In the early hours of a February morning in 2008,  Daoud Abudiab woke up to a call by the local fire department. The Muslim community leader was notified that there had been an attack on the Islamic Center of Columbia, the home of the Muslim community in Columbia, Tenn. The very mosque that he directed was defaced with racial slurs and burned to the ground.

Working closely alongside Facing History and Ourselves, Not in Our School spent the past year documenting student efforts to address issues of concern in their schools. From posting positive messages on Facebook to taking on a social action project or simply speaking out against bullying, students across the nation have taken a step towards tolerance and acceptance with the guidance of their teachers.

This week's broadcast of Anderson Cooper's special report: "Bullying: It Stops Here" on CNN and Lady Gaga's recent announcement that she will go to the U.S. president to address the bullying problem has brought bullying onto the national agenda.   

"Every time I see someone get bullied, I step in. No matter what age they are, if I know them or not, it doesn't matter." —Orange High School student

Today, we feature one of our newest Not In Our School videos. In this film, students from Orange High School in Pepper Pike, Ohio, identify bully zones around their campus and stage a flash mob performance in their cafeteria to highlight bullying they've witnessed: verbal, physical and cyberbullying. 

The Not In Our Town crew had the pleasure of interviewing young performing artist Julian Hornik a few years ago during Palo Alto Unified School District's Not In Our School week. He told us about the bullying and cyberbullying that he experienced after classmates discovered YouTube videos of Julian performing his original songs. Now 15, Julian sends a message to other teens: "It Gets Better." Julian states:

It's Day 4 of No Name-Calling Week. Today we are sharing one of our most popular Not In Our School videos, "Students Teach Students to Stand Up to Bullying," filmed at Shaw High School in East Cleveland, Ohio.

On this third day of No Name-Calling Week, we showcase two videos of middle school students who  use skits to stand up against bullying and promote acceptance in their schools.  The first is a Not In Our Town video from Rockford, Illinois where student council members organized a Not In Our School campaign and a school wide assembly with student-produced skits challenging stereotypes and other intolerant behavior.