Schools get donated dictionaries
December 3, 2008
By Laura Geggel
At 1,909 letters, it would take a paragraph to type the longest word in the English language. Still, all of the third-grade students in the Snoqualmie Valley School District can reference it if they so please — it’s printed on the last page of the new dictionaries they received from the Snoqualmie Valley Kiwanis Club.
This is the first year the Kiwanis Club has donated dictionaries to every third-grade student in the district. Last year, the club gave dictionaries to Opstad, Cascade View, North Bend and Snoqualmie elementary schools, while another organization provided Fall City Elementary with dictionaries. This year, the Kiwanis Club spent about $800 on more than 500 dictionaries for the 8- and 9-year-olds at all five elementary schools.
“Man, it is so much fun,” Kiwanis member Dave Humphrey said. “It is such a kick to walk in and give them the dictionaries.”
Kiwanis Vice President Paul Tredway said The Grange used to provide dictionaries to third graders. When The Grange stopped, the Kiwanis Club took up the task.
“We decided it was a perfect project for us because what the Kiwanis Club does naturally is help kids,” Tredway said. “The nice thing about it is, typically at that level, the teachers are beginning to teach about dictionaries.”
Julianna Buyers, a third-grade student at Opstad Elementary, said the dictionary would “help us spell and understand words.”
Her class was reviewing the “i before e, except after c” rhyme and the dictionary could help her verify the rule.
The dictionaries also included encyclopedia-like facts, including information about every country in the world, every state in America and every planet in the solar system.
Student Jack Venera looked up the weight of earth and found Washington state has an area of about 71,300 square miles.
Brendan Botten noticed the pronunciation key after every word and noted he would use it if he were unsure how to say a word.
Students are required to keep the dictionaries at school for the remainder of the school year, but many were excited at the prospect of taking it home in the summer.
During the presentation, Kiwanis Club members told the students about the service-oriented Builders Club at the middle-school level and Key Club at the high school.
“They want to know what Kiwanis is all about,” Tredway said.
Both he and Humphrey said they used dictionaries on a daily basis.
“You’re always looking up words to spell and certain meanings,” Tredway said. “Where I work, I tend to write a letter every once in awhile.”
Humphrey said he used his dictionary for gaming purposes.
“I do crossword puzzles every day,” Humphrey said. “As a result, I’m looking up words.”
Both Humphrey and his wife Penny look up words they come across. Soon, third graders across the Snoqualmie Valley may be picking up Humphrey’s habit.
Opstad third-grade teacher Sharon Piper said she and her students were grateful for the dictionaries.
“We have a big class, so it’s great for all of the kids to have a dictionary and be on the same page,” Piper said. “We’re going to be looking up a lot of words in there.”
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.
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