The Rotary Club of Charlotte Amalie on Thursday, along with the India Association and Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, met at Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School to distribute brand new thesauruses to the eighth-grade classes.

The three organizations have collaborated to purchase the books for eighth-graders at BCB and Addelita Cancryn Junior High since 2011. This time around, the books were distributed during a short assembly attended by the students, school administrators and representatives from all three community organizations.

India Association President Mulo Alwani spoke to the students Thursday about the importance of receiving a good education and said that the thesauruses could help to improve their communications, writing and reading skills.

“We feel that education is the most important thing in the life of a child,” Alwani said. “And it is wonderful for us to see the joy on the faces of the children when we come to the classrooms, talk to them and give them their books.”

While this is the first year that that India Association has been involved in distributing thesauruses, the organization has previously purchased dictionaries for V.I. third-graders.