Congratulations Davis, California!

When they learned that they were among the 24 finalists in the Patch Deck the House contest, the Powells took off running.

First, they engaged a large, local newspaper in the cause which announced their good news to everyone in the community of more than 63,000 residents.

The day before voting officially started on the Davis Patch site, the Powells appeared on a "Good Day" television program, reaching even more Californians throughout the region.

Orange residents with connections in Davis, said that on the first day of voting, a marching band came down their steet with television crews behind them as the Powells served hot chocolate to all the well wishers.

They kept the momentum up for all 10 days with repeated stories in the Davis Enterprise and more television appearances.

When a contestant in Georgia began picking up momentum, the Powells went on television again and said, "Georgia is catching up, we have to step it up!" (paraphrased) garnering them another 5,000 votes in one day.

In the end, Davis, California received more than 16,000 votes, an average of 5 times all of their closest competitors.

That is community engagement at its best! Congratulations to the Powells and the Davis schools on this phenomenal win.