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HAY RIVER - A rubber chicken flies through the air, hits a pair of outstretched hands and skids to the floor.

The Diamond Jenness School classroom is a haven for disagreement, with arguments lobbed around like grenades.

Reiss Kruger, 17, holds the rubber chicken which grants participants of his Politics Anonymous discussion group the right to speak. Kruger, a Grade 12 student at Hay River's Diamond Jenness Secondary school, started the group to give students and staff a forum to freely discuss school, local, national and international issues. - HHerb Mathisen/NNSL photo

It's just another meeting of Politics Anonymous, a group kick-started by Reiss Kruger, a 17 year old who is in Grade 12. In the meeting, the rubber chicken is tossed around the room from speaker to speaker -- whoever holds the chicken has the floor. Kruger stands at the front of the room with a marker in hand, leading a discussion on where the line on government control should be drawn when it infringes on personal liberty.

"It's just about wanting to be able to discuss things, I guess," said Kruger.

The group has met every Thursday after school in an upstairs classroom since it was founded about three months ago.

Kruger said the attendance fluctuates from four to 15 students and, on occasion, staff.

Politics Anonymous was created because Kruger felt classroom discussions weren't able to fully evolve with all the other lessons, testing and work that take up class time.

"You're always constrained by class time limits and curriculum," he said.

The gathering allows members to dive headlong into issues, with Kruger playing moderator. The topic always changes, he said, and it really comes down to whatever people want to talk about.

The group will discuss local – disappointment a music centre proposed by the Lion's Den was shot down by town hall – school – Diamond Jenness' controversial locking down of the stairwells – and international issues.

"We had (a discussion) about the creation of the state of Israel that was pretty good," said Kruger.

"And then we talked about pirates," he laughed.

"It's really random. The whole point is it's not supposed to be too constraining."

He said what he enjoys most from the group is hearing a wide-range of opinions and getting to see things from different perspectives.

Kruger isn't afraid to push peoples' buttons and challenge them on their beliefs.

For instance, during morning announcements one day, he yelled out in the foyer: "be it resolved that feminism is useless."

Kruger hoped an angry mob would show up at the meeting and deride him for his comments.

"Not one woman showed up to defend (feminism)," he said, clearly irritated.

To date, Politics Anonymous has remained a discussion group and hasn't taken any public political action, said Kruger.

Kruger said he is constantly encouraging friends – and strangers – to come out to the Thursday afternoon meetings.

"I'm always prodding them," said Kruger, with a smile.