MGCCC’s Harrison County Campus’s PTK Chapter highlighted in academic journal

Phi Theta Kappa honored the Omicron Alpha’s national award-winning Honors in Action Project with publication in the 2023 edition of Civic Scholar, PTK’s Journal of Undergraduate Research.

The chapter is located at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Harrison County Campus.

Omicron Alpha’s project was a book, entitled “Sandcastles and Seawalls: A History of the Architecture and Design of Play on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”  The book won a national Honors in Action Project Award from PTK International because it was organized and implemented as a substantive, intentional project that included academic investigation, action, collaboration, and reflection.

“We believe that educating young minds about the history of play on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is crucial for fostering an appreciation for our local heritage,” Ashleigh Pierce, chapter president, said. “The book is designed at a reader-friendly level for third and fourth graders, ensuring an engaging and informative experience.”

The initiative was part of Omicron Alpha’s commitment to community engagement, with the students tasked to develop a research question, conduct thorough research, and implement an action that directly benefits the community. The chosen project, a children’s book, reflects their dedication to educational outreach.

“It is a deep dive into the history of the Mississippi Gulf Coast but written so that children can understand more about their community,” said Pierce. “Our team spent many, many hours researching and illustrating our findings, depending heavily on local resources like the family of the original seawall architect and the Local History and Genealogy Department at the Biloxi Library.”

Expertly printed by Knight Abbey, the book was donated to Harrison County Public Libraries and all third and fourth grade elementary school libraries in the county. In addition to the generous donations to local libraries, Omicron Alpha Officers plan has distributed copies across college campuses with a potential book signing event scheduled at MGCCC’s Harrison County Campus this spring.

To see the article about the book, you can view the Civic Scholar Journal at https://www.ptk.org/benefits/honors-program/civic-scholar-journal/.