The Orcas Island Grange No. 964 is proud to support the organization’s dictionary project through its “Words for Thirds” program.

Through the tireless efforts of more than 300,000 volunteers, America’s oldest rural and agricultural organization has presented third-grade students across the nation with more than 100,000 dictionaries. The Orcas Grange gave dictionaries to Salmonberry School and the Orcas Christian School.

A dictionary is one of the most powerful reference tools young children will be introduced to during their school years. Its usefulness goes beyond just providing correct spellings, pronunciations and definitions. It is also a companion for solving problems that arise as children develop their reading, writing and creative thinking abilities.

“It is amazing to see the smiles on children’s faces when we present them with dictionaries,” said Leslie Seaman, Orcas Grange master. “It gives them a sense of pride when they have a dictionary to look up words on their own. It promotes learning and helps mold their self-confidence and independence.”