Seventh-grade students at South Callaway Middle School proved they have a mind of their own Monday, breaking into groups to create political parties with different opinions on many issues - often at a level of maturity and openness to challenge their adult counterparts.
Armed with poster boards and research, the students set up in the gym as part of the South Callaway Middle School Political Party Convention to show their parties' beliefs to other middle school students and judges. Each group discussed what they would focus on if elected, hoping to earn the votes of their peers.
Teacher Chad Hecktor gave his students a task: Pick at least five topics to form a stance on and create a political party with a name, a slogan and a symbol. Dividing into 13 groups of four to six members each, students researched issues, created a display and prepared to discuss their opinions.
"I don't particularly leave any topic off the list; there's nothing I tell them to shy away from," Hecktor said. "I do ask them to be as respectful as they can of other people's opinions."
He said the assignment was a project-based learning activity with the goal of teaching students more about the role of government and to help them "start formalizing some of the ideas they have politically."
Although some ideas can be underdeveloped because the students don't have much life experience yet, Hecktor noted, how well the students process ideas and discuss them can be surprising.
"(There are) usually some pretty decent conversations between people who visit and the students," he said. "That's part of the process of them learning more about their own political leanings and how the political system works."
Although most topics chosen by the groups are mainstream issues, many parties also formed stances on less-discussed matters. Students also were unafraid to mix stances from the Republican and Democratic parties.
The Equalitans Party, a group focused on equal rights for everyone, said they want to protect LGBTQ rights and would support Kamala Harris, a Democratic senator from California, as a presidential candidate because "she wants to fix what's happening." The group also is against abortion, with some exceptions.
"We don't have the right to judge people for what they believe," Equalitans Party member Alaney Miller said.
A group supporting President Donald Trump for reelection, the American Party, said he's been "a great president." Ryli Arney, an American Party member, said the group wants to stress being more respectful to the military and work on less-restrictive gun laws. The party did disagree with the president on one issue, maintaining a pro-choice stance.
The Anthesis Party, which focused on environmental issues for one of its stances, named itself after the period when flowers are fully open and functional.
Another group, the National Moving Action Party, said they want to improve higher education access and rehabilitation access in the prison system. They also want to improve funding for nursing homes and to help the homeless. Another stance for the party is to legalize marijuana and treat it like alcohol or tobacco, creating age restrictions.
Haley Dye, a member of the National Moving Action Party, said they maintain a pro-life stance and; are against strict gun control; they support Oprah Winfrey as a candidate for president.
"She stood up for women when there was no one else to stand up for them," Dye said.
Hecktor said discussing politics can be hard, regardless of age - which is a lesson in itself.
"There are times where some kids don't particularly feel comfortable with the route that the majority of their party has taken in terms of their viewpoint on certain topics," Hecktor said. "And we've talked about how that's realistic."