KATY, Texas — Over the years, there's been a lot of debate about whether vending machines belong in schools and what should be offered in them. Katy ISD has an answer that's getting a lot of praise
"We have a book vending machine," says Bryant Elementary principal Dr. William Rhodes.
Unveiled on Friday, the machine was the brainchild of Dr. Rhodes. He saw a tweet from a school in New York that got one and pitched the idea to his school's librarian. Together, they developed a plan to present to the PTA Board, which approved and funded the project.
Here's how it works: kids who go above and beyond can earn a special coin to be used in the machine. They simply plug it in, choose which book they want and watch as the machine delivers it for them.
"Reading is the No. 1 predictor of success for children," Dr. Rhodes says. "So the more they read, the more successful they'll be."
On Friday morning, six students - one from each grade - got to test out the machine and were very happy with the results, selecting books such as Smile.
"Our librarian knows what the kids love, so she got a good selection for kids from kindergarten all the way to fifth grade," says Dr. Rhodes.
The vending machine is the first in Katy ISD, but several other schools are now working to get one.