Honors Students Come to Campus Early to be Good Citizens

By Linda Hill

A record number of freshmen in the UA Honors College arrived on campus a week early to take part in community service projects known as Alabama Action and Outdoor Action Aug. 13-17.

Some 100 Honors College freshmen, along with 20 student leaders and two student co-directors, were part of community service projects at Buhl and Myrtlewood Elementary Schools in Tuscaloosa County through Alabama Action. Alabama Action student Rachael Culver of Enterprise said service-learning in Alabama Action provided a natural extension to community service work she did as a high school student.

“I love working with kids,” Culver said as she painted designs on the walls of Myrtlewood Elementary School. “I have been mentoring two boys in the fifth-grade class here and I have enjoyed getting to know them,” said Culver, who plans to major in civil engineering.

At Buhl Elementary the students renovated the entrance to the school, painted hallway murals and built a butterfly garden. At Myrtlewood Elementary they created a mosaic-and-paint replica of the school’s logo on the front of the building, painted hallway murals and stenciled the 50 U.S. states around the outdoor walking track. The UA students also conducted enrichment activities in fourth- and fifth-grade classes at both schools.

Alabama Action student Angela Armstrong, an incoming freshman from Montgomery, said the hard work of the refurbishing projects was worthwhile, but working with the elementary students was “the best part of all.”

Armstrong said she found Alabama Action to be an “incredibly enriching experience. Not only can we be there as cheerleaders for the elementary students, but we can be role models to show them that there is an opportunity in attending college.”

Armstrong, a biology major with an eye toward premed, said she’s glad her class is leaving its mark at the school. “All these projects we’ve done at the school are visible reminders to the students of our presence here. These things will show the students that we believe in them and their futures; they will also make the school a more cheerful place to attend.”

While the Alabama Action students were busy in the schools, another group of honors students spent the week as participants in the college’s Outdoor Action servicelearning program.

Charlie Rodriguez-Feo of Mobile attaches screws to a bridge over Cottonmouth Creek in Perry Lakes Park as part of Outdoor Action's service project.

Outdoor Action focused on creating an awareness of environmental issues that affect the state and allowed students to make a contribution through an environmental service project at Perry Lakes Park, located near Marion in one of the poorest counties in the country.

Forty freshmen and eight student leaders worked at the park to construct a foot bridge over Cottonmouth Creek, mulch sections of the trail, install park benches, erect a barrier fence at the park entrance to combat all-terrain vehicle traffic, and clean up trash along the Cahaba River.

“UA’s Honors College students were happy to make a contribution to Perry Lakes Park. The park serves at least two important functions -- providing time with nature and recreation for park visitors, and serving as a home for hundreds of animal species, especially migratory, neotropical birds,” said Dr. Fran Oneal, Outdoor Action director.

Biology faculty from UA led Outdoor Action’s field trips and provided hands-on experiences to demonstrate the process of measuring biodiversity and assessing the health of freshwater bodies.

“Outdoor Action students in the past have been amazed to learn what’s right in their own backyard, so to speak. Salamanders, scorpions, or species of mussels are surprisingly easy to locate when the students are led by expert biologists,” Oneal noted.