Kiwanis distributes dictionaries to third-graders

MOSES LAKE - Okay. Let's see.

Yes, Adam comes first, when alphabetizing the third-graders at Sage Point Elementary whose names begin with "A." Then Amile comes before Anna, then Ashley and Ashton are a little trickier. But the third-graders aced it. Ashley lines up before Ashton, and Ava brings up the rear.

The third-graders were flexing their alphabetizing skills, learning how to use the dictionaries they got Tuesday. It's part of the Dictionary Project sponsored by the Moses Lake chapter of Kiwanis. Every third-grader in the Moses Lake School District, along with local private schools, will receive a dictionary of his or her own.

This is the 10th year the Kiwanis have distributed dictionaries to the third grade, said Frances Irwin of the Kiwanis. The graduating class of 2014 was the first to receive dictionaries, Irwin said.

The third-graders checked out the maps in the back, and with the help of Kiwanis member Mary Frederick looked up the list of U.S. presidents. Part of the Dictionary Project is learning how to use the book, so Frederick instructed the kids on the use of the guide words at the top of the page, and the whole third grade looked up the definition of apple (noun; a round, firm, fleshy edible fruit with a green, yellow or red skin and small seeds).

Donations from the project come from Friends of the Moses Lake Library, PEO Chapter HY, Confluence Health, Horizon Credit Union, Walmart, Moses Lake Community Health Center, the Moses Lake chapter of Soroptimists International, Western Polymer Corporation and the Moses Lake Women's Club. When they arrive, they're stored at the Moses Lake Library.