Service clubs arrive with free dictionaries
by PAUL HILKER – Staff Writer
Hundreds of Windsor third graders received early Christmas
presents this year, thanks to the combined efforts of the town’s
service clubs.
Each year, third grade students in Windsor receive the
dictionaries to help them improve their reading and language
skills.
This year, the Windsor Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs combined
efforts once again, donating over 400 dictionaries to third grade
students at Windsor Creek, Windsor Christian Academy and Cali
CalmŽcac Charter school.
“This is great fun,” said Kiwanis Club member Betty Stubbs
during the Dec. 12 ditionary giveaway at Cali. “The kids couldn’t
wait to get their hands on their new dictionaries.”
According to Cali CalmŽcac Principal Ginger Dale, third grade is
when the students really can benefit from a dictionary to
complement their reading skills.
“This is the perfect time for the kids to receive these
dictionaries. It gives them a great reference tool to use as they
learn basic reading skills,” said Dale.
This is the second year that all three service clubs have come
together to donate dictionaries, according to Jeff Smith, the
Windsor Rotary Club chair of the Dictionary Give-away Program.
The club members met in the multi-purpose room at Cali on
Thursday, Dec. 12 as 126 students anxiously waited for their
dictionaries.
Lucille Hynes, demonstrated how to use and care for the
dictionaries while the other club members helped students
individually.
“Don’t let your younger brothers and sisters use your new
dictionaries because they might destroy them,” said Windsor Lions
Club Treasurer Lucille Hynes.
The overall cost of all the dictionaries at all three schools
total about $3,500, according to Susan Morlian of the Windsor
Rotary Club.
“Our main focus of is on supporting local youth,” said Morlian.
“To see how happy and excited the kids were was just a treat. It
was like getting an early Christmas gift,” she said.
Adam Hendrickson, a student at Cali, said one of his favorite
subjects in school is writing and that his dictionary is a welcome
learning tool.
“Instead of writing the same words all the time, I can use the
thesaurus that’s in the dictionary,” said Hendrickson. “Plus we get
to take them home.”
The efforts of the three service clubs are invaluable, according
to Dale. “It’s good for the the students to see that adults in the
community care about them and support their education.”
