“No Place for Hate” will again have a place in Northampton Area School District during the 2016-17 school year.

The six NASD school buildings have received “No Place for Hate” banners, which will be displayed at each school.

“Essentially, it works to combat bias, bullying and hatred,” said Dr. Kathleen E. Ott, NASD director of data, grants and special programs, introducing the “No Place for Hate” presentation at the Aug. 8. board of education meeting.

NASD administrators and teachers stepped to the podium to detail the program, which began during the 2015-16 school year in the district.

“Our No. 1 responsibility is student achievement,” said Joseph S. Kovalchik, NASD superintendent of schools.

“Part of our responsibility is the education of our students and community on diversity,” Kovalchik continued. “[Ott] did a fantastic job putting this together. I’m very proud of what was accomplished last year.”

School directors, administrators and those attending the Aug. 8 board meeting celebrated the six NASD schools’ designation as “No Place for Hate,” having completed one year of anti-bias and anti-bullying programs.

“That message to your students is so important today,” said Lindsay Shafer, “No Place for Hate” assistant project director, who presented each school principal with the designation banner

“It’s been great working with her,” Ott said of Shafer. “We actually started working a year before.”

“Northampton (Area School District) has done such a great job,” Shafer said. “The projects were fantastic. I can’t wait to see what’s coming up for 2016-17.”

Here’s an overview of the “No Place for Hate” program in NASD for the 2015-16 school year.

George Wolf Elementary School: “Omega Man” assembly, about the importance of challenging bullying; “Across the Border,” learning about different cultures; and “No Place for Hate” bi-monthly newsletter

Lehigh Elementary School: “Invisible Boy” story assembly; a schoolwide essay contest celebrating diversity; and a monthly “No Place for Hate” class meeting

Moore Elementary School: “No Place for Hate” assembly; multicultural cookbook; and “We Are All Mountain Lions” mural project

Northampton Borough Elementary schools: “All About Me,” celebrating differences; “No Place for Hate” quilt mural; and NASD logo contest

Northampton Area Middle School: “Infusion of Inclusion” assembly; poetry contest, poster contest and student-created videos about the importance of inclusion; and “No Place for Hate” classroom lessons

Northampton Area High School: “Journey to Respect” essay and poster contest; “Mind of an Athlete” presentation; “No Place for Hate, Embrace Diversity” experiences, music and literature; and student-created “No Place for Hate” T-shirts and bracelets

Northampton Area School District: “Konkrete Collage Contest,” during which elementary and secondary students created collages and wrote essays celebrating diversity; “How to Deal with the Challenges of Poverty in the Classroom” faculty presentations; and multicultural cookbook, with 156 recipes representing 34 nations (available on the NASD website, nasd schools.org)

“It was a powerful learning experience for us,” Dr. Lori Kuhns, principal of Lehigh Elementary School, said of the “No Place for Hate” program.

The NASD schools are among about 230 schools in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware participating in the “No Place for Hate” program.

The “No Place for Hate” program was developed by the Anti-Defamation League, with offices in Philadelphia, “to provide a model for challenging bigotry and intolerance in schools and organizations,” according to its website, noplaceforhate.org.