Rutland South Rotary Brings Back Beloved Dictionary Project for Third Graders in Vermont

The Rutland South Rotary Club in Vermont has proudly resumed its long-running Dictionary Project, providing free personal dictionaries to third grade students across seven schools in Rutland County. After a three-year pause due to the pandemic, the 2024 distribution marks a celebrated return of a program that has made a lasting impact on students and educators alike.

Rotarians visited:

• Rutland Intermediate School

• Rutland Area Christian School

• Proctor Elementary

• Barstow Memorial School

• Rutland Town School

• Clarendon Elementary

• Christ the King School

Excited third graders at Rutland Intermediate School posed with their dictionaries and Rutland South Rotarians, smiling proudly with their new learning tool in hand.

The club shared this on Facebook:

“Project Dictionary has returned! After a 3-year hiatus due to the pandemic, we are once again distributing free dictionaries to 3rd grade classes. We love this event.”

Since joining The Dictionary Project in 2004, the Rutland South Rotary Club has now delivered more than 5,544 dictionaries to students throughout the region.

Providing students with their own reference book not only supports vocabulary development and reading comprehension, but also sparks curiosity and learning outside the classroom. In many cases, it may be the first book a child owns—making the gesture both educational and deeply personal.