Members of the Rotary Club of Atmore have been visiting area schools this week, distributing dictionaries to every third grader in Escambia County.

Members of the Atmore club began distributing the 248 dictionaries Tuesday, visiting A.C. Moore Elementary School, Escambia Academy and Huxford Elementary School. Rotary members are scheduled to visit the other schools later in the week.

Club members personally hand-delivered the dictionaries to the classrooms and gave a short presentation of the “Rotary 4 Way Test” to students. The Rotary 4 Way Test is a creed that promotes strong character by encouraging people to tell the truth, be fair, and build goodwill and better friendships.

The dictionaries were funded through an education grant from The Malone Family Foundation of Alabama, enabling all third-grade students in the public school systems of Rotary District 6880 to have their own personal copy of a Webster’s Student Dictionary. The Rotary Club of Atmore is a member of District 6880.

Rotary District 6880 covers 31 counties in the southern half of the state and includes approximately 23,000 third graders attending approximately 400 elementary schools.

Rotary members said that research indicates that third grade is the appropriate time for beginning the use of a dictionary.

“Data shows that most third graders in Alabama do not have personal dictionaries,” said club president Ricky Martin. “Without access to a dictionary, assignments both inside and outside the classroom may be limited. By providing this tool for the students’ use, Rotary members hope to continue to foster in each child a desire to learn more each day.”