LAS CRUCES - Members of the Rio Grande Rotary Club traveled to 24 schools Tuesday and handed out free dictionaries to more than 1,900 third-grade students in Las Cruces Public Schools

This is the ninth year that the civic organization has provided a dictionary to third-graders district-wide, said Jo Galvan, LCPS chief communications officer.

LCPS Superintendent Stan Rounds joined Rotarians Chris May, the club's president, and Rob Sheldon, the club's dictionary committee chairman, to hand out the free books to students at Valley View Elementary. Also participating were Valley View Principal Ricardo Rincon, Assistant Principal Vangie Barela, and Centennial High School students Angel Salcido and Danae Melon, members of the Centennial High Interact Club, which is sponsored by Rotary International.

The elementary students will be able to use the dictionaries at school or at home, May said. The Rotarians also talked to the students about the four-way test — the personal and professional guidelines for all Rotarians to follow as part of their community service.