Who Are the Alameda Students Behind the 'Humans of AHS' Facebook Project?

Announcement, photo courtesy of Alameda Unified School District:

One student talks about how he misses spending time with his mother. Another talks about discovering a passion for singing. One girl talks about how much she admires her grandmother’s ability to be respectful to all people. Still another talks about the mentoring and friendship she has received from her golf coach.

The students are all from Alameda High School and were interviewed for the “Humans of AHS,” a Facebook project run by three seniors in a second year journalism class: Ariel Moyal, Alanna Greene, and Janet Chen. The result? An intriguing and compassionate portrait of the experiences, thoughts, and feelings of Alameda youth today.

“This has turned into something more wonderful than I could have imagined,” says Kelly Gregor, the AHS journalism and media center teacher. “It showcases these students’ talents as photographers and reporters really well, and it gives the broader community a peek into our school and the terrific young people here. I am so proud of the work they have done.”

“Meaningful and Heartfelt Responses”

The three seniors took their inspiration from “Humans of New York,” a photoblog and Facebook page that features pictures and quotes from New York City residents. Students have set up similar pages at high schools and colleges across the country.

“We were aware of the pages and thought it would be great to implement something like that in our own school,” says Chen. “We thought it could be a powerful tool for community building.”

The three girls brainstorm questions to ask other students — including questions about cultural identities, traditions, and current events — as well as more common teasers, such as “who inspires you?” or “what’s your favorite memory?” or “do you have a Valentine?” Students are asked if they’d like to participate (a “no” answer is respected) and Greene takes the photo, while Moyal and Chen do the interview.

One of the most compelling stories the girls have heard was that of a freshman, who said his greatest inspiration was his older half-brother, who has supported him as a gay youth.

“He was very accepting,” the young teen is quoted as saying on the “Humans” page. “He told me not to give up no matter what happens and to (forget) everyone who thinks differently.” Notes Greene, “I was awestruck because that is such a fresh and brave thing to say, especially for a freshman.”

The girls were also moved by what Chen characterizes as the “meaningful and heartfelt” responses to the death of AHS senior Clay Harding last November.

“We would always call each other beautiful, but he was the more beautiful one,” one girl told the “Humans” team. “It’s the little things that will always stay with me. Words can’t describe Clay, and as a friend, I just want to say that he was truly an amazing guy.” Recalled another student, “Clay had the biggest smile in the whole school. No one was ever mad at him, he was never negative. He brightened the mood when he didn’t try to, and he didn’t even notice it, he just did. He brought positivity to every situation.”

“How Much Truth People are Willing to Share”

The three seniors admit they had some trepidation about using Facebook to tell teens’ stories. “I was afraid to expose people on social media, that people would have preconceptions and we would somehow make the subjects vulnerable,” Chen says.

“But it was the opposite,” Greene chimes in. “It’s very inspiring to see that people don’t harass them and to see how much truth people are willing to share, how much trust they’re willing to put in us.”

Gregor notes that she, too, was a “little hesitant” about the openness of using social media platform for the project, but that the students agreed to carefully monitor any comments on the page and delete any that were hurtful or inappropriate.

“Fortunately, that has not been an issue so far,” Gregor says. “And the reality is social media plays a big role in their lives and has become a major component of journalism, so their experience with this project has real value.”

“Commonalities and Differences”

All three girls agree the learning curve on the project was steep.

“When we started, we would ask a question and if someone didn’t respond, we’d just move on,” Moyal says. “Now we know to keep asking follow-up questions to tease out an answer. You just have to find an area that really interests people to help them get talking.”

In addition to learning tools of the trade, the students learned life lessons about the human experience.

“It’s so easy to write off high schoolers,” Moyal says, “even when you’re a high schooler yourself. We automatically fit people into stereotypes. But when you start asking people questions, you realize everybody has different experiences. There is so much more to people than you think.”

“The students involved in this project have learned that everybody has a story,” Gregor says. “They have elicited quotes from people on campus that are funny, heartbreaking, thoughtful, and profound. I think they have been inspired by their subjects.”

Superintendent Sean McPhetridge recently met the young journalists at AHS.

“I was delighted to see students using their emerging journalism skills to cover important social issues via the lens of people and personalities at their school,” he says. “It is a great way to spotlight the commonalities and differences among us all.”

From left to right, Ariel Moyal, Janet Chen, and Alanna Greene started the “Humans of AHS” courtesy Facebook page at Alameda High.