RHINELANDER - When's the last time you pulled out a thesaurus? In the news we use this reference a lot, so on National Thesaurus Day we decided to quiz our local elementary students.

Our first question: Would kids in a digital age even recognize a thesaurus?

“You know, we had a couple say it was a dinosaur...” say’s Central Elementary’s Library Para-Professional, Laurie Lenten

During a “JEOPARDY!” style game with kids at Central Elementary School, we found out old-fashioned book smarts are still essential for tech-savy youth.

"I think we have kids that, you know, they're texting, so they're using "text language" and it even slips into papers," says Lenten.

"A lot of our language is lost in the ‘LOL's’ and the abbreviations," says fourth grade teacher Jenny Prom.

Flipping through a thesaurus may feel like an ancient task for kids more familiar with Google, but a commanding vocabulary can give strength to student’s voices.

"I want to show them that there's more ways than just saying something is ‘nice’," says Prom.

And students seemed to agree. They shared many of their favorite reads, including ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’. The also participate in “writing cafes” where they’re encourage to cook up saucy stories.

Story By: Kailey Burton