The Emily Carr Public School is a junior kindergarten- to-grade eight school with a student population of 775. The school reflects the growing diversity of a city that is one of the most rapidly expanding urban centers in Canada. The school leaders took the first step in inviting a representative group of parents, educators, and community leaders to meet in an informal discussion of school- community behavioral problems among children and youth. The result of the discussion was a consensus and commitment to continue to meet as a committee. The next step was a survey of student concerns. These concerns were then taken to the teachers, who talked about the issues facing them and their students daily in the classroom. A second committee meeting was scheduled to explore the issue of community involvement. The committee set three goals for any program development: the promotion of respect, tolerance, and mediation; the fostering of positive attitudes through education and support at all levels; and the development of behavioral expectations and consequences in association with a proactive, skill-building component. Programs developed by the committee included a social-skills program designed to counter violent behavior among students. Elements of the program are empathy training; impulse control; anger management; mediation techniques; and the learning of acceptance, respect, and tolerance. One program targeted bullying as a major problem in school behaviors. The overall school strategy is called SMARTS, with each letter of the acronym standing for self-esteem, mediation, acceptance, respect, tolerance, and a safe school.