Over 50 University of Arkansas students, alumni, faculty and staff participated in the fall break day of service at Marvell-Elaine High School on Monday, Oct. 21.

In one day 20 murals, three container gardens and one outdoor classroom were created for the benefit of MEHS students. In addition to the tangible products created and vocational skills developed, U of A students were able to share their passion for service with students at Marvell-Elaine.

During the day of service, Angela Oxford, director of the center for community engagement was asked by a 9th grade MEHS student, Xavier, "How much are you all being paid to do this?" Oxford explained, "We are volunteers – giving our time because we care about your school," and to that he was stunned. In reflection, Angela said, "That's what it's all about for us – creating new opportunities for the students of Marvell-Elaine, allowing them to see they have people who care about them."

MEHS students, who incorporated quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., designed the murals to serve as inspiration throughout the halls of their school. The container gardens will be used to facilitate learning by the school's science department. The outdoor classroom provides an additional learning space and a point of pride for the Marvell-Elaine community.

Lisa Wood, instructor for soil and environmental science in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, led students in the outdoor classroom build. "We know from recent research that providing students with authentic learning experiences in outdoor settings can have far-reaching impacts on the students' knowledge, appreciation and stewardship of the environment," said Wood.

Wood believes that, "the outdoor classroom constructed at MEHS can be used to supplement instruction across all disciplines using the environment as a focal point. This integrated approach facilitates Common Core and Arkansas Frameworks, as well as incorporating cross-cutting concepts from the Next Generation Science Standards into the curriculum. Students will have greater opportunities to develop problem-solving and decision-making critical thinking skills through the authentic study of the complex, natural world. The outdoor classroom also provides a space where the community and students can work together on community-based projects to enhance environmental education."

The fall break day of service successfully engaged members of the U of A and MEHS communities in a collaborative project, and was funded by a grant from the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foundation.

"Our office is always dreaming on paper with our students and our partners of potential projects that we can make happen together. So when we have an opportunity to see one of those 'dreams' become a reality it's exciting for our team and student volunteers. I'm so grateful to everyone who made the project a reality because it makes a huge difference in the lives of the students in the Delta," said Oxford.

The Dream B.I.G. (Believing in Girls) program is a student-led girl empowerment mentoring initiative that serves 6th – 12th grade girls from MEHS in the Arkansas Delta throughout the year. Dream B.I.G. will return to MEHS January 10, 2014 to host a winter break conference. The conference will focus on STEM exploration, healthy decision-making, and positive self-esteem. Funding for the winter break conference is provided by a grant from the Women's Giving Circle. To learn more about the Dream B.I.G. program visit service.uark.edu.