UA Honors College Partners with Holt High School for Photo Project

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – An exhibit of photographs produced by Holt High School students in partnership with The University of Alabama Honors College has opened in Nott Hall Gallery.

Some 22 students from Holt and their 14 Honors College partners were on hand for the opening of the exhibit Feb. 8.

As a service component of the Honors College course “Engagement through the Arts,” directed by Elliot Knight, UA honors students met weekly with Holt High School students, with whom they learned and taught basic photography techniques.

Through Knight’s course, honors students gained a better understanding of current education trends with emphasis on engagement in arts education. 

“I’ve been extremely pleased with the program and look forward to continuing to develop the partnership between UA and Holt,” Knight said.

Knight worked with Holt High School photography instructor Jason Worley to provide this experience, which gave the Holt students an opportunity to closely identify and analyze the strengths and challenges of their school and community.

“My students enjoyed this project from the first day the Honors College students walked into the classroom,” Worley said.

Holt student Kristen Sullivan said the opportunity “showed us a different point of view and gave us a chance to realize what different points of view mean. Everyone had a different perspective.”

The partnership also included UA’s Center for Community-Based Partnerships, which supplied the cameras that the students used for the project and also sponsored a photo exhibit at Holt in December.

“One of the most rewarding parts of the experience was watching the students gain a bit more confidence each week in their ability to express themselves both verbally and through art,” said Hallie Paul, Honors College student in the course, who also said she gained as much from the experience as the Holt students learned about photography.

The exhibit is on display on the 2nd floor of Nott Hall until March 26.