East Middle School students had a surprise guest for their year-end assembly on the eighth-grade class project.

“America's Most Wanted” television host John Walsh spoke to the school Wednesday morning. The program was focusing on a class project called “The Seven Wondrous People of Auburn,” which included components of English, social studies and math classes.

The students' task was to come to a consensus on seven people from Auburn who have made an impact on the world.

They conducted extensive interviews and solicited suggestions from the public before calculating the final seven.

The final Auburnians chosen were former U.S. Secretary of State William Seward, film pioneer Theodore Case, abolitionist Harriet Tubman, Walsh, former Auburn Doubledays president Leo Pinckney, former Enna-Jettick Shoes owner Fred Emerson, and Jerome “Brud” Holland, the two-time All-American football player who was later selected by President Richard Nixon to serve as ambassador to Sweden.

The students were surprised when one of the people on their list, Walsh, was suddenly talking with them Wednesday morning.

Walsh spoke about being safe and his pride in Auburn, among other things, and he took questions from the students.