Fouse Elementary is celebrating student birthdays with a new treat this year thanks to a gift from its PTO.
In addition to a birthday pencil, students now get a token to select from the various options in the school’s new book vending machine.
“We wanted to get books in every kids’ hands,” PTO Treasurer Elissa Hejduk said. “When kids see the vending machine, we thought it could spark excitement.”
She said PTO members proposed purchasing the vending machine, which costs more than $5,000, after learning about it from a national PTO Facebook page. The group used its scholastic dollars as well as money from last year’s dance-a-thon fundraiser to purchase the machine.
The machine arrived last spring and the PTO members stocked it over the summer with newer book titles students would see at book fairs.
“To have the opportunity to send a child on an adventure, opening their eyes to new experiences and expanding their imaginations is a tremendous blessing to me and makes all of the planning and prep work we put into the book fair 100% worth it,” said Amy Hohman, the PTO’s book fair chair. “Having the book vending machine is just the sprinkles on the cake; an added bonus to being the book fair chairperson. Hearing their excitement when they walked pass the vending machine was priceless.”
Principal Robb Stranges said it has added some excitement to an already special day for students and gives them an academic connection to their celebration.
“Getting books they want in their hands and having them at home and being able to keep them is a special thing,” he said.