to use them. Thank you for your kindness and generosity.

Miss Suzanne Scott
Mrs. Duba, and the 3rd Grade Class, Carrollton Grade School

Dear Mr. Borger and Mr. Hurley,

Thank you so much for visiting our classroom. My students and I greatly appreciate the dictionaries you gave to us. Please extend our deepest gratitude to the Rotary Club. These dictionaries will certainly be a great benefit to the students throughout their scholastic careers!! God bless!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Maureen Tepen
& St. Mary School, Gr. 3

I really appreciate the dictionary. I was really exsited to have one. My favrote part was the longest word that has a lot of y’s. Anyway I really really appreciate that you came to my school thank you.

You freind,
Zane

Dear Rotary Club,

Thank you for the dictionaries. I use my dictionary to look up presedents and countries. I also reserch braille and sign language. I learn how to pronounce words like re-mon-strate and tran-gres-sion. If you asked me "what presedent was fourth" I can say "James Madison" and I found that on page 399. I can also tell you that the Capital of Hawaii is Honolulu. I found that on page 426. I use dictionaries to learn many things. I Love Dictionaries!

Your friend,
Karissa

Dear Rotary Club,

Thank you so much for the dictionaries I use them every day to learn about the planets I read about every one of them. And I use it for hard words. I like it because it is pretty easy to find words now I know the sign language alphabet. And I use the calendar a lot. I have never got the longest word ever right yet but I am still working on it.

Sincerely,
Ian

Thank you for the dictionaries. I found alot of stuff in thier like sign langage. My family likes that you gave dictionaries to the class.

William

Thank you for the dictionary! I will take good care of it I will use it during times I need it. My favorite thing is the l o n g e s t  w o r d. I like the prisident part too. And the map of Asia and Europe.

Sincerly,
Colton

Dear Rotary Culb,

Thank you so much for the dictionaries. I use mine to look up Planets, sign language, calender, and a lot more. I lean a lot out of that book. I take it home every day and then bring it back. Me and my friends test each other to find presidents names and how to do are name in sign language. It is fun.

Sincerly,
Abigail