KNIGHTDALE - When Bill Baiocchi walks down the hallways in his Raleigh office, he'll see plenty of reminders that eastern Wake County counts.

Baiocchi is the head of the Raleigh office for the 2010 Census. He was at East Wake Middle School last Wednesday to promote the importance of the census and to get a first-hand look at how middle school art students thought it should be promoted.

A few students stood before panels filled with student artwork to explain the posters they created. Using a theme centered around helping hands, the students tried to express the importance of participating in the decennial census.

It's a lesson Baiocchi hopes they will take home.

"We know students will take home what they learn at school and we hope that when they see that form come in the mail they will encourage their parents to participate," Baiocchi said.

Elizabeth Droessler, Wake County schools' supervisor for arts education, quizzed the students about what they had learned about the census, asking them questions about what it is, why it's important and how the government uses the information in the census.

Art provided by the students will decorate the hallways at the Census Bureau's Raleigh office.

"It's important for our staff to know that the numbers we are counting are real people and this will give them a visual reminder of that," Baiocchi said.