CARDINGTON — Third grade students in Morrow County Schools have received dictionaries from the Rotary Club, a tradition that began nationally in 1992.

Gil Ullom, chairman of the program with the Cardington Rotary Club said he has delivered 267 dictionaries to four Morrow County schools.

They include Cardington-Lincoln, 71; Gilead Christian, four; Highland, 103 and Mount Gilead, 78. He delivered an extra three to each school for any new students who may enter the school later.

The Galion Rotary Club delivered dictionaries to Northmor.

Ullom said the goal of the program is to assist all students in becoming good writers, active readers, creative thinkers and resourceful learners by providing them with their own personal dictionary.

The Rotary mission statement notes: “The dictionaries are a gift to each student to use at school and at home for years to come. Educators see third grade as the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn, so we encourage our sponsors to give dictionaries each year to children in the third grade.”

Ullom urged each student to put their names in the dictionaries and leave them in the school for the duration of the school term.

Since its implementation in 1995, over 31 million children have received dictionaries because thousands of people saw the same need in communities all over the United States.

The program has been adopted and refined by individuals, businesses, and civic organizations all over the country. Groups such as the Rotary Club, Kiwanis Clubs, Elks Lodges, Granges, Lions Clubs, the Republican Federation of Women, Pioneer volunteers and parent organizations have implemented the Dictionary Project where they live.

Anyone can participate in this project by sponsoring a program to provide dictionaries to children in their community.

Cardington third grade student Sofia Ritter said, “I love it,” when she received her dictionary and Michael Baker said, “I’ll use it to look up words I don’t know.”

Cardington’s third grade teachers are Dawn Ruehrmund, Janet Sedlacek Katlyn Schafer and Morgan Gompf. The teachers noted, “The dictionaries are used each week to look up spelling words. We are so thankful to the Rotary Club.”

These are some of the Cardington-Lincoln third grade students who received dictionaries from the Cardington Rotary Club. From left: Sofia Ritter, Michael Baker, Carly Whitaker and Lane Carrigan.
https://www.morrowcountysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2020/09/web1_Third-grade-dictionairy-recipients-2020.jpgThese are some of the Cardington-Lincoln third grade students who received dictionaries from the Cardington Rotary Club. From left: Sofia Ritter, Michael Baker, Carly Whitaker and Lane Carrigan. Courtesy Photo

By Evelyn Long

The Sentinel