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Poland fourth-grader earns cabbage for college
Photo
Neighbors | Submitted.Skyler Huda shows off the award-winning 39.5-pound cabbage she grew to win a state contest and college scholarship money.
A local fourth-grader now has a $1,000 scholarship to put toward her future college education, all thanks to cabbage.
Skyler Huda, 10, of Poland, won the Ohio division of the National Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program, a program that teaches children about agriculture. It’s sponsored by Bonnie Plants, an Alabama-based national plant wholesaler founded in 1918.
Skyler began the project last April with her third-grade class taught by Marlene Booher at Dobbins Elementary. By harvest time, the cabbage had grown from a 2-inch starter sprout to a giant weighing a hefty 39.5 pounds.
“I was surprised how big it got,” Skyler said.
Skyler took a picture of the cabbage and her classmates voted hers as best in the class. Skyler represented Dobbins and was entered into a drawing of classroom winners around the state. Her name was randomly chosen by Ohio’s agriculture commissioner as the state’s winner.
“We do it randomly, because the cabbages can be so similar that it’s hard to say whose is better,” said Joan Casanova, spokeswoman for Bonnie Plants.
In 2011, 20,957 third-graders in Ohio participated in the program and in total, more than 1.5 million third-graders in 48 states participated.
“It’s free for classes, and the plants are delivered to the classrooms for students to take them home and grow,” Casanova said.
Why cabbage?
“The variety is an O.S. cross, or oversized, and it can grow bigger than 40 pounds. It’s really fun for kids to grow, they get a lot of confidence, and it engages them in the process,” Casanova said.
Skyler’s mom, Kelly Huda, said the cabbage was the first vegetable plant the family has grown.
“I thought it was fun, educational and it teaches them responsibility,” Huda said.
Huda said they made a meal of stuffed cabbage and sauerkraut and then donated the rest.
Skyler grew the cabbage nearby at her grandmother’s house, because her own backyard is the domain of her family’s two dogs. But the distance to the garden and the hard work of growing a plant hasn’t deterred her.
“I want to try tomatoes next,” she said.
For information about the program and to register, go online to BonnieCabbageProgram.com.