Book vending machine ribbon cutting

• Camille Copelin and family with the new Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machine Submitted Photo | The Light and Champion

S.W. Carter Elementary held a ribbon-cutting event on Monday, May 13, 2024, to unveil Inchy’s Bookworm vending machine. The vending machine holds books that students can get with a “golden token.”

Students will earn tokens through acts of kindness and good behavior. These tokens can be used to purchase a book of their choice from the vending machine. The Inchy Bookworm Vending Machine aims to cultivate a love for reading and enhance literacy through an interactive experience.

During the ribbon- cutting ceremony, Camille Copelin, Alease Copelin’s granddaughter, assisted her grandmother with the ribbon-cutting and was the first to use the machine. Camille had the chance to be the first student to insert the inaugural “golden token” to purchase a book.

The vending machine was installed thanks to the hard work of Alease Copelin and the generous support of the Shelbyville Lions Club. The Farm Bureau of Center also played a crucial role by donating funds for the shelving of the machine.

Shelbyville Superintendent Dr. Ray West, Assistant Superintendent Jill Baty, Principal Patty Bays, Elementary Librarians Shelley Locke and Cathy Taylor, Alease Copelin, Shelbyville Lions Club, and Farm Bureau of Center supported this remarkable project and offered students many reading adventures.