Brecknock Elementary School unveils book vending machine
Feb. 26—Karen Smith stood in the lobby of Brecknock Elementary School on Friday morning, a mysterious vending machine covered with paper behind her.
"Today we have a big surprise for you," the reading specialist told a small group of students gathered around her and hundreds more watching on a livestream from their classrooms.
The students standing beside her ventured their guesses as to what the big sheet of bright, lime green paper speckled with question marks was hiding. Candy was the overwhelming favorite, with one student specifying she thought there were gumballs inside.
After the Gov. Mifflin School District mascot Mr. Mustang cut a yellow ribbon, and the kids lent a hand tearing away the paper, they discovered the truth. By their reaction, the answer was much, much more exciting than sweets.
"No way," one student screamed.
Other students squealed with delight. One let out a guttural "Yeah."
Behind the vending machine's glass, sitting in neat rows, were dozens of brightly colored books.
"Oh my gosh, this is so great," one student bellowed.
The school's book vending machine, which it will share with the district's other elementary schools, is meant to be a treat for kids. But a much healthier one than gumballs.
Students will receive tokens from staff at the school for doing something positive. Those tokens then can be deposited into the machine and, with a few pushes of buttons, students will have a new book of their very own.
The idea for the vending machine came from Smith, who saw on social media another school that had installed one. She thought it was a great way to support the district's dedication to literacy through its "Mifflin Reads" campaign.
"We're all about getting books into kids hands and getting them excited about reading," she said.
Brecknock Principal Aaron Kopetsky said now was the perfect time to bring the idea to life, given all of the struggles and frustrations the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have led to.
"This has been a rough year for everyone," he said. "What a great way to just get some smiles on our kids' faces. It's just the perfect little pick-me-up."
The vending machine will stay at Brecknock until the end of March. It will then start its rotation to the district's other schools.
Next school year, Smith said, each school will play host to it for three months.
