Chief Payepot School has unveiled new vending machines that will dispense Indigenous literature. The school previously had to close its library to increase classroom space as enrolments increased, and Principal Nicole Crowe said that the vending machines will be a new way for the school to promote literacy and the love of reading. The vending machines will focus on Indigenous authors and stories and will use special coins given to students to celebrate milestones. At an unveiling event, Indigenous author Heather O’Watch was present to see her book “Auntie’s Rez Surprise” be the first book to be dispensed from the machines and to give a reading from the book. “I know the community, but specifically the school, doesn’t necessarily have accessibility to books,” said O’Watch. “It’s a very special moment for the partners but also for the community.”
