A Guilford Scholar looks it up!

“You can look it up!” becomes the answer to many of the questions third graders have when they have their own dictionaries.  Students from Piscataquis Elementary School in Guilford and SeDoMoCha in Dover Foxcroft can do just that after recently traveling to the Valley Grange Hall in Guilford for some lessons in history and to receive their own dictionary.

For the past seven years Valley Grange members have been providing dictionaries to third graders in the area. The local program is part of a nation-wide effort driven by the Dictionary Project—a non-profit organization based in South Carolina with a goal of assisting all students in completing the school year as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers by providing students with their own personal dictionary

Noting that Valley Grange has expanded the program to now include three districts, Valley Grange Master Jim Annis said, “This has been a fantastic program for us as an organization. It’s got us involved with the children and the schools where we can truly feel we are making a difference and have a lot of fun doing it!”

Program Director Walter Boomsma agrees and says “I never get tired of these kids’ enthusiasm. They just love the idea of having their own dictionary and in the program we do with them we try to get them to understand that they can own not only the dictionary but also all the words in it!”

Sergeant Boothroyd has the children's attention!

An added treat for the visiting students was Sergeant Eric Boothroyd, a civil war re-enactor from Dover Foxcroft. The Sergeant provides a bit of a history lesson and entertainment. He sets the stage for the students to understand how the Grange came into being shortly after the war and continues to be an organization about “people helping each other and the community.”

Boomsma estimates that Valley Grange will distribute around 180 dictionaries this year after traveling to Lagrange, Milo, and Brownville in November.  Parents of homeschooled children are urged to contact their local school or the Grange. Extra dictionaries are also available for children moving into the area.