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.<\/p>\n
The school unveiled its brand-new book vending machine Friday morning, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and plenty of excited young readers. <\/p>\n
The idea is simple \u2014 and inspiring. <\/p>\n
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 \u2014 one they get to keep forever.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes it more exciting because you earn tokens to reach your goal,\u201d said fifth grader Gretchen Vester.<\/p>\n
The very first student to use the machine, Kimika Woodard, also a fifth grader, said the honor felt special.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel so honored to be the first person to receive the first token to get the first book \u2014 extremely honored,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For younger students like third grader Cooper Rudd, the joy is in ownership.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually you have to bring back a book like at the library,\u201d he said. \u201cBut this book you get to keep forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 it\u2019s about rekindling their passion for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to increase our reading stamina and reignite that love for reading,\u201d Santos explained.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m pretty excited about it \u2014 there are some really cool books in there,\u201d Rudd added.<\/p>\n
And to make sure that excitement doesn\u2019t run dry, Craven County Partners in Education has pledged an additional $7,000 to keep the machine stocked with fresh titles.<\/p>\n
For the students of Arthur W. Edwards Elementary, reading just got a little more magical \u2014 one token at a time.<\/p>\n
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