Launched by communications and grants manager C.J. Carnacchio, the Charter Township of Oxford held their first ever “Kids Count Coloring Contest” to encourage and promote participation in the 2020 United States Census.
Reminding residents all children count when it comes to gathering census information, the contest was open to all kindergarten-fifth grade students at Oxford Community Schools’ five elementaries – Clear Lake, Daniel Axford, Lakeview, Leonard and Oxford.
Split into three age categories – kindergarten/first grade, second/third grade and fourth/fifth grade – each age group received their own first, second and third-place prizes.
The first-place prize in each age group was a platinum package at the Urban Air Adventure Park inside Legacy 925. Valued at $210 each, this represented a commitment in excess of $600 from Urban Air.
The three second-place recipients received $50 gift cards to the Oxford 7 Theater, and the third-place children were given $25 gift cards to Funky Monkey Toys.
“A major ‘thank you’ to Urban Air, Oxford 7 and Funky Monkey Toys,” Carnacchio shared. “Without them, this contest would not have been possible. These were outstanding prizes and helped increase the turnout we received.”
Spanning the three age groups, over 70 entries were submitted for consideration. Oxford Township’s elected officials, no strangers to making important decisions, voted on the finalists.
Originally, the township was going to announce the winners on March 12 but decided to bump that up to March 5. Carnacchio made the unveiling on the township’s Facebook page.
Deetanvi Guru Prasad, a kindergartner at Daniel Axford Elementary, took home first-place in the youngest grouping. Jesse Antoniou and June Kelly, both first-graders at Clear Lake Elementary, captured second and third-place, respectively.
Clear Lake would extend their dominance in the second/third grade category, sweeping all three spots. Third-grader Evan Meza was the winner, while Macy O’Neill and Mackenzie Peterson, both second-graders, were the other two honorees.
The fourth/fifth grade level was all about Oxford Elementary. Like Clear Lake in the above paragraph, Oxford occupied all three spots in this grouping. Addie Prince was victorious, Blake Myers slotted in second-place and Joshua Richardson received third-place. All three students are in the fifth grade.
Invitations to participate in the census will arrive in the mail between March 12-20. When filling it out, remember: Kids count!