Valley Grange gifts dictionaries to Dover-Foxcroft 3rd graders

DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine (WABI) - By definition, “surprise” means an unexpected or astonishing event, fact, or thing. It’s one of many words some students in Dover-Foxcroft can now look up thanks to a gift from a local organization.

About 60 third graders SeDeMoCha Elementary School are the proud new owners of their very own dictionaries.

“I just feel really good about it. Like, I feel like it’s kind of cool to have your own little dictionary to carry around with you,” said Harper, one of the students.

“I feel like somebody gave me a present for my birthday, but it’s not my birthday,” said Theo, another student.

This is the 21st year Valley Grange of Guilford has taken part in The Dictionary Project. In all, the organization has given out nearly 3,600 dictionaries across four districts and five schools.

“It makes me feel like a good teacher because I think learning is a discovery process, and I like it when kids don’t realize they’re learning,” said Walter Boomsma, Valley Grange program director.

The entire goal is helping students become good writers, active readers, creative thinkers, and resourceful learners.

“One of the saddest and happiest thank you notes we ever got from a kid was it’s the first book they had in their home, and her father was actually building a bookshelf for her dictionary,” said Boomsma.

“It was really, really nice. After the community feeling that the kids lost in the last couple of years because of COVID restrictions, it’s always really, really nice to see them get to have assemblies and meet members of the community and learn some new things together like that. It’s really nice,” said Alanna Wilson, third grade teacher.

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