Eighth grade students at Crestwood Junior High School had a chance to talk politics this Monday.
    The students participated in a mock political debate, complete with protestors, supporters, two presidential candidates and their running mates and an audience of sixth and seventh graders.
    Melodee Balk, the eighth grade Heritage teacher at Crestwood who organized the school project, said each student was required to do research on both John McCain and Barack Obama on four issues of their choice. After researching, the students chose one of the candidates to support and completed an assignment to write and present a speech in the first person of their chosen candidate.
    Then, students signed up for roles they wished to play in Monday’s mock presidential debate. Of the 108 eighth grade students, 25 dressed up in black suits and dark sunglasses to become secret service agents for the hour, 29 protested the debate and 45 held handmade signs supporting either McCain or Obama. Other students took on the roles of debate moderator (Kaitlin McAllister), introducers of the candidates (Brian Gosch and Laura Goodman), Obama (Lydia Baker), Joe Biden (Zach Weigel), McCain (Jacob Johnson) and Sarah Palin (Dakota Gooder). These seven students gave short speeches in front of their classmates and an audience of sixth and seventh grade students.