Though American life in 1923 was significantly different than the present day, authors John Dewey and Diana Brannon share similar concerns about character. Historically, educators as far back as the 1800s have felt an obligation to the community to transcend the primary purpose for schooling by including character education in their curricula. Today, educators reaffirm John Dewey's perception with a sense of urgency for the interventions needed in schools to address social injustices and to promote values of democracy and tolerance. In recent years, stories of bullying and, more tragically, of school shootings illustrate the necessity of addressing the causes underlying school violence. Educators at one school district were driven by a desire and commitment to nurture students' psychosocial well-being while attending to the basic tenets of education. To this end, Rockwall Independent School District (Rockwall ISD) adopted Rachel's Challenge, a character education program, in the effort to ensure that teaching and learning take place in a culture of kindness and compassion. This essay begins by describing Rachel's Challenge and how it is implemented on secondary and elementary campuses in Rockwall ISD. The authors discuss the school curriculum and argue that Rachel's Challenge is most effective as a component of the curriculum. One act of kindness and compassion, they conclude, can start a chain reaction and, with nurturing, transform the culture in schools. (Contains 1 table.)