Schoolyard politics

Social politics is a huge part of school at any level, and this program is probably just a teeny tiny drop in the bucket help to deal with issues such as bullying, name-calling, and other acts of violence that fall into the normal range of social behavior. Although the article starts out with an awfully lame example, the point of the program isn't merely about rudeness, it's about civility, respect and maybe even a start towards developing a sense of community.

I think high school is too late for programs like these to be effective. Let's start at pre-school and grade school. I've noticed that even kindergarteners are already into cliques and other forms of social separatism, the norm in our society really but (sigh) not really very nice. I'm also a big advocate for teaching parents because that is the source. Kids learn from their parents.