A successful middle school team of teachers employed effective middle level philosophy to structure a curriculum around themes that were relevant, challenging, integrative, and engaging for their particular students and community. Realizing that their young adolescents were involved in tough, delicate issues in their out-of-school lives, the cross-subject teachers came together in true middle school fashion to respond to students' needs. Using readings, writing, and discussions of conflict helped students to see that they were not alone. When violence is the norm in any location, it can influence a person's perspectives on his or her life. The students desires changed, and their study of figures in history and literature, allowed them to use their own lives as exemplars of possibilities. The teachers tried to honor and expand the seventh graders' interests--and the students, rather than act passively, participated in an active, democratic fashion, asking questions and making connections to their lives beyond the classroom.