ROTARY CLUB OF LAHAINA SUNSET PRESENTS DICTIONARIES AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES TO PRINCESS NAHIENENA SCHOOL STUDENTS
On Friday October 3rd, members of the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset presented dictionaries to the 100 third and fifth grade students at Princess Nahienaena School. One might ask – in this day of digital research, why give a printed dictionary to students? The answer is simple: “Looking through a printed dictionary can be a learning experience in itself. Finding words helps children develop problem-solving skills by requiring them to consider order, spelling, context and alphabetization.” The 100 students were surprised at the amount of information that they found in their own copy to keep of “A Students Dictionary and Gazetteer”.
During this session, a “Dictionary Treasure Hunt” activity was held for all the students to help them learn how to use their new reference book. They learned how to look up word definitions, find the times tables, and even identify the state tree of Hawaii in this fun activity facilitated by Rotary Maui Island Resource Chair Joanne Laird. McDonalds gift cards were awarded as prizes to students who were first to find answers. Rotary club members helped to engage the students during this activity. Teachers were offered a follow-up standards-based lesson using the dictionary for use in their classrooms.
During the activity, a special presentation was held. Youth Service Chair Dan Jaeger displayed 15 boxes of school supplies on the stage for the students to see. These supplies were collected at the club’s tenth annual drive at the Lahaina Cannery Mall, thanks to contributions from 5A Rent-a-Space, Maui United Way, and members of the local community. The supplies will be made available to teachers to help stock their classroom supply closets.
This is just one example of the many community service projects sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset. Rotary is a leadership organization made up of local businesses, professional and civic leaders. For more information about this organization please see the club’s website for information about upcoming speakers and activities: https://www.rotarycluboflahainasunset.org.
PC: Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset (all students have photo releases on file for publication)
PHOTO: Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset members Deborah Moore (front), Liz May and Laura Stanton (back) help students locate information in their new dictionary during the “Dictionary Treasure Hunt” activity.