Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Valley Grange Teams are currently celebrating Dictionary Days and Words for Thirds with area schools.WABI-TV5 caught up with the team at Ridgeview Elementary School in Dexter.
To learn more about the Guilford Grange’s Project, visit the Valley Grange Website or Facebook Page.
Valley Grange #144 of Guilford recently announced the schedule for its 2025 Words for Thirds Dictionary Project. The local Grange’s program is in its 21st year and has provided over 4,000 dictionaries to third-grade students in four area school districts. The presentations include some Grange history and an introduction to some basic dictionary skills.
Valley Grange Program Director Walter Boomsma notes, “In this age of technology, it’s inspiring to see the kids’ enthusiasm when getting their very own paper dictionary.” He also noted that a recent newsletter from the Dictionary Project reported that Sweden has shifted its emphasis from electronics back to “real” books, after seeing its fourth-grade reading scores tank.
“We’ve always said that third grade marks a critical difference. In earlier grades, students are learning to read. In third grade, they start reading to learn.”
Grange teams will be visiting SeDoMoCha Elementary in Dover Foxcroft on November 3rd, Ridgeview Elementary on November 5th, Brownville Elementary on November 10th, Harmony Elementary on November 12th, and Piscataquis Community Elementary on November 13th.
Boomsma notes that he particularly enjoys introducing the students to the word “steward” because it emphasizes the importance of making good use of resources, as well as the title of an officer in every Grange. “We challenge them to make good use of their new dictionaries and love hearing their ideas for how they will do that.”
Valley Grange President Jim Annis says, “For many kids, getting their dictionary is a rite of passage.” He loves telling the story of meeting two third graders who explained to him that this is the year they get their dictionaries. Last year, a student at Ridgeview expressed surprise that he was receiving a gift, even though it wasn’t his birthday.
Happy Dictionary Day!
The picture doesn’t do it justice! It barely fit in the scanner. It came from fifth-grade students and teachers at Ridgeview Community School in Dexter. The inside was filled with signatures, hearts, and the message, “Thank you for donating warm gear for us to wear outside this winter.”
We love our kids!
And we thank our Blistered Finger Knitters for making it possible to do this in our area schools. Remember, you don’t have to be a Grange Member to help! We’ll even provide the yarn, thanks to the donations we’ve received from our supporters. Contact Mary Annis (564-0820) or Pat Engstrom (564-8290) for more information.
Please note that there is one correction to the story–The Dictionary Project has actually distributed 37,000,000 dictionaries in total!