RALEIGH -- Organizing a new government after a revolution is challenging whether it's in the United States or Egypt.
Now imagine that kind of power wrangle in the hands of middle schoolers.
Also not easy.
Sixty-four seventh-graders at Exploris Middle School learned that firsthand Monday, when their teachers decided to show them what happens after a revolution.
Without any notice, the students were told that they have two days to develop a plan to reorganize the seventh grade.
"It's easy to have a revolution," said Karen Rectanus, a teacher at Exploris, which is in downtown Raleigh. "It's harder to form a government."
Rectanus lived in Libya when Moammar Gadhafi took over the country in 1969. In her class, she has covered the recent unrest in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia.
Compared with those places, the stakes weren't as high in the halls of Exploris. But the scene was loud and chaotic as students split into groups, largely by sex. Ideas, practical and not, were put forth for consideration. Spencer DeMartz, 12, lobbied for scheduled times for naps and listening to iPods.
Another boy suggested changing the school dress code to require girls to wear spaghetti straps.
"We've got to have some classes in there," Caroline Dunn, 12, told one group of boys.
Some order emerged with proposals put on the table for keeping the math and language arts classes in the schedule while building in time for study halls and electives.
If the ideas aren't too crazy, the teachers say they'll try to carry them out on Wednesday, just for the day.
"It was a little chaotic," said Annie Bennett, 13. "You can't just sit around and eat grilled hot dogs all day."
