Earlier this year, Lotus School for Excellence in Aurora was in the headlines after a basketball game between them and Denver Academy of Torah got heated. But school leadership says that's not reflective of their values at all.

Second-year elementary school principal Andre Underwood thinks that learning begins before students step into the classroom.

"I was a teacher for about 15 years, and that was the biggest thing that I got out of that was building relationships with students first," said Underwood.

He sees his job as an educator as making sure that all his students feel comfortable coming to school first. That's why he has implemented social emotional learning lessons every week in all classrooms.

"So, the students learn about empathy, they learn about bullying," said Underwood. "To be able to deal with conflicts with people."

And he has embraced the "No Place for Hate" initiative. A self-directed ADL program to help all members of the school community combat bias and bullying.

"I see students from every single background, from being born here in America, from students coming from Ethiopia and from Sudan, and teaching them about their cultures. And so, I just feel that the students embracing those cultures and learning about the cultures sends them a sign of respect for each other," said Underwood.

Lotus School for Excellence is a charter school, which means no student pays tuition, and it serves the Aurora community. And if you know anything about Aurora, it's a very diverse city, so welcoming everyone is one of their core values that enables them to better serve the community.

The "No Place for Hate" initiative started at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, and soon they will submit their progress to the ADL in hopes of gaining official "No Place for Hate" status.

Principal Underwood says it may seem like a small or insignificant thing to some, but he has seen his efforts make a huge difference for his students. In their everyday lives and in the classroom.

"I stand at the door every single day to greet these students, and the majority of them are running into the building, to see their teachers or see their classmates, wanting to learn," said Underwood.