On January 12, 2022, the Rotary Club of Lynn continued with its tradition of distributing dictionaries to 3rd graders in the 18 public elementary schools in Lynn. Since 2008, the Rotary Club of Lynn, MA has presented over 1,200 dictionaries annually to third-grade students in the Lynn Public Schools. This year marks the 14th consecutive year of this service project for the club and a distribution of nearly 18,000 dictionaries since its inception!
This year the Reading Cooperative Bank (RCB) funded the cost of the dictionaries. The prior sponsor, the Coastal Heritage Bank branch in Wyoma Square was purchased by RCB in 2021. Tess Cunha, VP and Branch Administrator for RCB was more than happy to step-up and sponsor the project. In 2021, due to Covid 19 restrictions, the dictionaries were distributed by the teachers, but this year the Rotarians and employees of RCB were able to personally distribute them.
Several Lynn Rotarians were joined by employees of the RCB in distributing the dictionaries to the 3rd graders. The dictionary they received offers more than definitions. It also contains information on history, geography, science and math as well as some student favorites, such as the sign language alphabet.
The 3rd grade students at the Callahan School had the pleasure of receiving their dictionaries from Dr. Patrick Tutwiler, Superintendent of Lynn Schools and a Lynn Rotarian! He also conducted a lesson on how to use a dictionary. Without a doubt, he held their interest.