*This article was contributed by Laura Smart, partnership coordinator for Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
Third-grade students at Ocean Lakes, North Landing and Creeds Elementary Schools recently received free dictionaries, thanks to the generosity of Courthouse Rotary Club in Virginia Beach. Through the club, a Partner in Education with VBCPS, members have given hundreds of dictionaries to Virginia Beach students over the past several years. Rotarians visit classrooms to discuss the many ways dictionaries are helpful when completing class assignments and homework before personally handing each student one of their own.
“It’s ink and paper and it does not require a battery,” Rotarian Paul Hunt said. “It is always ready to use.”
Students recorded their names inside their books and took a few minutes to demonstrate their mastery of looking up words. Teacher Elvia Vasquez at Ocean Lakes Elementary seized the opportunity to demonstrate relevance to the day’s lesson by asking her class to look up the word “citizen.”
Within moments, hands flew into the air as students were anxious to share the definition.
“That’s right. The rotary is a perfect example of what good citizenship is all about; it is people reaching out to make a positive difference in the lives of others,” Vasquez said. “Good citizens give back to their community, just like Courthouse Rotary is doing this morning.”