First and second grade students got a hands-on civics lesson last week that fell in line with the election of the president of the United States.

Instead of deciding between a Republican and a Democrat, however, students had to decide between Principal and...Principal.

On the ballot for students were Elementary Principal Jared Reese and High School Principal Nathan Nance.

Each candidate chose a running mate: Reese went with Danny Green, who teaches P.E. at the school, and Nance chose Dana LaRue, a school social worker.

Prior to the election, the candidates not only campaigned for votes, but also took part in a debate.

“The students learned about campaigning, what a debate was and came up with questions to ask each candidate,” said first grade teacher Amy Trout.

After the debate, each first and second grader entered a voting booth to cast his or her ballot.

The winners? “It was a landslide,” said Trout. Students selected Reese and Green as they won by a 19-5 margin.