WILLIAMSPORT -- An elementary school in Williamsport is featured in a national education publication this month.
Something pretty neat has made Devin McKee the talk of his school, at least among his friends at Andrew Jackson Primary School in Williamsport.
"My friends are saying I’m famous. They are. Dominic, he's in my class, he's saying I'm famous," said McKee.
Flip to page 20 in this month's national education publication of Principal magazine and you'll see Devin’s big grin.
"I was surprised because I didn't expect I would be in here. I didn't at all," said McKee.
Teachers did not expect to win a $2,500 grant from Crayola last year, but they did. It's the reason the school was highlighted in the publication.
"I was so proud of what our team has built together and made for our children here at Jackson,” said Sandy Corson.
The money from Crayola, along with a mini grant from Williamsport’s Education Foundation, helped expand an out-of-the-box, art-infused, learning experience for kids called Tinker Town. It's a place where kids are given the tools to tinker with ideas.
"It's an after-school program so they come here they experience challenges. They start with a challenge that we give them and there are many ways to complete it,"said Corson.
The hands-on experience in Tinker Town is helping students in the classroom. Faculty tell us some students are seeing an improvement in their grades.
"You're in a pressure situation in a high-stake test and you have to build a garden and get the area correct, having done it in an experience here in Tinker Town or in a small group is a huge advantage we can give our children,” said Kirk Felix, principal of Jackson Primary School.
With about 250 families now involved in the volunteer program. The school is optimistic, Tinker Town can only grow from here.