By Max Bowen—max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
Vending machines can be used to dispense all sorts of things—drinks, snacks, gum, and now, books.
On Thursday, Sept. 10, the Community Elementary School debut its first Inchy’s Book Vending Machine, filled with books purchased from and donated by Scholastic, a multi-national education company that publishes and distributes educational materials for schools, teachers, parents and children.
Community School Principal Chuck Commeret said a school he previously worked at had one of these vending machines, and suggested it toward the end of a last school year when asked about special projects.
“The book vending machine works exactly like a regular vending machine, except it dispenses books instead of food, candy, or drinks. It doesn’t feed your stomach…it feeds your mind,” he said in an email.
Commeret said the machine, presented to the school by special guest and Scholastic mascot Clifford the Big Red Dog, was paid for through the district’s operating budget. He added that the school is focused on literacy this year, and the machine ties in nicely with that. Also at the unboxing for the vending machine were Scholastic Representative Christina Jette and state Rep. Adam Scanlon, D-North Attleborough.
“We want our kids to be strong readers, enjoy reading, believe that they are readers, and overcome any barriers to reading with a growth mindset,” Commeret said.
Commeret added that reading is an exciting thing and should be treated that way, that it unlocks many things that can impact a person’s ability to be successful. He said that the town’s schools want to make reading accessible and remove any barriers students may encounter.
“What the book vending machine symbolizes is that at Community School we are readers,” Commeret said at Thursday’s event. “We love to read…and we’re really good at it. This is a celebration of learning to read, reading to learn, and reading for fun. Books can take us places that we could have never imagined. Reading unlocks so many things in your life. So, when you walk past the book vending machine, just say, ‘I’m a reader.’”
Donations of books for the vending machine are being accepted, and donors can put their name or their company’s name on the book, so students know where it comes from.