Inspired by a post he saw, West Greene Academic Director Eric M. Gaydos got a great idea to encourage student excellence. He brought a book vending machine to the West Greene School District.
“I thought it was an amazing idea and didn’t realize until that moment that I needed to bring it to West Greene. I think we can all recall that euphoric high that we would get as students when it was “Book Fair” day at school. What if we could bring that opportunity to students on a more regular basis, all the while praising students for their positive behaviors?”
The district received the vending machine from Global Vending Group (GVG) at the beginning of the 22-23 school year. Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machine rewards students for good attendance, behavior, and grades. Students earn golden tokens, and each token earned equals a book of the student’s choice. According to the GVG website, “We believe that the combination of vending books and your own personalized reward system could bridge the gap between literacy and engagement…”
West Greene ordered the book vending machine after a grant was approved by the school board. Eric says, “Every time a delivery truck would pull onto campus in August, I was constantly checking to see if it was the machine. I couldn’t wait for it to arrive. In the meantime, the elementary principal, Mr. Don Painter, and I did a walkthrough to pick out a specific location for the machine that would place it in a high-traffic area, yet allow the machine to fit in the space. We found the perfect space next to the school library.” School librarian, Mrs. Stephanie Bohon, makes sure the books are fully stocked.
Students earn golden tokens by being exceptional. The book vending machine promotes positive behaviors. Staff and faculty look for students that are great learners but also great friends. Eric explains, “We want to promote the positive behaviors that we are teaching daily. It can range from making sure that everyone is included in the kickball game, making excellent progress in their intervention classes, to helping another student tie his or her shoe.” When a student is recognized for excellent behavior, they are referred to the elementary principal, Mr. Painter, to discuss why they have earned their golden token and to express his gratitude for their good work.
“The West Greene Innovation Grant funded the machine, and we used the remaining grant funds and combined them with ESSER funds to purchase the books for the machine,” Eric says. He also says that the school board and district superintendent, Brian Jackson, were extremely supportive of the idea to bring this to campus.
Eric recalls the students noticing the vending machine. “When we were adding books…for the first time, the kids who were traversing the halls back to class…were so excited to see the selection of books. It was so much fun to see and hear their excitement.”
“I am really appreciative of all of the community and school board support for this initiative. I can’t wait for parents to see it live at our Open House in October…The more books that we can get in the hands of our students, the better off our students will be.”
