Inspired by the popular Facebook page Humans of New York, club founder Allie Novakoff ’17, with supporters Kate Brady ’17 and Emma Benkert ’17, are creating a club with a similar focus, called the Humans of Dana Hall club.
With more likes on Facebook than the entire population of New York City, Humans of New York, started by Daren Stanton in 2010, is a photoblog and a #1 New York Times best-selling book. Stanton photographs people he meets on the street and interviews his subjects, evoking responses that give global readers a brief look into the lives of strangers living in New York City. Humans of New York has won the Webby for “Best Use of Photography” and “Best Cultural Blog” at the People’s Voice Award, and Stanton was a guest blogger at the 2013 MET gala in New York City. The Humans of New York blog’s popularity has become viral, as the concept has spread to numerous cities, such as Humans of Boston with over 5000 Facebook followers, and to schools like Wellesley Public, BB&N, NCDS, and now Dana Hall.
Tri-heads and club advisor Dr. Julia Bucci, Head of the English Department, invite anyone to join the club who has an interest in the club concept and who is drawn to photography. Novakoff ’17 states that “club members will take pictures of students, faculty and staff around school, and will ask thought-provoking questions in order to supply a quote. Quotes will be comprised of unique information that someone might not know about the person being photographed.” The club plans to have a Facebook page, with the possibility of an Instagram account in the future.
The Humans of Dana Hall club is not yet up and running, because the school needed to implement new policies regarding social media. Dean of Students Ms. Kristin Ryan states, “we certainly want to support this,” but it’s necessary to make sure that the club’s activities are in line with the responsible use policy and that Dana Hall is represented well, because the forum will be public. Ms. Ryan has met with Ms. Liza Cohen, Director of Communications, Ms. Liz Pauster, Director of Academic Technology, and Mr. Fred Clayton, Head of the Technology Department. Together, they have decided the requirements for any group that would like to have a social media outlet. There would be a small “application” process and a club advisor to monitor what’s being posted. Ms. Ryan says that clubs will be given a Dana Hall email address, to preserve longevity so that it can continue to be accessed over the years even as student leaders change. A Dana Hall email address will also keep any one student from having sole access to the page. Ms. Ryan says that the new policy is still in the current stages of development.
