Shana Rocca, a sophomore in the Computer Information Systems (CIS) program at Old Colony RVTHS, was selected as the Regional High School Winner of the “United States 2010 Census Poster Contest” sponsored by the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Her entry was chosen from twenty-eight submissions.

The criteria for judging the posters was based on how well the poster expressed the message about the U.S. 2010 Census in an original, creative, and thoughtful manner. The poster had to be hand-drawn using one of the following themes:

• “The Direction of Massachusetts is Up to Us”
• “It’s Easy, It’s Safe, It’s Important”
• “It’s in Our Hands”
• “We Can’t Move Forward Until You Mail It Back”
• Shana chose the theme “It’s In Our Hands.”

There were four grade divisions from grades K-12. Shana competed with all high school divisions in Bristol and Plymouth counties, which were assigned to Region F. There were seven regions in the state with one regional winner chosen in each grade division for a total of 28 winners.

In recognition for her winning drawing, Ms. Rocca was invited to attend an awards ceremony and luncheon at the State House in Boston on May 21, 2010. She was accompanied by her parents and her instructor, Karen Guenette. The visit included a tour of the State House and an opportunity to display her winning poster.

The 2010 Mr. Cougar competition was a huge success and was enjoyed by over 400 people who had a great time at this year’s event. The winner of the 2010 Mr. Cougar was Lionel LaFleur of the CAD Drafting shop. His fellow contestants were Colby Robertson, Jeremy Mare, Tyler Steek, Jordan Casey, Ryan Tucker, Eric Golda, Billy Labossiere, Chris Lake, Garett MacDonald, and Steve Paynter. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make this year’s event a memorable one, to everyone who attended the 2010 Mr. Cougar competition !