Turning good deeds into good reads at Forest Hill Elementary

Forget sodas or snacks — the newest vending machine at Forest Hill Elementary delivers something much more valuable to children: the gift of good books.

On April 10, students at Forest Hill were surprised to see a giant wrapped package in the school lobby. They soon pulled the paper off of the present to reveal a shiny new book vending machine filled with picture and chapter books waiting to be read.

And students won’t have to break into their piggy banks when they need a new read — the vending machine operates on tokens, which have been distributed to Forest Hill teachers. Students can earn tokens by doing good deeds, practicing model behaviors, and through contests as well.

Morganton resident and former Burke County Board of Education member Jane Sohovich spearheaded the effort to purchase the vending machine. The book dispenser is the second of its kind in the district.

Former Hillcrest Elementary students Nancy VanNoppen and Jean VanNoppen Patton, co-CEOs of VanNoppen Marketing of Morganton, contributed to the Hillcrest machine purchase, with the remainder of the purchase price coming from private donations.

Sohovich and a friend, Leanne Brittain, whose sons attended Forest Hill, worked on the latest vending machine project together and solicited funding from other donors. The total cost for the machine was $6,500, much of which came from Sohovich herself.

“When I served on the Board of Education, I participated in the unveiling of the Hillcrest Elementary School book vending machine,” Sohovich stated. “I’ve always had a strong passion for reading, children, and education. I’ve volunteered in schools, beginning when I was 24, and up until when I was 70. Much of my volunteer work has been helping children read.”

The new book machine is decorated with Forest Hill’s mascot, the husky, on one side. The other side bears a dedication to the school’s principal and pupils. It says, “In honor of Principal Nikki Costello and the students.”

Sohovich said the dedication was an easy choice. “My two favorite elementary schools and principals are Dr. Ross Rumbaugh at Hillcrest and Nikki Costello at Forest Hill,” she explained. “Nikki Costello and I share the same passion for children and education. She and I really connected a few years ago, and I just adore her.”

Sohovich explained that all 14 of Burke County Public Schools’ elementary schools are Title I schools, which means that a very large portion of the district’s population is served by free and reduced lunch programs.

“Therefore, they receive funding for books,” Sohovich stated. “I simply wanted to spur and help children understand the importance of reading.

“If a child can’t read, they have severely limited their options in life,” she added. “I wanted to give children a hand up in life by allowing them to receive a free book as a reward for something they made a positive contribution to.

“If anyone can put a child first in life, we as a population have helped make the world a better place,” Sohovich said.