The UA Honors College concluded its annual Honors Action Week on August 16, providing students with the opportunity to earn college credit while serving the local community.

Enrollment in Honors Action or UH 103 involves two rounds of application. Applications for leadership positions are submitted in the fall semester, followed by an interview, and subsequent notification of acceptance is provided via the Honors College newsletter.

Applications for freshmen in the Honors Action program are open from January through April. Once admitted, registration for the UH 103 course section occurs during one of the Bama Bound sessions in May, June, and July. This year’s Honors Action program included approximately 230 freshmen and 50 student leaders.

Students enrolled in Honors Action moved into their dorms on Friday, August 9, and began their five-day community engagement on August 11.

“It’s a wonderful way to get to know both the campus and the Honors College, and it gives students a much broader view of the city of Tuscaloosa in general. This will be my sixth year, and it has opened my eyes to people and parts of Tuscaloosa that I’ve never seen before. I’ve really enjoyed it,” said Anne Franklin Lamar, director of Honors Action.

Each student worked at one of three schools with a UA professor: Holt Elementary, Westwood Elementary or Brookwood Middle. The Holt section was supervised by Megan Bailey, the Brookwood section by Christopher Bishop and the Westwood section by Lamar.

Lamar said there are 12 to 15 freshmen with two leaders per project and six or seven projects at each school.

Anna Parker, a senior majoring in communication disorders, was the service director at Holt Elementary. Parker’s responsibilities included leading worship services and communicating with school administrators, group leaders and Honors Action directors.

“Our main goal is to really listen to the community as a whole and do something that both the school and our students will be proud of at the end of the week.”, said Parker.

Emily Rabbideau, a senior majoring in studio arts and creative media, served as service director at Westwood Elementary.

“I hope that the students come back and see that their school is a nice place where they can have fun and feel comfortable while they learn.”, said Rabbideau.

These five-day service projects also included five afternoon lectures and additional discussions, supported by a panel of facilitators who provided valuable insights into community work and what it means to be an engaged member of a community.

“The lectures emphasize the idea of ​​service-learning and experiential learning. We’re not just in the schools to help, but to learn about the needs of the community,” said Ryan Farneth, a senior majoring in accounting and Spanish who served as Brookwood’s service director.

According to Bishop, students in the Brookwood section worked on projects such as building picnic tables, painting murals, cleaning and more.

Participants ended each day with dinner and evening festivities, which ranged from more active activities like kickball or a night at the Robert E. Witt Activity Center to more relaxed activities like trivia games and crafts.

This comprehensive mix of working, listening, and active socializing was intentional on the part of the Honors College faculty, and according to Lamar and Bishop, it provided proactive first-year students with the opportunity to prepare a week in advance for the upcoming Honors curriculum, as well as any networking events associated with the college.

“You’re not just going to school, you’re also working with others in common areas,” Bishop said. “I couldn’t be happier that the first thing I get to do is work with students on service projects.”