by Davy James, Staff Writer
With a generation of students raised in the age of the Internet, some of the tried and true resource materials of older generations are gathering dust on bookshelves. But the benefits and convenience of researching assignments the old-fashioned way won’t be lost on students in South Brunswick.
Since October, Rotary International of Hightstown and South Brunswick has been donating dictionaries to each third-grade student in the district.
”In some homes in our area this may be the only book that a child has,” said Vice President Harry Ammenheuser. “That’s not the norm, but it may still be the case. Three years ago Rotary started this project nationwide and we will donate 1,700 dictionaries this year in this district alone.”
A group of students greeted Rotary members with cheers and gratitude when presented with the new dictionaries at Monmouth Junction Elementary School on Monday. A similar group of students cheered them on at Constable School Nov. 10.
”These books are for you to keep and use in the classroom as you move on to fourth and fifth grade,” Rotary member Marcia Alig told the Monmouth Junction School students. “By the time you move on to sixth grade you will need a new dictionary because your vocabulary will have grown.”
School officials were grateful for the donation of the books, which students will bring with them each day.
”It places a priority on learning and understanding the meaning of words,” said Monmouth Junction Principal Maribeth Edmunds. “It’s very empowering and it gives them a sense of ownership to have their very own dictionary on their desks.”
The sense of ownership the students gain from the books extends to after they leave the school as well.
”One student told me that her mother asks to borrow her dictionary when doing crosswords puzzles,” Ms. Edmunds said. “And she had a definite sense of pride when she said my dictionary.”
Even as encyclopedias are tossed aside in favor of online search engines, the dictionaries will remain a constant in the classroom.
”Sometimes non-technological tools are faster than technology,” said district Language Arts Supervisor Sharon Suskin. “This allows them to figure out how syllables affect words, in addition to just word meanings. All teachers still use dictionaries in their classrooms.”

