Third graders across the territory are receiving the gift of words this week. It’s a service of the Rotary Club of Pago Pago that’s now turning into a welcome tradition.
Rotary Club members have been visiting all of the territory’s public elementary schools this week and last distributing free dictionaries to every third grader and third grade teachers.
This is a project that the Rotary Club of Pago Pago has been maintained for the last five years. As the Rotarians visited the various campuses last week there was a buzz of excitement in the air.
For example, at Olomoana Elementary School in Aoa village, the upper classmen called out greetings to the group of community volunteers who brought the dictionaries. They happily announced that they knew the club was there to give the younger students their dictionaries just as they’d been given theirs in years prior. 
As the books are distributed, club members instruct the students to write their names in their books as a way of reinforcing that the dictionaries belong to them. A fun and educational round of instruction on how to use a dictionary follows.
Rotary Club of Pago Pago President Frank Barron told KHJ News, “This is a powerful program. Not only is this a personal gift for each student, it is a gift that pays dividends the longer we continue the program. Literacy is indeed one of the most powerful abilities a person can have. We’re immensely grateful for the opportunity to partner with the schools in this way.”
This year, the Rotary Club will distribute 731 dictionaries in public schools across Tutuila, Aunu’u and Manu’a. It is estimated that the club has distributed over 5000 dictionaries worth over $50,000 since the project started.
