Lac La Martre (Apr 10/06) - A Grade 6 boy here is one of 10 winners in a national name-the-RCMP-puppy contest.

Jovonni Simpson, 11, was shy about his win, entering "Star" as a good name for the Mountie's newest recruits: one of 10 puppies that will be trained for police work at the RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail, Alta.

Jovonni was inspired by one of his favourite TV shows, "6teen," he said last Thursday during a break from classwork at Mezi community school.

While he would allow that he was "kind of" excited to find out he'd won, his teacher Becky McKim went further.

"He's a pretty shy guy," she said. "But you could tell he was pretty pleased with himself."

It was a big deal for the school, too. "You could hear everyone in the school clapping when the principal announced it over the P.A. system," McKim said. "My class especially was happy he won."

Jovonni wins a photo of the puppy, now called "Star," an RCMP ball cap, a stuffed puppy named "Justice," and a certificate of congratulations.

He and his school will also get a visit from the Mounties. "The police are going to come with a dog to show what they do to train the dogs," McKim said. The date hasn't been set.

More than 7,500 entries, including 250 classroom entries, cascaded on the RCMP. This is the sixth year the national police force has solicited student input for its dogs' names.

When many suggestions offered the same name, the ultimate winner was picked by lottery. Among other winning monikers are Scout, Sherlock, Steele, Swat and Sniper.

There are 133 police dog service teams operating "coast to coast to coast," a RCMP press release said. "In the last 71 years, RCMP dog teams have saved hundreds of Canadian lives."

A police dog named Lasse was stationed in Yellowknife late last year.