Engaging in activities and working towards good causes, John F. Kennedy’s various clubs offer students a wide array of opportunities and activities as the new school year begins. Upstanders is an Associated Student Body leadership class that focuses primarily on the effects of bullying, racism, or any sort of discrimination towards the diverse community at Kennedy.
The fairly new Upstanders leadership class led by Daniel Hanna at Kennedy has been an uplifting experience according to the students who participate in the class and events, watching each other grow and help other students who are in need for guidance or moral support during a hard time.
Hanna, teacher and advisor of the leadership class, has continued to lead this class, for the appreciation of its morals and good deeds that the students implement. “Upstanders is an organization at Kennedy where we promote anti-hate, anti-racism and discrimination on campus and in our community in which students should feel safe and comfortable,” said Hanna.
The upstanders class is a newly represented class for students at Kennedy, and are advocating for higher representation so students can join and help make Kennedy a better place for all students.
“This is my second year teaching this class, and since I had already had some leadership experience beforehand, it was the perfect opportunity,” said Hanna. “There was a space in this class where I had the chance to help students who may feel as if they do not feel like they are represented or misunderstood, so I enjoy promoting on making the campus feel respectful and safe, so it all aligned perfectly.”
The upstanders class has five different committees, which consist of the social media team, art team, public relations, fundraising and peer mediation. The heart of Upstanders is their peer mediation committee, in which they advocate for resolving conflicts between students who may feel lost or alone.
“When students are fighting on campus or feel misunderstood, they tend to not want to talk to adults or administrators, but we have the students who can talk to those students for those low-stake problems and help resolve the conflict,” said Hanna.
For example, if a student is having an argument with another student, but the conflict is not too high a stake to take it up to admin, the Peer Mediation students will sit down with the students, and have a conversation with them to resolve the conflict and to give genuine advice to help cool-down the tension. The peer-mediation students are thoroughly trained in the beginning of the semester and have dealt with many different types of scenarios to be prepared for any situation that may happen on campus.
The recruitment behind the class is fully student-led, and done with much intent behind the whole process. Students in the Upstanders class choose who to be in the class, but Nina Devillar, Social Worker at Kennedy Cares Office, and Hanna look for people to consider who may have experienced those same situations and can help influence other students.
Upstanders’ president and vice president take part in what the class does for events, and overall ownership of what the students need to do for the class. Vanessa Silva, president of Upstanders, takes a cardinal role in the class. “As president, I am mostly in charge of what direction I want to lead the class and what activities we should participate in, but it is all mostly a group decision.”
With all of the hard work that the Upstanders class does, they are preparing for the new school year for more future events to come such as giveaways, lunch events at the quad, halloween mazes and personal field trips for their class. After the new 2025 school year had begun, the Upstanders class announced a giveaway, gaining over 150 followers in one day, and over 10 thousand viewer engagement on their instagram posts.
The students who participated in the Upstanders table during club rush on Wednesday, August 27, 2025 had given out Otter Pops on a hot day, while giving students a brief explanation on what the class is about and fun events that they host throughout the year. The students have received success in their class and are looking forward to many more fun and engaging events for Kennedy in the future.