Boothbay Region Elementary School (BRES) is throwing its hat in the ring to win a book vending machine. The prize is part of the annual SchoolStore fundraiser.  

Administrative assistant Lisa Tilton explained that each student is sent home with instructions for parents to create a SchoolStore account. Parents and other relatives then have the option to purchase gift cards for their student’s classroom which teachers can redeem to buy supplies. Last year, some instructors received over $1,000 in gift cards. 

No purchase is necessary for the competition as it's based on account creation. The school receives one entry for the machine when student participation reaches 40%, and then an additional entry for every percent after that. Winners will be drawn every week until May 11.

If BRES wins, this will be its second book vending machine. The current grant-funded machine serves pre-K – sixth graders, but school administration hopes an additional one will allow them to include middle schoolers and broaden the range of offerings.  

According to library educational technician Casey Martin, students earn tickets for a random drawing by completing literacy goals. Martin pulls a ticket for each classroom every Friday and winners are announced over the intercom. Students then receive a token to pick out a book.  

“It is seriously the highlight of my week, because the students' excitement is palatable and infectious when they are waiting to choose their book,” she wrote in an email to the Register. 

There are also other ways for the community to support literacy at BRES if they don’t have a student at the school. It takes about $1,000 a year to keep the machine stocked. While Sherman’s bookstore and the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) are major contributors, Martin said BRES is always looking for new sponsorships or donors.   

“I do my best to get new/high interest books that kids get really jazzed about ... and those tend to have a higher price tag, but we do the best we can with the funds we have.”