Akansa Chapter donates dictionaries to students

The Akansa Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution recently visited Mountain Pine School to deliver dictionaries to the two third-grade classes. The 44 students also received Constitution Week bookmarks. John Magness and Brandi Kling are the teachers.

The women talked about the Daughters of the American Revolution and their revolutionary ancestors. The dictionaries were put to use as the children played look-up word games, known as homonyms, with the students. The dictionary is for the students to keep, so that they can take it home with them and use it throughout their school career.

The funds to buy dictionaries come from the interest of an endowment given in memory of Akansa Chapter organizing member Ellenora Cramer Thompson by her two nieces and nephew.

This makes the 15th year the chapter has given dictionaries to the Mountain Pine third- graders. The project has touched the lives of 692 students.

Mary French, founder of the Dictionary Project, says in the press release, “Quite often, we are asked about the need for paper dictionaries when so many schools are getting iPads. Our answer continues to be that paper dictionaries are essential learning tools that greatly benefit the students who own them. Each child who has their own dictionary is encouraged to use it as a reference for spelling, parts of speech, pronunciation, as well as definitions.”