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Rotarians donate dictionaries to Boardman schools
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Boardman Rotarians visited Market Street School on Feb. 10 to donate dictionaries to the school's third grade students. The Rotarians showed off the spiffy new dictionaries in a group photo along with Market Street principal Jim Stitt.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Boardman Rotarian Deborah Liptak talked to each third-grade classroom about the work of the Rotary. Liptak highlighted the Rotary's community events in Boardman that help raise money for projects like the Feb. 10 dictionary donation.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Third-grader Haley McMahan admired her new dictionary on Feb. 10. The dictionary was a gift from the Boardman Rotary during Right to Read Week at Market Street School.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Third-graders Trevor Mahoney (left) and Amber Howard showed each other some of the cool encyclopedia features in the back of a new dictionary they received from the Boardman Rotary on Feb. 10.
By SARAH FOOR
The Boardman Rotary capped Right To Read Week activities by offering a gift to every third-grader in the Boardman school district that will keep the power of words alive.
Throughout the week, the Rotarians donated dictionaries at Stadium Drive, West Boulevard and Robinwood Lane, and ended their donations with a visit to Market Street on Feb. 10.
Deborah Liptak, Boardman Rotarian and developing director for Mahoning County Libraries, talked to each third-grade classroom about the Rotary Club.
Liptak explained that the Rotary’s membership includes Boardman business owners and professionals, but that its ranks also include Jocko the Clown and karate teacher Master Park. Liptak said Rotary hosts fun events in the community to provide funding for projects like the dictionary donations.
“We believe in the power of reading and words, and we’re giving you these dictionaries in hopes that you’ll use them for many years. Maybe we’ll be seeing you in spelling bees after learning from your new dictionaries,” said Liptak.
Third-grade teacher Carolyn Nordgren said the donation couldn’t have come at a better time for her students.
“Right now, we’re learning about different reading and writing skills, and dictionaries are central to those lessons. These will be a really great resource for the students,” Nordgren told the Rotarians.
Rotary International has long held a mission to spread literacy throughout the world. On the local level, the Boardman Rotarians are happy that the dictionaries are particularly useful to third-graders in the district.
“Third-grade is when the students begin to understand and use dictionaries and many teachers review a unit on using them after we donate. It’s wonderful to provide for the students and it is truly one of our favorite projects,” Liptak explained.