PHOTO JOHN FRYMAN / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
NEW BOOK VENDING MACHINE … Through the efforts of the Bryan Kiwanis Club and Bryan Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization, a new book vending machine was unveiled at Bryan Elementary School during an assembly program held on Wednesday, October 15. From left: Ed Lyons (Bryan Kiwanis Club), Chasity Yoder (Bryan Kiwanis Club), Shay Pursel (Bryan Kiwanis Club), Bentley Roehrig, Kaylee Collins, Kevin Schafer (Bryan Kiwanis Club), Dave Schumm (Bryan Kiwanis Club), and Kent Hardy (Bryan Kiwanis Club).
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
Students at Bryan Elementary School will be enjoying a new book vending machine, which was introduced at a school-wide assembly held on Wednesday, October 15.
The new book vending machine was supported through the efforts of the Bryan Kiwanis Club, which had financed the project along with the Bryan Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization and an anonymous donor who will be providing books for the new vending machine.
Prior to the assembly, the new book vending machine was wrapped up in white paper with a red ribbon bow on it.
Two sixth graders, Bentley Roehrig and Kaylee Collins, who had helped with the project as fifth-grade ambassadors, addressed the elementary students before finally unwrapping the paper with the new book vending machine inside.
“Last year, our Ambassador team had a big idea. We wanted to help get more books in the hands of students all across our school,” said Roehrig. “As soon as Mrs. Bever talked about the vending machine, I wanted to help right away.”
He would go on to say, “I went to the library to find out which books were checked out the most, and I asked my classmates and teachers what books they liked best. I even helped with the proposal we made to share our idea with people who might be able to help.”
“Going the extra mile to do things like that is what got me here today,” he added. “I am proud of what we accomplished that year. I just hope that all of Bryan Elementary loves the book vending machine and gets the best use out of it.”
Collins loved the idea of working on the book vending machine, which was so much fun for her.
“Our goal was to help other students and make reading exciting,” Collins said. “We wanted everyone from preschool through fifth grade to have a chance to earn a book and feel proud picking one out from the vending machine.”
She then continued to say, “Working on this project taught us that even a small idea can grow into something amazing when people work together. We’re so thankful for our teachers, our classmates, and especially Mrs. Bever for helping us along the way.”
“When we shared our idea with a special community group, something amazing happened. That group stepped in to help make our dream come true, and we can’t wait for you to hear from them next.”
Collins and Roehrig, along with several Bryan Kiwanis Club members, unwrapped the new book vending machine to the excitement and surprise of the entire student body.
Kevin Schafer, a member of the Bryan Kiwanis Club, said that Lindsey Bever had reached out to him with the idea for Kiwanis, as the organization had been looking for a new way to expand its book program.
“We have done something in the past but didn’t feel like we were reaching as large a group of kids that we were hoping to,” said Schafer. “This seems like just an excellent way for us to continue our partnership with Bryan City Schools.”
The project took about a year and a half to get through all the details and line up the funding, and get the machine ordered.
“It has been a long process, which makes it that much greater to be here at this moment,” admitted Schafer.
“We will be partnered in and provided the funding to purchase the machine and have committed to being one of the groups that is going to keep it filled with books, along with a couple of other excellent partners that Bryan Elementary has. Reading is just so important to kids, and we’re glad to be able to help with that.”
Bever, who is a fifth-grade teacher at Bryan Elementary School, also helped get the book vending machine into the school.
“The kids, as you can see, were really excited today; they all wanted to earn and get those prizes of those books,” said Bever.
“Because that’s the ultimate goal is to get books in the hands of kids, and funding was initially the biggest pick up for us. The kids developed the idea, and they wanted to get it going.”
The new book vending machine is for preschool to fifth-grade students at Bryan Elementary, and students will have an opportunity to earn and win them in a variety of ways.
Students will be given gold tokens as rewards, which can be used in the book vending machine just as coins would be.
During the assembly, students from each grade were chosen at random to receive the first gold tokens, which will then be used for the vending machine.
“We’re working with the teachers to come up with ideas in different ways,” said Bever. “But there is going to be birthday celebrations when they have birthdays.
There are going to be academic rewards for showing those positive-based behaviors with respect to responsibility and safety. We want to have the problem of meeting to fill the book vending machine.”