On a cold January morning, rotarians Angela Kelly, Robert Therrien and Ché Weist visited the Centennial Public School in Ottawa to distribute dictionaries to grade 3 students. This wonderful tradition has been coordinated for many years by rotarian John Lark.
 
The school staff and custodians were very welcoming. A guided tour of different classrooms showed  the professional care and extra attention provided, especially to young students with special needs. 
 
Skillfully and warmly, Angela talked to the young students about the Rotary Club of Ottawa and its work. She also explained to them how the dictionaries can be used encouraging them to write their names on the first page of their own copy. The students were immediately enchanted by the pictures and explanations flipping through the pages enthusiastically. One of the students asked if the dictionary was "really his, and it doesn’t belong to the library". 
 
The classroom of grade 3 students, where 35 dictionaries were distributed, asked impromptu their teacher to sing Mother Earth to express their sincere thanks. What a lovely note to leave the school with on a very cold morning knowing that the dictionaries will be well used for many years to come.
 
Ché Weist 
Chair, Rotary Club of Ottawa