Dictionary Project

The Marietta Morning Rotary Club provides a dictionary to every third grade student in Washington County through The Dictionary Project. The goal of the Dictionary Project is to assist students in becoming good writers, active readers, creative thinkers, and resourceful learners by providing them with their own personal dictionary. 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. By providing these dictionaries, the hope is to help the students improve their communication skills and make the most of their education.

Third grade students in the following schools receive dictionaries:

Belpre Elementary
Beverly-Center Elementary
Harmar Elementary
Lawrence Elementary
Little Hocking Elementary
Lowell Elementary
Marietta Bible School
New Matamoras Elementary
Newport Elementary
Phillips Elementary
Putnam Elementary
Salem-Liberty Elementary
St. John Central Grade School
St. Mary's Catholic School
Veritas Classical Academy
Washington Elementary
Warren Elementary
Waterford Elementary

Members of the Marietta Morning Rotary Club deliver the dictionaries to classroom and meet with the students and teachers. Seeing the joy on a child's face when they receive their very own dictionary is unforgettable. Growing up in an Appalachian county, many families in the Marietta area struggle to afford basic school supplies. In some cases, the struggle to provide for their family reduces the parental focus on the importance of education and love of language. By providing something as simple as a dictionary, the Club hope to instill in the students the importance of mastering language and vocabulary, along with the pride in owning their very own, and often first, dictionary. Some children may not even know what a dictionary is, or may not have access to a book at home, so receiving a dictionary is an amazing experience for both the children and the Rotarian that delivers it.