Rome Reporter

Twenty-two fourth graders at Love T. Nolan Elementary walked into the Toolbox program not knowing what to expect. What they received was a new way of learning math and leadership skills, and the confidence to carry them to a possible career.

Toolbox, a non-profit founded by Jeffrey Prothero, makes a curriculum that teaches children how to build with their hands available for elementary and middle school students. Prothero, who heads the program, brought volunteers to the school to help students learn how to use the tools.

Prothero first volunteered at an instruction technology program at Roswell High School in 2015 and the idea spread to other Fulton County Schools (FCS).

Students use real tools like measuring tapes and rulers, which translate into helping them develop skills in math. In the highly supervised classroom, students are guided through each step of creating their own toolboxes. At the holiday break, each student was able to take home what they created.

“Their faces definitely were beaming with pride on the last day when they got to take home their toolboxes,” said Dr. Denise Brown, principal at Love. T. Nolan.

“I know the joy and fulfillment I have when I build something and I’m so proud of it,” Prothero said.

Principal Brown has received positive feedback from the program.

“In addition to mathematics and working with tools, they are learning teamwork, leadership and perseverance,” she said. “The students are also members of the program’s Young Apprentice Club, which allows them to supervise their peers and strengthen their leadership skills.”

Original source can be found here.