Students across the nation are given a way with words thanks to the Rotary Club of Rarotonga 9920, who continue their legacy of providing dictionaries to every Year 9 student in the Cook Islands.

This year, 275 colourful Usborne illustrated English dictionaries have been distributed to students across the islands with the support of the Maraurau o te Pae Api’i/Ministry of Education.

The Rotary Club of Rarotonga recently presented dictionaries to the Imanuela Akatemia and Api’i Te Uki Ou schools on Rarotonga, and Api’i Mauke in the Pa Enua.

The Rotary Club of Rarotonga “is proud to continue this project that has been in place for a number of years where all Year 9 students get a dictionary to keep”.

Rotary allocates approximately $5000 annually to purchase over 300 dictionaries, including freight costs.

These funds are raised through the club’s weekly activities and social events organised by its members.

The Rotary Dictionaries in Schools Project started in 2011 when president elect at the time, Bob Riley (also known as “Solar Bob”), discovered the dictionaries during his President Elect Training Seminar (PETS) in Auckland, New Zealand.

Riley urged Rarotonga Rotary to purchase 100 dictionaries.

During this period the Rotary Club of Waitara distributed these dictionaries to Year 7 and 8 students in Aitutaki.

Rarotonga members expressed their concerns about projects being undertaken in their area by others without prior consultation.

The initiative was then extended, offering dictionaries to all students across the Cook Islands.

Frank Leadley, president of the Rotary Club of Bay of Islands, expressed interest in supporting this broader effort.

Following consultations with Sharyn Paio, the then secretary of education, the collective decision was that the project would significantly benefit Year 9 students.

With a District 9910 Grant of $1300 awarded to the Bay of Islands club, an additional $1800 raised by their members, and $900 contributed by Rarotonga Rotary, the project was funded.

David Bridge, a Rarotonga club member and manager of Air New Zealand at the time, organised the free airfreight. The first dictionaries were launched in late 2011.

By 2013, the Rotary Club of Rarotonga independently funded the project, and have continued to do so ever since.