Interact Dictionary Drive

     On October 30, the Chadron High Interact club, sponsored by the Chadron Rotary Club, traveled to the Pine Ridge Reservation to deliver dictionaries to third-grade students. Twenty students went on this trip, accompanied by sponsor Roger Wess.
     The students visited 7 different schools throughout the Pine Ridge area. They went into the classrooms and spoke with the third-graders about the features of the dictionaries and how they work.
     The purpose of this trip is to provide students on the reservation with dictionaries, which according to sponsor Roger Wess, will help the children grow as students and learn new skills. He says, "Third grade is traditionally the level in which students receive very specific instruction in using traditional dictionary skills."
     The Chadron Rotary Club has been providing dictionaries to third-grade students for over 10 years, and the Interact Club has been helping with the project for about 6 years. "Each year we try to improve the experience," says Mr. Wess.
     This year, a few changes were made to their procedure for the trip. The Interact students had multiple interactions with the third-graders with more of an emphasis on working with challenged students. Roger Wess also provided more handouts for the students regarding the history and current conditions of Pine Ridge.
     Mr. Wess says his favorite part of the trip was watching the Interact students refine their introduction and presentation skills a little more at each school. "This is how leadership skills are developed," he says.