On a recent Thursday evening, the students at Westside Elementary were eagerly waiting their turn to use the new vending machine at their Daytona Beach school. Instead of chips or candy, they were excited to get their hands on books. The media specialist, Lakeisha Byrd, who was dressed in “Reading is cool” earrings and book socks, demonstrated to the students how to insert their gold tokens and select the book they wanted. The students watched in anticipation as each book was dispensed and then cheered with delight as they retrieved their prize.
