MARYSVILLE Appropriately enough, Rotarian Kelly Richards wanted his audience to look up literacy.
That audience consisted of about 100 third-graders gathered into the gym of Cascade Elementary School on Feb. 22.
Like a total of some 1,200 third-graders at 10 Marysville schools, the Cascade students were the recipients of shiny new, hardcover American Heritage Childrens Dictionaries.
Kids who read succeed, Richards had said earlier. Hopefully, if they have the dictionaries, theyll pick up other books.
It looks pretty cool, said student Lilly Adkinson, as she opened the heavy book on the gym floor. She seemed especially impressed by the pictures of animals.
Its cool, echoed Lillys friend, Courtney Aaenson, who volunteered that she would use the book to look up words she doesnt know as she reads.
By the way, she likes mysteries and books about going to school.
The Marysville Rotary goes above and beyond to support student literacy, said Marysville schools Superintendent Larry Nyland. We appreciate their help in letting students know that reading and writing are important and valued in our community. For some students, this is the first book that they have ever owned.
This is so invaluable to our kids, said Cascade teacher Catherine Rosine. She said the books should prove especially helpful to the many students who are learning English as a second language.
Rosine said she would ask her students to keep their new books at the school for a few days, teaching them how to use them. Shes hopeful her charges will then take the dictionaries home and put them to good use.
Richards began the brief gathering at Cascade by explaining to students that Rotarians are a group of grownups who get together once a week to have lunch.
He added they also run the Pumpkin Patch for Literacy in Marysville each October.
All that money you spent on pumpkins has come back to the schools one way or another, he said, his way of explaining the funding for last weeks give away.
This is the second year the Marysville Noon Rotary has handed out the dictionaries. Volunteers spent much of Friday traveling to different schools and handing out the dictionaries, requiring each student sign his or her book before take possession of it.