HAVELOCK, N.C. (WITN) – When most people picture a vending machine, they imagine candy bars, chips, or soda. But at Arthur W. Edwards Elementary School in Havelock, one machine is feeding minds instead of stomachs.
The school unveiled its brand-new book vending machine Friday morning, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and plenty of excited young readers.
The idea is simple — and inspiring.
Students earn special tokens for academic achievements, like scoring 100% on a math test or passing an important exam. Those tokens can then be traded in for a free book — one they get to keep forever.
“It makes it more exciting because you earn tokens to reach your goal,” said fifth grader Gretchen Vester.
The very first student to use the machine, Kimika Woodard, also a fifth grader, said the honor felt special.
“I feel so honored to be the first person to receive the first token to get the first book — extremely honored,” she said.
For younger students like third grader Cooper Rudd, the joy is in ownership.
“Usually you have to bring back a book like at the library,” he said. “But this book you get to keep forever.”
The project was brought to life through a grant secured by School Media Coordinator Heather Santos, in partnership with Craven County Partners in Education. Santos said the goal goes beyond just getting kids to read — it’s about rekindling their passion for it.
“It’s going to increase our reading stamina and reignite that love for reading,” Santos explained.
Arthur W. Edwards Elementary joins 16 other schools in Craven County that now have similar book vending machines, all part of an effort to make literacy fun and rewarding.
“I’m pretty excited about it — there are some really cool books in there,” Rudd added.
And to make sure that excitement doesn’t run dry, Craven County Partners in Education has pledged an additional $7,000 to keep the machine stocked with fresh titles.
For the students of Arthur W. Edwards Elementary, reading just got a little more magical — one token at a time.
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