By Associated Press
Marion, AL – At Albert Turner Sr. Elementary School in Marion, fourth-grade students sat on the edge of their seats as University of Alabama student David Bolus acted out scenes from Shakespeare. On the other end of the campus, third-graders giggled as three girls rapped about the importance of eating healthy.
Around Marion and elsewhere in the Black Belt, other students are working on community service projects with UA's University Fellows Experience program.
"Our goal is to communicate respect and responsibility in the area of community and health," said Angela Armstrong, who is working with three other students focusing on nutrition.
"I love kids, and I love health so it seemed like a really good intersection of the two," she said. "I'm just really attracted to the idea of planting a seed of curiosity in these kids' minds. I've seen all smiles."
It is important for children to form healthy habits when they are young, and Armstrong said she hopes that the students take what they learn and apply it to their lives.
Armstrong and her team also helped the students write their own rap songs about eating healthy and showed them physical representations of the health difference between fast food meals and healthier restaurants.
The UA students did a great job of getting the third-graders involved in the activities and keeping them interested, said Turner Elementary teacher Keisha Lewis.
"I think it's a good idea because it's such a hectic schedule daily, that we don't get to health like we should," Lewis said. "The kids are enjoying it, and (the UA students are) doing a good job of interacting with the children."
In addition to working with Marion students on health and the arts, the 23 University of Alabama students are leading projects on personal finances, ACT preparation classes, tourism development and several others.
"They are individuals who see themselves as change agents," University Fellows Experience coordinator and Honors College teacher Wellon Bridgers said. "They understand the importance of not just having knowledge for knowledge sake."
The students are all rising juniors and spent their sophomore years planning the projects, many of which relate to their interests. Bolus is a theater major and Armstrong is studying biology.
"Our particular program is designed for students who feel a draw for leadership,' Bridgers said. "All our students wanted to have a particular project that they could take ownership of. Leadership and service are the two tenants of the program."
The students spent last week touring the area and getting to know the people and will spend the next week in Marion working on their projects.
The program focused its attention on the Black Belt because it is an area in need close to home. It allows the students to help an area that is in their own backyard, Bridgers said.
"We've been grateful that they have been so open and welcoming to us," she said. "I've been so proud of these students because they've really put their selves in a position to learn from these people that we've met."
"When you read about the Black Belt, the main thing that is highlighted is the poverty of the area. But there's so much richness. We wanted out students to be able to see that firsthand."