To date, seniors Timothy Reid, Patrick Cao, Yaren Ummak, Sabrina Healey, and Bernadette Bouhot and Junior Isabella Marra, have been recommended as Jets Upstander of the Week.

Jets Upstander of the Week is an organization, which collaborates with STOMP Out Bullying, whose main goal is to highlight students from various schools in order to demonstrate the meaning of being an upstander. An upstander is one who hears or witnesses bullying and speaks up. “It’s important for students to learn and understand that they need to stand up for those who can’t do it for themselves,” said SAC Counselor Ms. Klamerus.

During every week of the season, the Jets will ask each participating school to submit a picture and a description of each of the students who they have selected. The Jets then highlight their Upstander of the Week across their video board at their home games on a weekly basis.

The Jets Upstander of the Week Program was introduced to Becton Regional High School by Ms. Klamerus. “I was invited to go to an anti-bullying training during the summer at the Jets facility. During that time, part of the training was to learn more about the Jets Upstander of the Week Program. They informed us that as a school, one student could be nominated each week, and he or she would receive three tickets for a game and a parking pass,” said Ms. Klamerus. 

Upstander of the Week Timothy Reid thinks bullying should be stopped through actions, not words, and leading by example or showing through example is a good idea. Timothy wants to continue to inspire others to stand up against bullying by confronting the problem, even if the bully is your friend.

Patrick Cao was also very honored to receive the award. “No matter how bad anything is, somebody could always have it worse,” he said. To stop bullying, Patrick inspires others to be kind to their classmates and to always look on the bright side. The senior believes that as long as human nature exists, so does bullying. “It’s natural,” he said.

Furthermore, Yaren Ummak believes that standing up to others and reporting the problem is a way to stop the bullying. Her advice to others being bullied is to spread positivity and believe in yourself. She believes that bullying will decrease when others begin to respect each other. Yaren said, “Have confidence, be strong for yourself, and stand up for not only you but for others.”

Last but certainly not least, Isabella Marra loved being an upstander because it shows that little things can go a long way. Isabella voices her opinion when witnessing bullying. “Bullying has gotten to a point where everyone should know it’s wrong and harmful,” she said. Her advice to the victims is not to care about what others think.

English Teacher Mrs. Scalera thinks the program may help students at Becton because if kids see others being rewarded, they may want to change their behavior to also be rewarded. The English teacher believes that all six of the upstanders are an inspiration. “It’s so much easier to be kind than to try to destroy someone else because it takes energy to bother someone,” she said.