Tag: The Dictionary Project

Valley Grange is “almost ready” for 2026 Dictionary Days

Valley Grange is located in Guilford, Maine.

We had hats and mittens to bag and cases of dictionaries to label. It doesn’t look very organized, but we are getting ready! We contacted the schools with a calendar of available dates.

We’re steadily marching towards Dictionary Day 2026 for our kids and schools. In fact, we already have some dates. It will be Dictionary Day on

We include hats and mittens made by our Blistered Finger Knitters.
  • Friday, November 13 at Harmony Elementary School in Harmony
  • Monday, November 16 at Piscataquis Community School in Guilford
  • Thursday, November 19 at Brownville Elementary School in Brownville
  • Tuesday, November 24 at SeDoMoCha Elementary School in Dover-Foxcroft.
  • Friday, December 4 at Ridgeview Elementary School in Dexter.

We’re ready to recruit our Valley Grange Teams to assist. You don’t have to be a member to help! Team members help unload, bring items inside, and carry things back out! During the presentation, you’ll be introduced and help when it’s time to hand out individual dictionaries. If you’re comfortable, it can be a lot of fun helping individual kids look up words. If you’re interested, email Walter or call him at (207) 343-1842.

There are many ways you can help Valley Grange and our communities. We can use your

  • Talent: Our “Blistered Finger Knitters” can help us with knitting hats and mittens for our schools to use with kids. For more information, contact Mary Annis, Community Service Chair, at (207) 564-0820.
  • Treasure: The well pump failed at our hall this year and our costs keep increasing. If you can help with a donation, send it to Mary Annis, Secretary of Valley Grange, 28 Orchard Road, Dover Foxcroft, ME 04426
  • Time: Dictionary Day Team Members email Walter or call him (207) 343-1842 to learn more! (There are also some other small jobs we could use help with!

Words for Thirds Recognition

The Dictionary Project recently recognized Valley Grange‘s Words for Thirds Project in their “Word of the Day” newsletter. The Word of the Day was “excel.” We strive to do so, and we encourage our students to do the same.

By the way, the dictionaries for this year are arriving today! Dictionary Days are coming soon to Brownville, Harmony, Piscataquis Community, Ridgeview, and SeDoMoCha Elementary Schools.

Photo and quotes from a WABI-TV 5 News Report.

Visit the MSG Words for Thirds Resource Page to learn how your Grange can do this!

Words for Thirds

By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director

Our resource pages are officially available! We’d hoped to have an interview available but experienced some complications and didn’t want to wait!

There are still a few items we’re finishing up, but you’ll find plenty you can use. We have sample labels, helpful documents such as press releases and parent letters, emails you can use with teachers, and an easy way to get your customized Words for Thirds Logo.

Words for Thirds Resources

There’s still time! Ocean View Grange in Port Clyde is planning to visit their third graders next week! Master Larry Bailey and Chaplain Terry Bomba have the distinct honor of handing out the dictionaries and seeing the kids get “wound up.”

We’re working on more resources and ideas. If you need or want something that we haven’t thought of, let me know. I’d love to help your Grange put some dictionaries and all the words in them in the hands of your local third-graders!

Words for Thirds by any other name

While the Grange calls it “Words for Thirds,” many organizations and businesses are involved in The Dictionary Project. Heather Rank of the Fargo-Moorhead Rotary Club provided a wonderful video demonstrating their efforts. We think it’s great that a kid does the interviews! It gets a little noisy in places, so you may want to turn on closed captioning.

If your Grange is not involved in Words for Thirds, you miss a huge opportunity! There are so many benefits, and it’s fun! Check out our pages of resources to help. Let us know if you’re interested or have any questions. The third-graders in your community are waiting!

Valley Grange and Local Schools Celebrate Dictionary Day

Guilford–A team of Valley Granger members led by Walter Boomsma is delivering nearly 250 dictionaries to local area schools during the next several weeks. “We have a lot to celebrate,” he noted, “third graders in the area are celebrating tools, words, and the importance of learning and getting their own dictionary to keep.”

The Grange began its “Words for Thirds” Program in 2004 by giving a dictionary to every third-grader at the then-Guilford Primary School. Over the years, the program has expanded to include Piscataquis Community, SeDoMoCha, Brownville, Harmony, and Ridgeview Elementary Schools. Boomsma estimates the Grange has distributed nearly 4,000 dictionaries since. “But it’s really not about the numbers. One kid, one dictionary. The stories are many, but each one is personal. A dictionary can make a big difference in a child’s life.”

Grangers visit schools to make the gift personal and emphasize the importance of people helping each other. Jim Annis, president of the local Grange, rarely misses a presentation. “I love how excited the kids get. These dictionaries are truly empowering, and the program has become a rite of passage. We’re glad we can continue the tradition.”

Boomsma noted that these sorts of connections and cooperation within the community are exactly what the Grange hopes to facilitate. “We’re all about building strong kids and communities,” he said. “We’re also looking for people who share that passion, whether it’s working with the schools and children or seniors or other community organizations.” He cites the Grange’s Blistered Finger Knitters as an example. “As a result of their efforts, we distribute some knitted hats and mittens along with the dictionaries. These are usually given to the school nurse for kids needing little help staying warm.”

“The kids get excited about the books, but I think for most, it’s about more than just getting a dictionary. It’s also about seeing that organizations and individuals in the community care for each of them and want them to succeed.”

The Dictionary Project is based in North Carolina, making low-cost dictionaries available to organizations like the Grange to aid third-grade teachers in their goal to see all their students leave at the end of the year as good writers, active readers, and creative thinkers. Extra dictionaries are always available for new or home-schooled students or students transferring in during the school year. Parents of home-schooled third-graders are urged to call their local school for additional information. For information about the Grange and its many opportunities, call Walter Boomsma at 343-1842 or Mary Annis at 564-0820 or visit the Valley Grange Website (http://valleygrange.com) or Facebook Page.