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When the urge strikes, students at Donahoe Elementary School in Sandston can step into the hallway, slip a coin into a vending machine and pull out. . . a book?
It may sound a bit unorthodox, but thanks to a partnership with school volunteers and a local vending machine company, it's now a reality.
Donahoe assistant principal Tyler Hart hatched the idea after stumbling across a similar example online posted by a school in another state. He contacted Kelly Chenault, who leads The ALEX Project (a volunteer effort at Donahoe that provides volunteers, funds and extra incentives for students and faculty members), and she worked with SW Vending Equipment in Ashland to find and retrofit a vending machine that could handle the task.
Chenault purchased the machine and a six-month warranty for $1,000, using ALEX Project funds, and she and artist Kristin Donaldson painted it.
Students earn "tokens" (quarters) for good behavior through weekly drawings, and then can use them to select books from the machine.
